EPA seeks co-operation from Teck Cominco

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could proceed with legal action against Vancouver-based Teck Cominco over pollution of a river system that straddles the U.S.-Canada border.

The EPA alleges that material discharged from the Trail smelter in British Columbia is carried across the border by the Columbia River.

However, the EPA recently issued an enforcement order against Teck Cominco requiring that the Canadian company take part in an EPA study of discharges from Trail. The smelter has been in operation since 1894.

For its part, the company says a U.S. government body cannot apply its regulations in another country.

The EPA says that if Teck Cominco does not comply, it will seek an order in a U.S. court to enforce its demand — a move which would effectively escalate the debate into a country-versus-country dispute.