SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 12, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) –The state of Utah announced Friday it plans to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for its role in the Gold King Mine disaster.
In a press release issued by the attorney general’s office, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality said it discovered that water sample results taken by the EPA showed elevated levels of potentially dangerous metals released from the mine in the spring of 2015.
The results had not previously been shared with the state.
“From the beginning we have evaluated Utah’s legal options to ensure the EPA lives up to its promise to be fully accountable and transparent – and to make our citizens and environment whole,” said Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.
The statement goes on to say a team of lawyers from the Office of the Utah Attorney General has been assembled to support the Utah Departments of Environmental Quality and Public Safety, and the Divisions of Water Quality and Emergency Management.
“It’s critical that we ensure that the EPA, and any other potentially liable entities, are held legally responsible not just for short term effects but for damage that may not be known or understood for years to come,” Reyes said.
