Latest news with #Glencore-owned
Wall Street Journal
31-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's Copper Tariffs: What Are Cathodes, and Why Are They Exempt?
Copper cathodes are loaded onto a train at Glencore-owned Canadian Copper Refinery in Montreal. (Andrej Ivanov/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)
Vancouver Sun
18-07-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. coal mining operation seeks green light to expand as investigation into polluted water continues
A coal mine in southeastern B.C. is seeking to expand operations as an investigation is underway into cross-border water pollution from mining in the area. Glencore-owned Elk Valley Resources, which operates four steelmaking coal mines in the Elk Valley, has renewed a proposal to extend Fording River operations for another 35 years. The company is also proposing to expand operations by mining in a new area south of the existing mine. The coal mine is about 15 kilometres northeast from Elkford. Although the coal is for making steel — not burned for energy — critics argue the process still releases a large amount of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, and that toxic levels of minerals continue to contaminate rivers. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Last year, B.C. agreed to the International Joint Commission investigation into water pollution in the Elk-Kootenay watershed. The agreement involves both federal governments, along with B.C., the states of Montana and Idaho, and six Indigenous communities. The pollution, which was confirmed by the U.S. geological survey last year, comes from metallurgical coal mines in B.C.'s Elk Valley, where waste rock is causing selenium and other pollutants such as nitrates, nickel and calcite to leach into rivers. While rarely harmful to humans, selenium and calcite can damage fish populations by lowering reproductive success. Casey Brennan, conservation director for Wildsight, said Elk Valley Resources has been successful in bringing down the levels of selenium, but they remain above B.C.'s threshold for aquatic health in some areas. 'We believe there should be no new mining permitted until water contamination has been adequately addressed and long term solutions and environmental liability securities are in place,' said Brennan. He said calcite is a mounting concern. 'The creek bed looks like it is covered in concrete. It's like a white, solid kind of crust on the bottom of the creek, which has a terrible impact on fish habitat. So we are very concerned and we're not really getting any clear answers.' An earlier draft of the extension for Fording, then owned by Teck Coal, was rejected by the Ktunaxa Nations over those pollution concerns. In its 2022 submission, Ktunaxa wrote that members believed there was sufficient evidence the project would cause 'extraordinarily adverse effects.' Ktunaxa did not respond to a message by deadline. A year before, Teck was fined $60 million for damaging waterways in the Elk Valley — the largest fine issued for Fisheries Act offences. In 2023, it was fined again for $16 million. Since then, EVR has been in talks with the Ktunaxa and the Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi 'it nations to reduce the project's environmental footprint, EVR said in a statement Thursday. This includes reducing disturbances to habitat and bringing in new water quality measures. The statement said EVR has made significant progress implementing the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan , a long-term plan to reduce selenium and improve the health of the watershed, while allowing for continued mining. 'We have constructed four water treatment facilities at our operations with capacity to treat 77.5 million litres of water per day, which are removing between 95 per cent and 99 per cent of selenium from treated water,' EVR said, adding three more treatment facilities are planned. A decision on whether to proceed with an environmental assessment of the project will be made after the commission wraps up its investigation, with recommendations expected in the fall of 2026. The rivers affected by mining flow through Sparwood and Fernie, into Lake Koocanusa on the U.S.-Canadian border, through Montana and Idaho, then back into B.C., past Creston and into Kootenay Lake. On a recent hike in Elk Valley, Brennan was overwhelmed by the idea of B.C. potentially expanding coal mining. 'They would use explosives to blow up the mountain…it blackens and flattens, creating a vegetation-free landscape,' he said. 'It really hits home, you know, hits me in my chest, just how much will be lost. There's going to be less sheep.' The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are a blue-listed species in B.C. that are vulnerable to human activities but not yet classified as endangered. In 2023, B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office issued a decision requiring then owner Teck to revise the proposal to address concerns from the Ktunaxa and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi'it nations. The B.C. Environment Ministry said in an email this week that the province is 'fully supportive of the International Joint Commission process and is actively participating in a two-year study focused on water quality' in the watershed. EVR also stated it is ' committed to participating' in the investigation. B.C. aims to be carbon neutral by 2050 but the steelmaking coal industry contributes to global GHG emissions. Emissions from the burning of coal to make steel aren't counted in B.C.'s totals because the majority of coal is shipped to China. There are lower-carbon methods to make steel, such as using hydrogen, but it's cheaper to use coal, said Brennan, adding B.C. needs to start having a discussion about phasing out steelmaking coal mines. Meantime, Glencore has made Investment Canada Act commitments to conserve or rehabilitate at least three hectares for every one hectare affected by its mining activities. But a plan for this hasn't been made public. Another concern for Wildsight is the inadequate bonding that B.C. requires of EVR. There have been recent increases to the bonding amount but according to an independent report from last year, there remains a significant shortfall of billions of dollars of environmental liability that would fall to the public when these mines close. The EAO said in an emailed statement that if the project advances to an environmental assessment, the office will examine all potential impacts, including water quality. B.C.'s coal industry has an economic output of more than $2.7 billion, with a labour income of $785 million, according to the B.C. Mining Association. ticrawford@ With files from The Canadian Press
