August 20, 2015
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) signed two letters calling for accountability and answers from the federal government in the wake of the Environmental Protection Agency's spill of three million gallons of toxic mine wastewater into the Animas River.
The first letter, sent to President Obama on August 17, calls for an efficient and transparent cleanup effort to be coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies. The letter demands that the EPA ensure state and local governments are quickly and adequately compensated for the resources they used to protect their citizens and communities from the EPA’s mistake. That letter was signed by the entire Utah delegation and can be read here.
The second letter, to EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins sent on August 19, identifies 13 specific questions the Inspector General’s report on the mine spill should answer, including whether the EPA followed its own legal obligations, policies, and guidelines in the run up and aftermath of the spill. That letter was signed by all the senators from Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and can be read here.
