Interior Department To Lead Review Of Colorado River Spill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department will lead a review of the Colorado mine spill that tainted rivers in three western states.

The review was announced late Tuesday after elected officials from both parties questioned whether the Environmental Protection Agency should be left to probe its own heavily criticized response to the disaster. EPA and contract workers accidentally unleashed 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater on Aug. 5 as they inspected the idled Gold King mine.

The Interior Department's report is expected to be released publicly in 60 days.

In addition, EPA's inspector general is conducting a separate review of the incident. Leaders of oversight committees in both the House and Senate say they are planning hearings after Congress returns from its August recess.

All six senators from the three states involved — Colorado, New Mexico and Utah — wrote EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins on Wednesday asking him to look into more than a dozen questions, including details of the work being done when the spill occurred and what qualifications the on-scene crew had.

The senators also asked what laws and policies govern the EPA's communications with state, local and tribal governments after such an incident, and whether the agency met those requirements.

Numerous local officials have complained the EPA was slow to notify them. The senators asked whether the time lapse created any health hazards or delayed the response.