EPA chief visits Colorado mine spill site

SILVERTON, Colo. (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency toured the site of an old Colorado gold mine where the agency inadvertently triggered a spill of 3 million gallons of tainted wastewater. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt had promised to visit the site during his confirmation hearing. He came to see the mine Friday along with Colorado lawmakers on the eve of the second anniversary of the disaster. The spill sent 3 million gallons of tainted wastewater into rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, causing an estimated $420 million in economic damage. Pruitt said he would consider paying for the damage and has sent letters to farmers, business owners, residents and others whose claims were rejected by the previous EPA administration. He says the EPA should be held to the same standard as those it regulates.