Utah lawmakers speculate feds might’ve orchestrated toxic river spill, ask AG to investigate
First Published Aug 18 2015 08:36PM • Last Updated Aug 18 2015 11:05 pm
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes holds a photograph from the massive spill from the abandoned Colorado gold mine that sent toxic wastewater flowing into Utah and at least two other states during the State Water Development Commission meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, in Salt Lake City. Reyes told Utah lawmakers that he first wants to see how the Environmental Protection Agency proposes to fix the damage to the state's waters, but legal action will be on the table if their actions fall short. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Inquiry sought » Attorney General Reyes will investigate the notion; it’s “nonsense,” says Rivers Council executive.
Two Utah lawmakers on Tuesday speculated that federal environmental officials might have deliberately triggered the Colorado mine release that sent 3 million gallons of toxic sludge into a San Juan River tributary, and asked Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes to investigate the possibility.
Reyes was briefing the Utah Water Development Commission when Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, suggested the Environmental Protection Agency could have breached the Gold King Mine in an effort to justify Superfund designation for the long-dormant gold mine.
Rep. Mike Noel, whose district covers Utah's southeastern corner, affected by the spill, joined Dayton in theorizing — neither offered evidence — that the EPA may have caused the release to help environmentalists put a halt to mining.
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