Wastewater from a mining site in southwestern Colorado spilled into the Animas River on Wednesday. The EPA alerted New Mexico and Colorado state officials to the spill later that day. The EPA is still trying to determine the extent of the spill, which occurred at the Silver Wing Mine, located north of Silverton, Colorado. The […]
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State sues feds over Animas River spill
The state of New Mexico is seeking over $100 million in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for a mine blowout that led to millions of gallons of orangeish sludge flowing down the Animas River in the Four Corners area of the state. The blowout took place when a contractor with the EPA caused […]
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Senate committee to look at impacts of Animas River Spill Navajo Nation
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the Gold King Mine spill that dumped waste from a mine into the Animas River. The spill ended up impacting three states as well as the Navajo Nation. U.S. Senators Tom Udall, D-N.M., and John McCain, R-Ariz., requested the hearing by the committee. Both sit on […]
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What reporters on the ground are hearing about Animas River spill
As the Animas River spill continues to get national attention, New Mexico Political Report reached out to two reporters for an on-the-ground look at the disaster. It started with a breach of the Gold King Mine by a team working for the Environmental Protection Agency, sending a plume of orange pollution down the river and eventually into three […]
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NM, CO lawmakers want federal resources for Animas River spill
A letter signed by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives from New Mexico and Colorado is urging President Barack Obama to direct federal resources to the Animas River spill cleanup. Among these resources is a call for a coordinated response to the disaster. The Environmental Protection Agency has been criticized by state and local […]
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EPA head, AGs from three states will visit Animas River
There will be several high profile visits to the site of the Animas River Spill in the coming days. The spill happened when an Environmental Protection Agency team attempting to clean the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colo. released millions of gallons of water with heavy metals and other materials. The materials flowed into a creek that […]
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Animas River state of emergency; is it a wake-up call for abandoned mines?
The Animas River spill, or the Gold King Mine spill depending on your preference, is one of the more high profile environmental disasters in recent southwestern United States history. Yesterday, New Mexico Political Report wrote about six things that you should know about the spill. However, the news continues to change and adapt, so here is the […]
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Six things to know about the Animas River spill
The Animas River turned a sickly orange-brown as waste from an abandoned mine near Silverton, Colorado flowed into the river. The water with high level of heavy metals has made its way down the river into New Mexico. The cause? A breach from a team working for the Environmental Protection Agency that was trying to treat […]
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Federal officials: Colorado River Basin reservoirs will not reach critically low levels—for now
After facing dangerously dwindling water supplies in the Colorado River Basin, federal officials say that the worst has been staved off—at least for now. The Colorado River Basin provides water to 40 million people in seven states, including New Mexico. New Mexico’s share of the Colorado River comes from the San Juan and Animas rivers […]
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Legislators told of dire Upper Colorado River conditions
With major western reservoirs like Lake Powell and Lake Mead declining to historic low levels, water officials in New Mexico presented on the dire Upper Colorado River Basin conditions to the Senate Conservation Committee on Thursday. Estevan Lopez, the state’s Upper Colorado River Compact Commissioner and the governor’s representative on Colorado River matters, spoke about […]