Washington, D.C. – Representatives Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Diana DeGette of Colorado have called for an oversight hearing on the Gold King Mine spill that released 3 million gallons of wastewater into the Animas and San Juan Rivers. Both members serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. DeGette is Ranking Member on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
The lawmakers sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy requesting the hearing.
“The EPA’s Office of Inspector General has announced plans to examine both the cause of this spill and the agency’s response. In addition, Administrator Gina McCarthy has indicated that the EPA will initiate an independent investigation of the disaster,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “We request that the Energy and Commerce Committee hold a hearing to carefully examine these reviews so that we can identify what happened and ensure that the spill is cleaned up; that those responsible are held accountable; and that impacted communities are made whole. Since there are thousands of abandoned mines, we must work together to prevent similar disasters from occurring in the future.”
The full text of the letter is available here