Water flows through a series of retention ponds built to contain and filter out heavy metals and chemicals from the Gold King mine chemical accident, in the spillway about 1/4 mile downstream from the mine, outside Silverton, on Aug. 14, 2015. (Brennan Linsley, Associated Press file)
Re: Hold mining companies responsible for cleanups, May 8 guest commentary.
Gwen Lachelt s column concludes that the mining companies responsible for the pollution should pay for the mine cleanups in La Plata County. What her column confuses is who the mining companies are. The Gold King Mine was last operated in 1922, so the company operating the mine last should be responsible, no? The problem is the operating company no longer exists.
It is unfair and unwise to put this burden on future mining efforts. Do we make other presently operating industries pay for damages to the environment that were done by other manufacturers a century ago? No — we make enforceable regulations so it doesn t happen in the future.
The sensible thing for the San Juan mining districts is to build a partnership with state government and private industry to create modern new mines that are built with 2016 environmental standard, not 1922 standards, and at the same time clean up the lingering environmental hazards created a century ago.
Peter Drobeck, Golden
This letter was published in the May 15 edition.
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