Colorado Set To Endorse Superfund Cleanup Of Old Mines
DENVER (AP) — Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to take a key step toward launching a federally funded cleanup of 48 old mining sites, endorsing a Superfund zone that includes a mine that sent wastewater into rivers in three states last August.
Hickenlooper spokeswoman Kathy Green said Sunday the governor is preparing to give his formal blessing Monday to the cleanup in southwestern Colorado.
The Environmental Protection Agency would oversee the project but won't proceed without the support of the governor and local officials. San Juan County and the town of Silverton endorsed the cleanup last week.
The EPA inadvertently triggered the release of 3 million gallons of wastewater from the inactive Gold King Mine on Aug. 5 during preliminary cleanup work. Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were polluted.
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