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August 21 - New Mexico Ahead Of Colorado In Mining Reform, But New Proposals Could Set Us Back

Government officials and southwestern residents last week observed the copper colored toxic spill as it made its way down the Animas River from Colorado and through New Mexico. There is extensive finger pointing as to who is responsible for the accidental release of more than three-million gallons of heavy metal sludge. Yet the conditions that set the stage for this mishap have been in the making for decades - and those conditions are very different in Colorado from what exists today in New Mexico.

 

KSFR's Marion Cox spoke with Amigos Bravos Interim Executive Director Rachel Conn about why New Mexico may be in a better place - for the moment - than Colorado to make sure mining disasters, such as the Gold King Mine incident, don't occur here. Conn warns however that New Mexico still faces major challenges in protecting its precious groundwater and surface water resources due to new legislative and regulatory initiatives the Martinez Administration is currently pursuing that would weaken protections we currently have - and that have been in place in New Mexico for decades.