The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that the Canadian and U.S. governments have agreed to put the issue of cross-border pollution from B.C. coal mines before the International Joint Commission, a body set up more than a century ago to resolve conflicts over shared waters. The Globe's Wendy Stueck writes that the request follows years of campaigning by indigenous peoples and was developed with the Ktunaxa Nation, whose traditional territory takes in parts of British Columbia, Montana and Idaho. The agreement, announced Monday in a joint statement by Canadian and U.S. government officials, is the latest development in a dispute over the extent and impact of pollution resulting from coal mines operated in southeastern B.C. by Vancouver-based Teck Resources. Indigenous groups have called for an IJC reference for more than a decade, citing risks from substances such as selenium to fish, birds and human health. In March, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden announced they would come up with a plan by the summer to deal with pollution flowing from coal mines in Elk Valley, in southeastern B.C., into waters including Lake Koocanusa, a reservoir that straddles the Canada-U.S. border.