ALBUQUERQUE — The federal government would be required to identify the most dangerous abandoned mines in the West and make plans to clean them up under legislation introduced Tuesday in response to the spill of millions of gallons of toxic wastewater from a Colorado mine.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., outlined the proposal during a conference call with reporters. He said the main focus would be compensating communities affected by the spill, but another goal is to prevent environmental disasters.
“There are tens of thousands of abandoned mines around the West. They are a ticking time bomb, slowly leaking hazardous waste into our streams and rivers,” Udall said, indicating more legislation aimed at reforming antiquated mining laws would follow.
An EPA cleanup team triggered the spill in August as it was doing excavation work on the inactive Gold King mine near Silverton. The plume turned the Animas River a sickly yellow, and the pollution tainted with heavy metals flowed downstream to New Mexico and Utah.
