{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-gardner-applauds-epa-decision-to-elevate-bonita-peak-mining-district-as-a-priority-superfund-site", "ICYMI: Gardner Applauds EPA Decision to Elevate Bonita Peak Mining District as a Priority Superfund Site", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Cory Gardner", "G000562", "www.gardner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013\u00a0Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the below statement applauding the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) decision to list the Bonita Peak mining district as a top priority superfund cleanup site.\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cAdministrator Pruitt assured me when I met with him before his confirmation and when we visited the site in August that the EPA would make the right decision for the people of Southwest Colorado, and I appreciate his agency following through on their promise,\u201d\u00a0Gardner said. \u201cThe Gold King mine spill has had a significant impact on our state and there will continue to be a lot of work done by our elected officials and community.\u00a0This latest commitment to the Bonita Peak Mining District along with continued attention to Pueblo cleanup actions are important steps in the progress that needs to be made by the EPA at both locations.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\nGardner, along with his colleagues in the Colorado Congressional delegation, has been working since the Gold King Mine spill occurred in 2015 to make sure Southwest Colorado has the necessary resources to clean up abandoned mines and prevent a similar catastrophe from happening in the future. Before voting to confirm Scott Pruitt as EPA Administrator,\u00a0Gardner secured a commitment\u00a0from Pruitt to work together to address the continued fallout from the Gold King Mine spill. In March,\u00a0Gardner invited EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to visit Southwest Colorado\u00a0to hear from Coloradans regarding the Gold King Mine spill.\r\n\u00a0\r\nAccording to the EPA, the Bonita Peak Mining District (BPMD) became a Superfund site on Sept. 9, 2016, when it was added to the National Priorities List. The site consists of historic and ongoing releases from mining operations in three drainages:\u00a0 Mineral Creek, Cement Creek and Upper Animas, which converge into the Animas River near Silverton, Colorado. The site includes 35 mines, seven tunnels, four tailings impoundments and two study areas where additional information is needed to evaluate environmental concerns.\r\n\u00a0\r\nMore information from the EPA can be found\u00a0here.\r\n\u00a0\r\n###\r\n\u00a0\r\nCory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and the Budget Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy and Subcommittee on Energy\r\n\u00a0\r\n354 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20515\r\n(202) 224-5941", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-gardner-applauds-epa-decision-to-elevate-bonita-peak-mining-district-as-a-priority-superfund-site"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8052198681980371, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}