U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

Tuesday , March 4, 2008

CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-494-8790
Cody Wertz – 303-350-0032

Sen. Salazar Meets with Bureau of Rec / Continues to Press Bureau, Interior, and EPA for Short and Long Term Solutions for Leadville

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar met with Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Bob Johnson to continue to press the Bureau to work as expeditiously as possible to address the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel (LMDT) blockage in Lake County. Following the meeting, Senator Salazar also wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson to urge the Bureau and the EPA to work together and with the State and local officials to find a long-term solution for the LMDT.

“I am pleased that the Bureau and EPA are working together to begin pumping the toxic water from the tunnel’s mine pool,” said Senator Salazar. “For the safety and security of the Leadville community, I want to continue to ensure that the Bureau of Reclamation and EPA have the resources they need to work together to address this issue, not just immediately, but in the longer term. I also want to look into the impact the toxic blockage may have had on the water quality of the Arkansas River in the immediate vicinity and also downstream. I will continue to monitor this situation closely and press the necessary agencies to ensure they are doing all they can to avert a potentially catastrophic situation in the community of Leadville.”

Last week Senator Salazar introduced The Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Environmental Improvement Act (S. 2680) to ensure that the Bureau of Reclamation has the necessary authority and funding to undertake the long-term remedy that has been approved by the EPA and the State, and vetted through public meetings. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the State and the EPA, to conduct a study to determine whether any blockages in the LMDT have affected, or are affecting, water quality and aquatic life in the Arkansas River and in the vicinity downstream of the LMDT and authorizes $40 million in funds for implementation of the long-term remedy.

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