The Clean & Healthful Montana Podcast, Ep. 1: Lake Koocanusa's Big Tiny Problem

In our inaugural episode of the Clean and Healthful Montana Podcast, we sit down with Derf Johnson, Deputy Director of the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC), to unpack a recent district court ruling.The Case: Mont. Dep’t of Env’tl Quality, MEIC, et al. v. Mont. Bd. of Env’tl Review, Teck Coal/EVR, Lincoln County — Cause No. DV-2023-21 (1st Jud. Dist., Lewis & Clark Cnty.)The Decision: Order on Motions for Summary Judgment, Hon. Kathy Seeley, April 8, 2026The ruling upheld Montana’s site-specific selenium standard for Lake Koocanusa– a transboundary reservoir on the Kootenai River where roughly 95% of the selenium pollution comes from open-pit coal mines just across the border in British Columbia.Throughout the discussion, Derf walks us through how…* a years-long, bi-national scientific process produced the 0.8 μg/L standard in 2020,* the Montana Board of Environmental Review tried to undo its own work two years later, and* Judge Seeley’s April 8 ruling put the standard back on solid legal ground.We also explore what’s actually at stake for the bull trout, white sturgeon, and west slope cutthroat that depend on this watershed (plus the guides, anglers, and Lincoln County families who do too) and why MEIC, Clark Fork Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, and Idaho Rivers United joined Montana DEQ in court to defend the rule.Whether you’ve fished the Kootenai a hundred times or you’ve never heard the word selenium before, this conversation is a window into how Montanans’ right to a clean and healthful environment actually gets defended– one technical rule, one courtroom, one watershed at a time.Learn more about MEIC’s legal advocacy at meic.org, and stay updated with our work at the Western Environmental Law center on our website and social media.If you have questions and or ideas for future episodes you’d like to see covering the latest in Montana climate justice work, share them with us in a comment below. Thanks again for tuning in, and until next time!– Meridian Wappett This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storiesofkinship.substack.com