I agree with Dr. McKenzie that selenium is naturally-occurring, and that it is essential for animal and human health. It supports immune function, reproduction and antioxidant systems in livestock. In fact, selenium supplementation of feed is routine across the Prairies, especially in cattle operations where local forage may be selenium-deficient. For many producers, selenium is a nutrient to be managed, not feared. Selenium is also naturally present in soils across Western Canada. The natural variability of its occurrence reflects long-term geologic conditions, and not recent human activity. Plants don’t require selenium, but they absorb it passively, especially in areas with well-oxygenated, alkaline soils. When selenium uptake is properly monitored, forage and food crops remain safe and sustainable for both livestock and consumers.

Unfortunately, McKenzie makes a giant leap that is not based on data or evidence. Without any case studies or real data from an Alberta coal mine, McKenzie extrapolates from hypothetical selenium accumulation scenarios to suggest that effluent from a potential coal project on the Eastern Slopes could have deleterious impacts to irrigated farmland, and possibly even drinking water. The 2010 irrigation water study cited by McKenzie (Little et al., 2010) reported that all samples met Alberta’s irrigation guideline of 20 µg/L (micrograms per litre), and the average selenium concentrations (of 607 samples) was just above the British Columbia and Alberta aquatic life guidelines. Even the highest reading (i.e., 10 µg/L) remained well within provincial and federal irrigation standards.

As is often the case with recent anti-coal mining narratives, McKenzie neglects to cite current allowable selenium discharge limits for coal mining projects in Canada that are already well below thresholds that would pose risk to agricultural waters. British Columbia, for instance, enforces site performance objectives of below 10 µg/L for effluents discharging to diverse aquatic environments; this value aligns with British Columbia’s irrigation and drinking water guidelines and is half of Alberta’s irrigation guideline. This latter observation clearly indicates that protection of aquatic life downstream of a coal mine will necessarily protect other downstream receptors and users (e.g., livestock, humans).

McKenzie also does not mention any of the methods or technologies which make up the “multiple-lines-of-defence” approach employed by industry to mitigate and treat selenium in effluent. This is a crucial element, which needs to be taken into consideration. He extrapolates from elevated selenium in surface coal mine discharge to risks posed to the safety of irrigation water. If effluent downstream of an operating coal mine must meet a < 10 µg/L limit, then how will irrigation and drinking water — safe at higher concentrations — be affected and result in risk? 

I assume McKenzie is suggesting coal mines will not comply with provincial permits, guidelines and regulations (note: federal coal mining effluent regulations are about to be issued). This is not a reasonable suggestion. Water quality from coal mines will always require monitoring and evaluation to ensure environmental protection; it must be held to high environmental standards. However, invoking speculative selenium accumulation scenarios to argue against development of an entire resource sector of great economic importance risks conflating hazard potential with actual risk. Scientific and regulatory tools exist to evaluate and manage selenium effectively. Blanket statements suggesting “devastation” of irrigated farmland are unhelpful and alarmist, especially when there is growing evidence of successful mitigation, evaluation and management.

Let’s continue to protect aquatic life, soil, food safety and drinking water, but let’s also ensure that our debates are based on current science, realistic exposure pathways, and an ethic of responsible development. Prairie producers are capable stewards of their land, and they deserve reliable and science-based information (e.g., the North American Selenium Working Group and Coal Association of Canada websites) that helps inform both policy and public dialogue.

Guy Gilron

Borealis Environmental Consulting Inc.

North Vancouver, B.C.

Editor’s note: We do welcome feedback and perspectives from readers. If you’ve something to say about anything you’ve read in Grainews or about Prairie farming, please submit your letter to the editor via email.

The post Letter to the Editor: Selenium, science and the risk of overstating harm appeared first on Grainews.

Let’s look at five types of letters that might be helpful to people in this situation:

• Exploration
• Collaboration
• Explanation
• Confrontation
• Affirmation

You might want to take parts of each of these types of letters to accomplish your specific goals. Here’s how I have seen them used in my coaching work.

• Exploration: This is the discovery process of seeking out the possibilities of how you might like to address an issue with another party. You are exploring the various options ahead of you. For a young farmer, it might be exploring a new business plan with the founders or folks who hold most of the equity in the operation. What opportunities are you wanting to explore on your farm? What letters of reference or testimonials do you have in your research to prove it is a workable choice to engage in? Writing the letter will help crystalize your commitment to the project and help you think things through for your business plan.
• Collaboration: The purpose of this letter is to agree on a working contract. I use this letter in my speaker agreements to be clear about timelines, dates, venues, supplies, fees and expenses. When you are wanting to collaborate on a project with a family member you usually talk about it lots, but how many documents are in place to be clear about roles and responsibilities? Many farm folks I know wish they had taken a few more steps to get things in writing so they could refer to the original goals and expectations. A shareholder’s agreement is really a document letter of collaboration. Do you understand what your shareholder’s agreement says? Do you need to update it?
• Explanation: This is a powerful script to follow when you want to convey your thoughts and intentions at a meeting but you’re not sure you’ll be able to say everything quite the right way you want it to go. I have seen this type of letter used as a powerful tool by a farm widow who was distressed her adult children were fighting over how the father’s estate had been carried out. She used the letter to read her thoughts at the opening of the family meeting. The children listened intently while their mother conveyed her angst at their bickering. When the tone of reconciliation had been set by the mother’s expectations conveyed in her letter, the children discussed their next steps toward a better family relationship with an understanding of why the estate was executed in a certain manner. People cannot read minds, so letters are a vehicle for building up understanding and starting robust, courageous conversations.
• Confrontation: Stop texting when you are angry. Put that energy toward collecting your thoughts on paper in a Word document that you can craft until it sounds right. I have used this approach when adults want to deliver a strong message of concern to another adult. In one case, it was crafted by a husband and wife and then hand delivered to the party who needed to receive the message of concern. This took time and deliberation over carefully chosen words. The power of hand delivery emphasized the openness for ongoing conversation and the seriousness of the need for the conflict to be dealt with. You can make this even more impactful if the letter is handwritten, as long as your writing is easy to read. Sometimes these confrontation letters are hard to receive, particularly if you are like me and would rather just have a face-to-face conversation. Use the letter as a starting point and as an invitation to have a face-to-face conversation.
• Affirmation: Gary Chapman wrote the book The Five Love Languages, which are words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, meaningful touch and acts of service. One of my love languages is verbal affirmation. As a writer, I also love the power of the written word through cards and notes of affirmation. They are nice to see on social media, but those are fleeting comments. You can hold a card or letter of affirmation in your hand and can pull it out again on hard days when you need a word of encouragement. I have seen this powerful letter used by a father-in-law who sought to empower his talented daughter-in-law. He wrote her a letter stating the many reasons why he thought they should work together on the farm. That letter started a great relationship and affirmed open, loving, respectful communication between them as a team.

Some younger people have not learned cursive writing and therefore only print or keyboard their messages. Our local agent who processes drivers’ licences has taken to teaching young teens how to craft a great signature! I find this hard to believe, but it’s a reflection of how the written word is changing in our culture. Writing a letter to break down the barrier of anxiety about your future on the farm, or how to approach the fairness factor in estate plans, is a place to start. You can be clear about your intent not to cause harm, stating your hope to gain clarity of expectations for the future. You can think about the words you carefully choose.

Please consider what type of letter you need to be crafting today.

Listen to the Ag State of Mind podcasts 124 and 125 to hear how powerful a letter can be. I coached the host Jason Medows on these episodes.

Write me a letter at Box 957, Boissevain, MB, R0K 0E0.

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