U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) recently marked the anniversary of the Gold King Mine spill by announcing $452,000 in federal funds to help cover local, state and tribal response costs in Colorado.
The EPA will award $161,000 to Colorado, $106,000 to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, $99,000 to La Plata County, $43,000 to San Juan County and $43,000 to the city of Durango to help cover response costs. Additionally, the EPA is awarding $258,000 to Utah.
“One year ago today, the EPA released three million gallons of contaminated water into the Animas River, devastating the local communities impacted by the spill,” Gardner said on Friday. “While I have many outstanding questions for the EPA surrounding its insufficient and untimely response, I look forward to them being addressed in the inspector general’s report as well as the criminal investigation. In the meantime, I will continue to fight for the transparency and accountability that Coloradans expect and deserve, and that includes making sure all individuals, businesses and localities are wholly compensated. I’m pleased to announce today that the EPA is reimbursing state, local and tribal officials $710,000. While overdue, it’s a positive step in the right direction and I urge the EPA to act expeditiously moving forward to address all outstanding claims.”
In response to the mine spill, Gardner introduced the Gold King Accountability and Compensation for Taxpayers Act, S. 2950. The measure would ensure that the EPA fully compensates all communities impacted by the mine spill in a timely manner.
Gardner joined U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) in writing a letter in July that called for a hearing to be held on the legislation.
“The Gold King ACT is a fiscally responsible bill that would direct the EPA to fully and expeditiously compensate communities impacted by this preventable, man-made environmental disaster,” Gardner and Hatch wrote. “Currently, there are more than 60 federal tort claims relating to the Gold King Mine spill upon which the EPA has yet to act. This legislation also holds the EPA accountable by requiring the agency to pay for these claims out of its own budget, and it expedites the payout of emergency response costs assumed by tribes, counties, and local governments.”