Republican Sen. John McCain wants heads to roll at the Environmental Protection Agency over the toxic spill it caused last month.
In a heated exchange with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy at a Wednesday hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, McCain tried to corner the agency chief on holding someone accountable for the spill.
The committee looked at the agency’s response to an Aug. 5 spill from an abandoned mine in Colorado that sent 3 million gallons of toxic sludge across the waterways of three states. The hearing was the second Wednesday where McCarthy had to defend her agency’s actions.
Tribal communities such as the Navajo Nation were affected by the spill, and McCain appeared to be advocating for the Navajo’s many concerns.
Here is a excerpt of the exchange, which could be characterized as almost a brawl:
McCain: Has anyone been fired for the Navajos’ complaint that notification and emergency response was inadequate?
McCarthy: We actually did provide, send a signal through a memo that we had to look at the notification process. I am not saying it could’ve been and should’ve been quicker and more comprehensive. We work on the state on that to update our system … [cut off by McCain].
McCain: So your answer is no.
McCain: Has anyone been fired at EPA for complaints that the EPA did not quickly and routinely share water quality monitoring data with the tribes?
McCarthy: We believe we’ve done a good job at providing … [cut off by McCain].
McCain: You believe that. But the tribes don’t. … In other words you’ve done nothing.
McCain: Tell me something … If a mining company caused an accident like this what kind of penalties, fines …would [EPA] levy? I would be interested in that.
… The agency is responsible. Isn’t the agency composed of people? So, when the agency is responsible, then people are responsible.
McCarthy: There is no question, if we find that if anybody hasn’t done their job … [cut off].
McCain: Someone is responsible for the accident that happened. An accident happened, a river was polluted, people were not notified, we all know what happened. So, why is it that you’re saying that you don’t know if anyone was responsible?
McCarthy: I’m not saying that the acts of the agency didn’t cause the accident. But accidents by their very nature may not have resulted from any negligence whatsoever on the part of anybody.
McCain: You really believe that this spill could have [occurred] with no negligence on the part of anyone?
McCarthy: I believe we went in there with the state of Colorado … and all the experts agreed this was the next step to take. They made a judgment that you can see in our internal review that there was not an opportunity …. That judgment was obviously incorrect. But whether or not they did due diligence … [cut off by McCain].
McCain: That’s almost classic. You don’t believe someone is responsible for a decision that caused this kind of an incredible disaster and could impact the lives of Native Americans for a long period of time.
