Reid urges Sandoval to accept EPA Superfund proposal on contaminated mine

By Scott Lucas

Monday, Dec. 28, 2015 | 9:46 a.m.

Sen. Harry Reid applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to designate the Anaconda Copper Mine in Yerington as a Superfund National Priority List site in an open letter to the EPA, and encouraged Gov. Brian Sandoval to do the same.

“This step is long overdue and one that I believe should have happened over a decade ago. I urge Governor Sandoval to agree to this designation,” wrote Reid.

The senate minority leader argued the move would “expedite cleanup and provide access to otherwise unavailable additional federal funds.”

Last week, the EPA announced it would propose adding the abandoned copper mine to a list of the nation’s most polluted sites. State officials, who have until Jan. 29 to respond, have opposed the proposal in the past, fearing a negative effect on property values and a precedent for other environmental interventions in Nevada.

Reid disagreed with those arguments, writing, “I know this designation will bring attention to the community, but we should stop acting as if denying the designation means the site poses less of a threat to the health and economy of Yerington. This path presents the best possible opportunity for this community to continue to grow its economy into the future.”

He added the move would provide “stronger leverage” to hold the responsible parties financially accountable.

Uranium and arsenic from the mine, built in 1941, have leaked in dangerous amounts into the groundwater. Nevada regulators recently estimated that cleanup could cost at least $30.4 million. An EPA designation, which comes after 15 years of study, would allow federal funds to pay for the majority of work at the site.