Spilled: Recent Episodes
Daniela Uribe
In our last episode, we’ll take a tour of policies that can be updated, improved, and introduced to address abandoned mine pollution. Keep in mind this is a very high-level overview of the policies themselves and the problems they address. If you want to dig into some of the details check out some of the resources below.
And check out our website for a whole lot more: https://bit.ly/spilledpodcast.
General Mining Act:
General mining law of 1872 Factsheet- Earthworks
Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands- U.S. Government Accountability Office
The Enduring Vitality of the General Mining Law of 1872 by Mark Squillace
H.R.2579 - Hardrock Leasing and Reclamation Act of 2019- U.S. 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Issue Brief Hardrock Leasing and Reclamation Act of 2019- Earthworks
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)- Superfund:
CERCLA Overview (EPA) Superfund: Polluters Pay So Children Can Play. A Report on the US EPA’s Superfund Program Under the Trump Administration. A Report on the US EPA’s Superfund Program Under the Trump Administration- The Center for Health, Environment and Justice
Gold King Mine Spill - Diné Exposure Project- Superfund Research Center
The Clean Water Act:
Clean Water Act: A Summary of the Law- Congressional Research Service
Clean Water Act Section 401: Overview and Recent Developments- Congressional Research Service
Mining Industry Exploits Clean Water Act Loopholes- Earthworks
The threat to drinking water from abandoned mines in the West remains unknown- The Denver Post
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)- Industrial Wastewater- EPA
Colorado Legislation:
HB-19 1113 Protect water quality adverse mining impact
Rules and Regulations- Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety
Colorado Severance Tax Revenue
History of Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety
Music credits:
"La Martiniana" by Saul Cosme used with permission from artist
Join us for an insightful conversation with Marcel Gaztambide. He is the Animas Riverkeeper at the San Juan Citizens Alliance. He’s been there since the spill, through the Superfund listing and doing cleanup, and helped pass an important bill in the Colorado state legislature to prevent future Gold King Mines from happening. You can’t miss this episode!
And check out our website for a whole lot more: https://bit.ly/spilledpodcast.
In this episode, Marcel mentions a few things that may be of interest to our listeners:
What is a "riverkeeper"?
House Bill-19 1113: Protect Water Quality Adverse Mining Impacts.
Title 34 Mineral Resources Article 32 Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act (2015).
The EPA's resource page on the Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund Site.
Gold King mine spill left lingering troubles on Navajo Nation- The Salt Lake Tribune
Music credits:
"Para Haeun" by Saul Cosme*
*used with permission from artist
How did we get into this mess? Join us to take a trip back in time and through today to learn with us as we make sense of what happened at Gold King Mine in 2015, and what’s happening every day at thousands of sites across the U.S.
Head to Anchor (https://anchor.fm/spilledpodcast) for hyperlinked podcast notes below. And check out our website for a whole lot more: https://bit.ly/spilledpodcast. Thanks!
The following resources might be of interest to our listeners:
- Animas river stakeholders group: An unlikely alliance for watershed health in the san juans- Water Education Colorado
- GOLD KING MINE – WATERSHED FACT SHEET- EPA
- The roots of the Gold King Mine disaster run deeper than the river it polluted- The Colorado Sun
- Sunnyside Gold says EPA should be recused from leading Silverton Superfund cleanup- Durango Herald
- Many hoped the Gold King Mine spill would bring change. Five years later, they’re still waiting- The Colorado Sun
- Wondering what is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)? Here is EPA's AMD 101 to get you up to speed.
Music credits:
"How Deep is the Ocean?" by Saul Cosme*
*used with permission from artist
The Upper Animas Watershed is home to hundreds of abandoned mines. One of these is the Gold King Mine, the site of an epic incident in 2015. Join us on this journey to learn about heavy metal spills, dead fish, and how a community got together to make things better...until they couldn’t.
Head to Anchor (https://anchor.fm/spilledpodcast) for hyperlinked podcast notes below. And check out our website for a whole lot more: https://bit.ly/spilledpodcast. Thanks!
Here is a map that may come in handy as you wrap your head around where this all takes place!
And here some additional resources:
- Wastewater Spill in Colorado Turns a River Yellow-The New York Times
- GOLD KING MINE – WATERSHED FACT SHEET- EPA
- Wondering what is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)? Here is EPA's AMD 101 to get you up to speed.
- Animas river stakeholders group: An unlikely alliance for watershed health in the san juans- Water Education Colorado
- The roots of the Gold King Mine disaster run deeper than the river it polluted- The Colorado Sun
- 50M gallons of polluted water pours daily from US mine sites-Associated Press
Music credits:
"Pensamientos" by Saul Cosme *
"Dreamcatcher" by Jared Silbernagel*
*used with permission from artist