Colorado Senators file another Gold King Mine Disaster relief bill

(The Center Square) - U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, and U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, recently introduced the Gold King Mine Spill Compensation Act to aid communities impacted by the Gold King Mine disaster of 2015.

The proposal would cost about $3.3 million, a Bennet spokesman told The Center Square.

“The effects of the Gold King Mine disaster were felt far beyond the banks of the Animas River. The blowout hurt families, farmers, and outdoor recreation companies in Durango and throughout southwest Colorado who depend on the river for their livelihoods,” Bennet said in a statement. “Almost a decade later, too many Coloradans still feel its effects. Our legislation is a necessary step to help Coloradans finally recover certain remaining costs and damages incurred from the spill and make Southwest Colorado communities whole again."

Hickenlooper expressed a similar sentiment.

“Local farmers, homeowners, and outdoor rec outfitters were left high and dry after the Gold King Mine spill in 2015,” Hickenlooper said. “Our bill will make sure they get the compensation they need to finally recover and move forward.”

The Gold King Mine spill released three million gallons of polluted mining wastewater into the Animas and San Juan rivers on August 5, 2015, impacting waterways in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offered partial compensation for some claims. However, existing laws limit its ability to compensate businesses, farmers and homeowners fully.

This bill would give the EPA the authority and funding to compensate for some outstanding claims from the spill.

“The Gold King Mine Compensation Act clears the procedural hurdles that kept businesses that suffered economic losses due to the spill nearly 10 years ago from being made whole,” Matt Salka, chair of the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners, said. “We are grateful that the impact felt by those businesses has not been forgotten and that a remedy is possible through this much-appreciated legislation.”

Hickenlooper, governor at the time of the spill, declared the affected area a disaster zone. One month later, Bennet requested and testified at a Senate hearing about the response, cause, and effects of the Gold King Mine disaster; Bennet also introduced the Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act to make sure the EPA kept working with states, municipalities, and tribes impacted by the disaster, the release said.

On the disaster's second anniversary, Bennet and other lawmakers introduced a bill to reform the country's mining laws, hoping to prevent future disasters.

You can read the latest bill here .