From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, along with chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, sent a letter to the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson asking her to clarify the EPA’s ability to facilitate “Good Samaritan” cleanups of abandoned hard-rock mines. Good Samaritans are third-party groups that have no connection to or responsibility for the mining activities or resulting pollution but, nevertheless, they want to clean up these sites to mitigate damage to crucial watersheds and public health. The Government Accountability Office estimates that there are roughly 160,000 abandoned hard-rock mines in the twelve Western states and South Dakota, with 7,300 in Colorado…
The senators request that the agency update its administrative tools to clarify existing liability protections and improve outreach to Good Samaritan groups to promote more cleanups. The letter also lists specific questions, based on concerns the senators have heard from Good Samaritans, about the extent to which EPA believes existing administrative tools provide liability protection.
More water pollution coverage here.
More Good Samaritan exemption coverage here.