http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/10/navajo-nation-aims-to-sue-epa-over-devastating-mining-spill/ "Anger was mounting Monday at the federal Environmental Protection Agency over the massive spill of millions of gallons of toxic sludge from a Colorado gold mine that has already fouled three major waterways and may be three times bigger than originally reported."
Imagine how cleaner our water, soil and air would be without the friggin EPA. Did you hear how they want to reduce CO2 use and coal company profits?
The EPA has to take responsibility of course, but the blame goes to a coupla hardhats operating heavy equipment who made a big mistake. They're workin', it happens. First thing I ask for events on the shop floor, or out in the field, "was anyone hurt?" Who owns the mine and why aren't they cleaning it up? Lemme guess, economic "externality".
I hope these guys are fully insured. EPA Contractor Involved in Colorado Spill Identified as Environmental Restoration Fenton, Mo., company was tasked with mitigating pollutants from closed mine By Amy Harder, Alexandra Berzon and Jennifer S. Forsyth Updated Aug. 12, 2015 6:58 p.m. ET "Missouri-based Environmental Restoration LLC was the contractor whose work caused a mine spill in Colorado that released an estimated 3 million gallons of toxic sludge into a major river system, according to an Environmental Protection Agency official and government documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. "The EPA, which was overseeing the servicing of the mine, had previously said an unnamed outside contractor was using heavy equipment when it accidentally triggered a breach in the abandoned Gold King Mine, letting out wastewater that had built up inside it. “Environmental Restoration LLC was working at the direction at EPA in consultation with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety,” an EPA official said on Wednesday. "Officials at the company, based in Fenton, Mo., didn’t return multiple calls for comment. "According to various government documents, Environmental Restoration had signed an agreement to provide emergency protection from pollutants from the Gold King Mine, near Durango, Colo., in the southwestern part of the state. The spill has fouled the nearby Animas River, turning its water mustard yellow in the initial several days after the spill on Aug. 5. "The money to fund the Gold King Mine cleanup comes out of EPA’s Superfund budget, according to Scott Sherman, a former deputy assistant administrator at EPA during the George W. Bush administration who oversaw Superfund and other waste programs." More >>
Really? You think if Koch Industries hired a subcontractor that screwed up they could just say to the EPA 'don't look at me, it's the subcontractor' ? If the answer to that is yes, then no big company will ever do any work of this kind again. It'll all be shell companies formed to clean up messes.