Hatch Reacts to EPA’s Animas Wastewater Spill
Washington—Last week, Environmental Protection Agency workers at the Animas River in Colorado accidentally broke through a dam, unleashing 3 million gallons of wastewater into the river. The wastewater contained toxic levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and other contaminants, which have already spread into New Mexico and towards Utah.
“I’m deeply disappointed by the EPA’s spill of millions of gallons of toxic waste into our water supply,” said Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the senior Republican in the United States Senate. “As the contaminated water makes its way west into Utah, I’m highly concerned about its effects on the water upon which our agriculture, industry, recreation, and municipalities depend.”
Hatch also called for change at the agency. “Going forward, I will do everything in my power to ensure that the EPA cleans up this mess and ensures that mistakes such as this don’t happen again. This disaster emphasizes the need for the EPA to focus on fulfilling its existing responsibilities, instead of focusing its resources on imposing expensive new regulations that kill jobs and hurt family budgets.”
