Erin Brockovich, the anti-pollution crusader made famous in the eponymous movie starring Julia Roberts, says the EPA’s apology for the Gold King Mine spill “just ain’t gonna cut it” and urged the agency to “fire people” if necessary.
“Yesterday, EPA chief Gina McCarthy said she was ’absolutely deeply sorry,’” Ms. Brockovich said Wednesday on Facebook. “Well, that isn’t enough. You can apologize for calling someone names or even for a DUI, but an apology for a toxic disaster just ain’t gonna cut it.”
Ms. Brockovich urged the EPA to take four steps: provide “full disclosure,” minimize the damage to the environment, pay economic damages and “this is the most important, it must take steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again, including firing people, taking action, and containing the toxic mining sites all across the west.”
“If it does that, it will still get bad marks for letting it happen but good marks for the proper reaction,” she added. “That’s how you handle a crisis.”
Ms. Brockovich’s weigh-in came as Ms. McCarthy spent her second day touring the river contamination sites, this time along the San Juan River in New Mexico, which picked up the spill from Colorado’s Animas River.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.