Losses from mine spill may be less than feared
Economic damage from a Colorado mine waste spill caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency might be far less than originally feared after attorneys drastically reduced some of the larger claims, The Associated Press has learned.
Farmers, business owners, residents and others initially said they suffered $1.2 billion in lost income, property damage and personal injuries from the 2015 spill at the Gold King Mine, which tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
But the total now appears to be about $420 million. A single law firm that originally filed claims totaling $900 million for a handful of New Mexico property owners told the AP it had lowered their claims to $120 million.
It’s still uncertain whether the White House and Congress — both now controlled by the GOP — are willing to pay for any of the economic losses, even though Republicans were among the most vocal in demanding the EPA make good on the harm.
Under former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, the EPA said it was prohibited by law from doing so.
Now that they’re in charge, Republicans have vowed to slash spending on the environment, leaving the prospects for compensation in doubt.
An EPA-led contractor crew inadvertently released 3 million gallons of wastewater tainted with heavy metals from the mine, polluting the Animas and San Juan rivers. The crew was doing exploratory excavation work at the mine entrance in advance of a possible cleanup.
Stretches of waterways turned an eerie orange-yellow, and the rivers were temporarily off-limits for agriculture and water utilities, as well as fishing and boating — important contributors to the area’s recreational economy. The EPA has said water quality in the rivers has returned to pre-spill conditions.
Native American reservations along the rivers also were affected.
The EPA said it received 73 claims for economic damage or personal injuries. The AP obtained copies of the claims through an open records request, although many details were redacted.