WINDOW ROCK – President Russell Begaye today applauded Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) for asking the White House to acknowledge the Navajo Nation’s formal request for an Emergency Declaration due to the Gold King Mine spill. In a letter sent to President Barack Obama yesterday, the senators urged the president to swiftly review and respond to the Navajo Nation’s request. President Obama has not commented on the devastating impact of the Gold King Mine spill and the White House has not responded to the numerous requests for Federal support to address this crisis.
“I applaud Senators McCain and Flake for urging President Obama to swiftly review and respond to our request for an Emergency Declaration due to the Gold King Mine Spill caused by the actions of the United States Department of Environmental Affairs. This disaster has culturally and economically devastated our Nation and inflicted an enormous amount of pain and suffering on our people.
“President Obama has not only been slow to respond to our request for additional assistance, he has not acknowledged the damage that the U.S. EPA and other responsible parties have caused to the Navajo Nation. We need greater support from the Obama Administration to help our people recover from this crisis, and I thank Senators McCain and Flake for championing our cause.”