The Denver Post gave the EPA a bizarre pass on responsibility over the Gold King Mine spill in an editorial that seemingly supports the new agency chief.
They support Chief Scott Pruitt holding the agency responsible by paying out a billion dollars in claims, calling the initial denial by the Obama administration notorious.
But the EPA is not responsible for the spill, because they were only trying to help, the editorial reasons.
And suing the government for just trying to help, is a dangerous precedent, they acknowledge.
But this “negligence” is so “shameful” the government should just go ahead and skip sovereign immunity, and fork over $1.2 billion for 70 claims, they insist.
That reasoning would never stand up in a court of law. The court of public opinion is not having it either.
What is notorious about this whole situation, is that the EPA caused the spill by recklessly mucking around at the mine, tried to cover it up, then denied responsibility and blamed other government agencies, including Coloradans who weren’t even there.
We also dispute whether the EPA was actually trying to help, or was there to find another excuse to declare the region a Superfund so they, the EPA, could get millions in new government funding.