An international coalition of over 200 Indigenous groups, businesses and environmentalists have announced opposition to a Canadian mining plan that could have far-reaching impacts in the US.
Imperial Metals has applied to the British Columbia government for a five-year exploratory permit to drill for gold around the source waters of the Skagit River, near the US border.
The opponents on both sides of the border argue that if gold exploration and, eventually, mining are permitted in the Skagit headwaters, which flow into Puget Sound in Washington state, pollution could harm local communities and the North Cascades national park.
“Even exploratory drilling has been shown to release copper,” according to a recent letter to the British Columbia premier by by 109 American elected officials, conservationists and others.
“Copper can be lethal to fish and aquatic invertebrates at relatively small concentrations. Recent studies have found that copper has substantial sublethal impacts to fish at levels that were previously considered safe.”
For the rest of this article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/29/canada-mining-gold-indigenous-skagit-river-washington-environment