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<br /> <br />i~~GO HERALD <br />\::JI Durango, CO <br />(' f\ gJ~ (La PlaIa County) <br />-y Dally, 10,040 <br /> <br />Colorado Press <br />Clipping Service <br /> <br />1336GlenannPlace. Den\'er,C0802().1 <br />303-571-5117. FA-\'" 303-571-1803 <br /> <br />River: Simon says toxic metals particularly harmful to aquatic life <br /> <br />about regulations and not being <br />given liability prote<:!ion... .. _,.. <br /> <br />rJ1nJimlp.d from lB. <br /> <br />cent of toxic runoff from mining enough to present no danger, <br />. . T"___ _J:r ^ lr...... thP""';tv trp~r.. it" water. <br /> <br />~~b <br /> <br />John Peel, Features Edttor 0375-4586 0 jpeel@durangoherald.com <br /> <br /> <br />c <br />o <br />tv <br />r-.:l <br />(XI <br />en <br /> <br />Group: An_cleanup should be est <br /> <br />. . .".~;,;; . <br /> <br />By Dale Rodebaugh- <br />'Herald Staff Writer <br /> <br />Congress should make the <br />cleanup of toxic mine waste in <br />the Animas River's upper wa- <br />tershed a national experiment in <br />the long-tenn health of a river, <br />says a broadbased organization <br />interested in the river. <br />"A good (broad) national pro- <br />gram would be great, but it has- <br />n't happened," said Peter Butler, <br />a member of the Animas River <br />Stakeholders Group. "Our idea <br /> <br />would' be easier,' (to get:; ap- <br />proved) because it's a local' fa. <br />cus, and an experiment.'" ,~\)'! . <br />The solution, 'Butler" said, <br />could be the group's proposal <br />presented early this year, to Rep. <br />Scott Mclnnis, R-Colo., or an <br />amalgamation of the McInnis <br />bill and ones introduced,in.'Jan- <br />uary by Rep. Mark udall; D, <br />Colo., and last week by Sen. <br />Ben Nighthorse Campbelj, R- <br />Colo., ,'" ',', <br />Crucial to any legislation'is <br />"good. Samaritan" designation <br /> <br />.limiting the liability of volun- <br />teers carrying out mine cleanup. <br />Responsibility for cleaning up <br />abandoned mine drains;."mine <br />tailings or adjacent land has <br />been a ,deterrent to such' activi- <br />ty. <br />In'the stakeholders"proposal, <br />landowners wouldn't avoid lia- <br />bility. But landowners would <br />benefit from cleanup because it <br />would reduce the amoun't' of <br />'toxic material that could' cause <br />them problems. <br />Butler, Chuck Wanner. with <br /> <br />, the San Juan Citizens Alliance, <br />and Bill Simon, owner of <br />'Alpine Environment Services, <br />laid out the proposal of the An- <br />imas River Stakeholders Group <br />on Tuesday to T7,. Durango Her- <br />ald editorial board. The nine- <br />, year-old stakeholders group in- <br />, cludes 35 governmental and pri- <br />vate entities. <br />"We don't want to be a Su- <br />perfund site," Simon said, "The <br />program has a history of heavy- <br />handed regulation and urnea- <br />, sonable cost of cleanup. Attor- <br /> <br />ney fees account for 85 percent <br />of Superfund spending." <br />The pilot program envisioned <br />by, the stakeholders group <br />would be lean and manageable, <br />the three spokesmen said. The <br />proposal the group presented to <br />Mclnnis called for an initial ap- <br />propriation of $5 million. Total <br />estimated cost is $30 million in <br />2000 dollars. <br />"J don't understand why <br />Congress hasn't jumped on this <br /> <br />See River, 2B <br /> <br />l <br />