Rep. Smith: EPA must answer for agency’s role in Animas River spill

Earlier this week, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) announced a formal request for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to testify at an upcoming hearing to review the agency’s role in the Animas River spill — a miscue that dumped several dangerous chemicals into the Colorado river.

“After spilling millions of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Animas River, the EPA has an obligation to be forthcoming about what went wrong and potential long-term impacts on local communities,” Smith said. “Weeks after the spill, families and businesses who depend on the Animas River continue to deal with uncertainty and limited information.”

Smith’s Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. ET. During the hearing, the committee expects to hear directly from the EPA about the events that took place at the Gold King Mine in Colorado, leading up to the damaging Animas River spill.

“As the agency entrusted by the American people to protect the environment and ensure the nation’s waters are clean,” Smith said. “The EPA should be held to the highest standard. The Science Committee needs to hear from the EPA about steps it is taking to repair the damage and to prevent this from ever occurring again.”

Smith has represented Texas’s 21st District in the House of Representatives since 1987. Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1947, Smith was educated at Yale University and is married to Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer. 

He serves on the following committees: Science, Space and Technology; Homeland Security; Judiciary; Republican Study Committee.