The EPA caused this spill . Intentionally. For money.
The mine was stable until the EPA fooled around with it.
No one was fired.
The Navajo Indians in New Mexico are also suing the EPA.
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As of 1991, all mining ceased on Sunnyside’s properties and Sunnyside immediately began reclaiming its sites, working with the Colorado Water Quality Control Division. In 1996, Sunnyside entered into a consent decree, reviewed by the EPA and approved by a Colorado district court, requiring Sunnyside to complete specific remediation actions on its sites. In 2003, Sunnyside fulfilled its reclamation duties and the consent decree was terminated.
Colorado and local governments opposed efforts by the EPA to add ( new , more ) sites in the Animas River Valley to the NPL.
Where is this money supposed to be coming from? How was it planned?
It’s the vagueness of the allegations that make them implausible to date. A bungle of nannies is a credible explanation. This isn’t.