Posted on 02/11/2016 8:42:49 AM PST by george76
The head of the New Mexico Environment Department blasted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday during a legislative committee meeting in the New Mexico Legislature, saying federal officials are downplaying the long-term effects of the Gold King Mine spill.
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Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn told members of the House agriculture committee that the agency has been pressuring communities to get behind a proposal that calls for monitoring water quality for only a year.
Flynn also argued that the proposal would look at whether the water is safe for recreation rather than digging deeper into recurring spikes in the readings of heavy metals that state officials fear could affect crops, livestock and wildlife in the years to come.
The EPA has maintained that water quality returned to normal in the weeks following the Aug. 5 spill. Flynn disputed that, and he pointed to readings taken after a series of storms last fall.
"When storm events occurred, the sediment was remobilized, and we're seeing the levels of lead and other metals in the river increase well above safe drinking water standards," Flynn testified. "So the idea that: 'Hey, everything is back to normal, we're good,' is just flat out false and that's a problem."
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New Mexico announced last month it intends to sue the EPA
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Flynn told New Mexico lawmakers that the spill could have been avoided and accused the EPA of not holding itself to the same standards set for private industry
(Excerpt) Read more at durangoherald.com ...
God forbid, that our Civil Masters get the same treatment as us proles. . . .
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