Environmental Protection Agency pays little to tribes for spill

Environment | National | Politics

Environmental Protection Agency pays little to tribes for spill

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colorado

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john mccain

navajo

new mexico

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southern ute

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Posted: Friday, April 29, 2016

A spill at the abandoned Gold King Mine in Colorado caused at least 3 million gallons of mine waste to enter the water system. Photo from Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency is reimbursing two tribes for costs associated with the Gold King Mine disaster but the amounts are small in comparison to those going to states and local governments.

According to the Associated Press, the Navajo Nation will receive $157,000 while the Southern Ute Tribe will receive $116,000. The state of New Mexico, on the other hand, is getting $334,000 and local governments in Colorado are seeing a total of $431,400.

The Southern Ute Tribe was the first government to notice the spill from the abandoned mine last August. The state of New Mexico said it was informed by the tribe and not the EPA, a move that officials said protected drinking water supplies and averted even more damage.

Leaders of the Navajo Nation also reacted quickly to the spill and even went to the site of the disaster days before Administrator Gina McCarthy traveled to Colorado. Based on the conditions seen there, the tribe shut down irrigation canals and imposed water use restrictions on the San Juan River on the New Mexico portion of the reservation.

Indianz.Com SoundCloud: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Field Hearing

The Navajo Nation Irrigation Office finally reopened canals in two communities this week, eight months after the spill, The Farmington Daily-Times reported. Farmers and ranchers lost crops and had to find alternative sources of water during the shutdown.

During a field hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on April 22, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) said the tribe has lost nearly $1 million in agricultural costs alone. He has called for EPA to face a criminal inquiry for the damage caused by the spill.

"We’re a long way from finished with the issue," McCain said at the hearing, Cronkite News reported.

Additional reimbursements from the EPA are possible despite the low amounts sent to the tribes so far.

Get the Story:
EPA paying $1 million in response costs after mine spill (AP 4/28)
EPA paying $1 million in response costs after Gold King Mine spill (The Denver Channel 4/28)
EPA: La Plata County won’t get full reimbursement for Gold King (The Durango Herald 4/28)
Irrigation canals reopen on Navajo Nation (The Farmington Daily-Times 4/28)
Scientist warns of future mine spill problems (The Farmington Daily-Times 4/27)
Begaye: EPA not taking accountability for Gold King Mine spill (The Navajo-Hopi Observer 4/26)

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice:
Field Oversight Hearing on “Examining EPA’s Unacceptable Response to Indian Tribes" (April 22, 2016)