Stringency Statute News Today

Four conservation groups say a recent reversal of a water quality standard for selenium in Lake Koocanusa was erroneous and went beyond the authority of the Board of Environmental Review.

Four months after the state of Montana took a review board to court regarding selenium pollution in Lake Koocanusa, four conservation groups are suing not only the review board but also a Canadian coal mining company and the Lincoln County commission.

The quarrel over a Lake Koocanusa water quality standard took an unusual turn Friday when the state Board of Environmental Review voted to send a letter to the federal government saying it erred in its earlier adoption of a standard aimed at reducing waterborne mining pollution.