Washington D.C. – Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today announced a Committee request for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to testify at an upcoming hearing on the agency’s role in the Animas River spill.
Chairman Lamar Smith: “After spilling millions of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Animas River, the EPA has an obligation to be forthcoming about what went wrong and potential long-term impacts on local communities. Weeks after the spill, families and businesses who depend on the Animas River continue to deal with uncertainty and limited information. As the agency entrusted by the American people to protect the environment and ensure the nation’s waters are clean, the EPA should be held to the highest standard. The Science Committee needs to hear from the EPA about steps it is taking to repair the damage and to prevent this from ever occurring again.”
The Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday September 9th at 10:00am ET to hear directly from the EPA about events that took place at the Gold King Mine in Colorado that led to the Animas River spill.