Pollution in the Animas River

“3M gallons spilled in river,” Aug. 10 news story.

Instead of fighting Christo and his bizarre “art” project that will showcase (or, as some say, “deface”) Colorado’s scenic beauty, maybe we should just let him follow the EPA around. They seem to be able to do by accident in a day what it takes him years to get permission to do. Sure would save on the public hearings and agency reviews.

BBB Words fail to express my disgust over this latest major environmental disaster in Colorado caused by the EPA’s cleanup effort. However, had the mining companies years ago given more consideration to all the chemicals they subjected the mountains to and been concerned about how their greed for gold would affect future generations, a clean-up would not have been necessary in the first place.

As sad as it is to see this orange contamination flowing through western Colorado, it is even sadder that we never learn from history.

BBB While the EPA should be held accountable for its lack of oversight in the Animas River spill, a little fair play is needed.

There are thousands of toxic dump sites in the U.S. that the EPA is charged with remediating or cleaning up. Congressman Scott Tipton would better serve the public interest by recognizing these sites were not created by the EPA but by irresponsible individuals, companies and corporations that relegated environmental safety to the lowest priority over making a profit.

BBB What is the cost of restoring a river system to health? Whether or not it is fixed, we and our children will pay. We’ve got a short time frame to fix this problem. We want to stop having to look in the rear-view mirror and regretting what we’ve done. Send letters of 150 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 800, Denver, CO, 80202. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact us at 303-954-1331.