Colorado Lawmakers Eye Reversal Of Doi Superfund Exemption

摘要

Colorado lawmakers are seeking to overturn a law granting the Department of Interior (DOI) a site-specific exemption from liability under Superfund law, arguing the exemption has contributed to delays at a key abandoned mine site that some lawmakers say underscores the need to reinstate the long-expired Superfund taxes on industry. During an April 24 hearing before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) argued that legislation he introduced earlier this year would help alleviate "jurisdictional and liability questions" that have plagued the California Gulch Superfund Site in Leadville, CO. EPA placed the abandoned mine site owned by DOI's Bureau of Reclamation on its National Priorities List (NPL) for Superfund cleanups more than 20 years ago.