Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 19 March 2018
EPA may be overstating claims from mine spill

By DAN ELLIOTT in many cases paying —
Associated Press those sorts of expenses sep-
DENVER (AP) — The U.S. arately.
Environmental Protection It wasn't clear why they
Agency says it has almost would be included in the
finished an overdue review state's tort claim. In an
of damage claims from a email, New Mexico attor-
Colorado mine waste spill ney general's spokesman
that the agency acciden- James Hallinan said only
tally triggered, but an in- that the $154 million figure
ternal agency accounting "it is not a limitation on the
of those claims appears to damages we are seeking."
be off by tens of millions of In January 2017 — the fi-
dollars. nal days of the Obama
An EPA spreadsheet says administration — the EPA
the claims for economic rejected the Federal Tort
losses and personal injuries Claims Act requests, say-
from the 2015 spill at the ing sovereign immunity
Gold King Mine totaled prevented the government
more than $2.5 billion. The from paying. That angered
EPA provided the list to the Congress, and President
Associated Press this month Donald Trump's new EPA
under an open records re- In this Aug. 11, 2015 file photo, a La Plata County sheriff notice marks the closure of the Animas chief, Scott Pruitt, promised
quest. River due to the Gold King Mine spill downstream from the mine, in Durango, Colo. to review the decision.
But the list appears to over- Associated Press On Aug. 4, Pruitt an-
state by $100 million the nounced the EPA would re-
value of claims submitted sought at least $130 million, downward, but was never allegations will be settled consider claims from parties
by a law firm on behalf of the Navajos $160 million deleted from the EPA's list. in court, rather than under who hadn't filed lawsuits,
about a dozen clients. and Utah $1.9 billion. Utah's The EPA said the $220 mil- the tort claims law. saying the agency should
It's the latest in a series of claim cited unspecified lion in the spreadsheet The amount that New Mex- be held to the same stan-
complications and set- damages to water, soil and reflects the firm's original ico claimed as economic dards as everyone else.
backs since EPA contrac- wildlife. claim, but agency docu- losses is unclear. State offi- The EPA said at the time its
tors working at the inactive Danny Booher, a New Mex- ments released last year cials have said they sought deadline for completing
mine unleashed 3 million ico resident who asked for show the original claim was $130 million, but the EPA the review was the end of
gallons (11.3 million liters) $5 million for health prob- for $900 million. The EPA says it's $154 million. 2017, but that passed with
of wastewater carrying ar- lems and property dam- didn't immediately respond The EPA says the higher no announcement of any
senic, lead and other toxic age, said he was frustrated to an email asking for clari- number includes other decisions.
metals. A yellow-orange by the wait and the lack of ty, or whether it could verify types of expenses, includ- Pruitt told The Denver Post
plume of pollution tainted updates. the accuracy of its list. ing the cost of respond- on Monday he plans to fin-
waterways in Colorado, "It's been over two years," The compensation requests ing to the original spill and ish the review by the end
New Mexico, Utah and Na- he said. "We're pretty much were submitted under the monitoring water quality of the month. He didn't say
tive American lands, put- out here left to dry." Federal Tort Claims Act, in the future. The agency when any claims might be
ting the rivers temporarily Booher's claim was filed by which allows parties to ask has been reviewing — and paid.q
off-limits for a range of uses Will Ferguson and Associ- the federal government to
from drinking water to raft- ates, an Albuquerque, New repay them for economic
ing. Mexico, law firm represent- losses and injuries caused No small feat: Santa Barbara
The EPA pledged to make ing several residents of the by the negligence or
good on the damages, state in their cases against wrongful action of federal Zoo giraffe births 6-foot baby
and about 400 private par- the EPA. employees.
ties submitted requests for The firm ended up filing 13 The dollar amount of some SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) chele Green says it was a
$318 million, according to claims totaling $120 million, of those claims may be — Now that's a big baby! fast and smooth birth, and
EPA documents. The claims but the recently released moot. Anyone who files The Santa Barbara Zoo's the female calf stood up
cited lost wages and busi- EPA spreadsheet says it a lawsuit against the fed- Masai giraffe, Audrey, and was nursing in only two
ness income, ruined vaca- was 14 claims totaling $220 eral government can't be gave birth this week. hours.
tions, property damage, million. reimbursed under the tort The newborn is 6-foot- A medical exam Thursday
loss of property value and Will Ferguson, the firm's claims law, experts say. 1-inch (1.8 meters) and found the calf to be strong
health problems. managing partner, said the Several parties filed both weighs 180 pounds (81.6 and healthy. The mother
New Mexico, Utah and the extra $100 million may be lawsuits and tort claims, in- kilograms). and baby remain out of
Navajo Nation filed much a holdover from an earlier cluding New Mexico, Utah Curator of Mammals Mi- view for now.
larger claims. New Mexico claim that the firm revised and the Navajos, so their A naming contest will al-
low the public to choose
from the options of Ami-
rah, Makena, Nugget and
Quintin.
The zoo says there are
about 37,000 Masai giraffes
in Kenya and Tanzania,
but they are at risk due to
poaching and degrada-
tion and loss of habitat.
q