Dem senators back Navajo lawsuit against EPA

Two Democratic senators are throwing their support behind a Navajo Nation lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

In statements Tuesday, New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich said the Navajo deserve to be compensated for their clean-up work following a mine waste spill in the region last year. 

{mosads}”The Navajo people have been on the receiving end of devastating environmental disasters brought on by the federal government and private industry for far too long,” Udall said. 

“The spill was an accident, but the EPA made several serious mistakes, and the Navajo Nation has every right to pursue its claims for damages in court. This was not a natural disaster, and the communities that were harmed by the toxic spill deserve compensation.”

The Navajo Nation on Tuesday sued the EPA, alleging negligence in the agency’s clean-up work following last August’s spill. The spill, triggered by a team of EPA contractors at Colorado’s Gold King Mine, released 3 million gallons of toxic waste into the Animas River, which flowed downstream into two other states.

The Navajo join New Mexico in suing over the spill. The state seeks compensation for its recovery work following the incident.

“It’s been over a year and families are still feeling the economic impacts and health uncertainties of the Gold King Mine spill,” Heinrich said in a statement. 

“The pace of reimbursement to those impacted by this terrible incident is unacceptable. The EPA must fully compensate victims of the spill for their losses and provide a better process for filing claims.” 

The EPA notes it has spent $29 million to respond to the Gold King spill. The Navajo Nation has received more than $1 million in Clean Water Act and superfund grants from the agency.