Posted on 03/02/2016 5:57:40 AM PST by george76
The Republican chairman of a congressional panel investigating a 3-million-gallon spill of toxic wastewater from an inactive Colorado gold mine said Tuesday the mine was purposely breached by a government cleanup team.
The assertion by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah contradicts claims by the Obama administration that the cleanup team was doing only preparatory work at the Gold King mine.
Once it was breached, wastewater loaded with lead, arsenic and other contaminants fouled downstream rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
Bishop cited an email in which an Interior Department official said the spill last August occurred when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency team used an excavator to remove a dirt and rock "plug" blocking the mine's entrance.
The plug was holding back pressurized wastewater that had accumulated for years inside the mine north of Durango.
"There was nothing unintentional about EPA's actions with regard to breaching the mine. They fully intended to dig out the plug and breach it," Bishop said
(Excerpt) Read more at gazette.com ...
How many promotions in the EPA since?
Sic em Rob!
IOW, "we examined ourselves and found no fault."
The only thing left for them is to claim stupidity.
Donald, choose Sarah Palin for Interior please.
... so why is Gina McCarthy still in charge at the EPA?? /s
The EPA . . Yet another REPUBLICAN CREATED BOONDOGGLE.
Only if Palin’s job is to oversee the dismantling of the Interior.
Where’s the FBI and the Oregon State Police when you need them!?
Someone told me this very thing right when it happened.
It's possible.
Oh yeah I remember why now. So the EPA could achieve Superfund status.
“They fully intended to dig out the plug and breach it,”
Why? To negatively impact farmers in the area as the article mentions?
Animal Farm. People who work for government will get a promotion. Serfs would be thrown in jail and fined.
The just future of the EPA is clear - indict, try, convict, sentence, and publicly execute the sentence.
Bishop is correct.
Jewell is either lying or incompetent.
Proof that democrats can corrupt any well meaning agency into a political weapon.
Get over yourself.
The EPA was initiated with good intent at a time when it was needed.
The problem is lack of oversight and takeover & bloat by a bunch of wacko’s.
Shut it down. Shut it down NOW!
“Bishop cited an email in which an Interior Department official said the spill last August occurred when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency team used an excavator to remove a dirt and rock “plug” blocking the mine’s entrance.”
Why not release the email so we can see what’s in it and decide for ourselves?
Good idea.
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