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A SON OF THE OWNER OF THE GREGORY TAILINGS PROPERTY SAID THAT RECLAIMABLE TAILINGS ARE NOW MIXED <br />WITH DUMP DIRT AND MORE TAILINGS ARE WASHING INTO THE CREEK THAN BEFORE THE REMOVAL ACTION. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA INITIATED THE REMOVAL ACTION AT THE GREGORY INCLINE AND TAILINGS TO PREVENT <br />4 TENTIAL COLLAPSE OF TAILINGS INTO NORTH CLEAR CREEK. THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE BRANCH (ERB) OF <br />IS A SEPARATE BRANCH OF THE AGENCY THAT IS DESIGNATED TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCY AND SHORT-TERM <br />NEEDS TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT. ERB TYPICALLY DEVELOPS AND IMPLEMENTS <br />SHORT-TERM TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS UNDER TIGHT TIME CONSTRAINTS. SUCH ACTIONS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE <br />TO BE ADDRESSED PERMANENTLY AT A LATER DATE, UNDER LESS CRITICAL CONDITIONS. EPA BELIEVES THAT <br />THE ERB RESPONDED WITH AN APPROPRIATE SOLUTION. <br />COMMENT: SEVERAL CITIZENS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT EPA'S PAST ACTIVITIES AND MOTIVES, STATING <br />THAT EPA APPEARED DETERMINED TO CARRY OUT THE GREGORY TAILINGS REMOVAL ACTION REGARDLESS OF ITS <br />EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA IS COMMITTED TO CLEANING UP SUPERFUND SITES THAT HAVE BEEN DETERMINED TO BE <br />HAZARDOUS TO HUMAN HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS IS THE AGENCY'S ONLY MOTIVE AND THE SOLE <br />REASON FOR ITS ACTIVITIES AT THE CLEAR CREEK/CENTRAL CITY SITE. <br />4. ECONOMIC ISSUES <br />COMMENT: ONE COMMENTER EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT EPA'S PROPOSED SOLUTIONS WILL DESTROY THE <br />ECONOMIC VALUE IN THE TAILINGS AND CREATE MORE PROBLEMS THAN WILL BE SOLVED. IN REFERENCE TO <br />PLANS FOR SLOPE STABILIZATION, ANOTHER COMMENTER SAID THAT A 2-TO-1 SLOPE (A 30 DEGREE GRADIENT) <br />AS DESCRIBED IN THE PROPOSED PLAN WOULD RUIN THE PROPERTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE BIG FIVE TUNNEL <br />BECAUSE THE SLOPES WOULD BE CUT BACK SO EXTENSIVELY THAT THERE WOULD BE NO FLAT GROUND LEFT ON <br />THEM WHERE FUTURE MINING OR REPROCESSING ACTIVITIES COULD BE CONDUCTED. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA SELECTED OPTIONS THAT WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH FUTURE REPROCESSING (E.G., <br />NO COVERS OR FIXATION). IN THE AREA OF THE BIG FIVE, WHERE THE SLOPES ARE UNSTABLE, VERY LITTLE <br />IZONTAL SURFACE AREA EXISTS. AS A RESULT, VERY LITTLE USEFUL AREA WOULD BE AFFECTED. IN <br />ITION, THE STABILIZATION WOULD PRESERVE WASTE ROCK/TAILINGS FOR FUTURE REPROCESSING THAT <br />WOULD BE EVENTUALLY LOST DUE TO COLLAPSE INTO THE STREAMS. <br />COMMENT: SEVERAL COMMENTERS NOTED THAT INVESTORS WOULD BE RELUCTANT TO INVEST IN THE AREA AS <br />LONG AS EPA'S SUPERFUND ACTIVITIES WERE ONGOING. ONE COMMENTER NOTED THAT EVEN THE STATE OF <br />COLORADO IS CONCERNED ABOUT PERMITTING MINING PROPERTIES BECAUSE OF THE STATE'S POTENTIAL <br />LIABILITY UNDER SUPERFUND. THE COMMENTERS ASKED HOW LONG EPA PLANNED TO BE AT WORK IN THE AREA <br />AND WHEN THE WORK WOULD BE COMPLETED, SO THAT THOSE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN FURTHER DEVELOPMENT <br />IN THE AREA COULD PROCEED. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA'S PRIMARY CONCERN AT ALL SUPERFUND SITES IS THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN HEALTH <br />AND THE ENVIRONMENT. SINCE THE PUBLIC MEETING, EPA HAS RE-EVALUATED AND SCALED BACK THE EXTENT <br />OF ITS PLANNED ACTIVITIES IN THE AREA. <br />COMMENT: A LOCAL NEWSPAPER REPORTER REQUESTED THAT EPA USE LOCAL LABOR WHEN DOING SITE WORK IN <br />THE AREA. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA IS COMMITTED TO USING LOCAL LABOR WHEN LOCAL CONTRACTORS CAN MEET THE <br />REGULATIONS AND OTHER CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS THAT EPA IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO FOLLOW. <br />B. SUMMARY OF REMAINING COMMENTS <br />SEVERAL COMMENTERS ASKED QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE ANSWERED MORE THOROUGHLY DURING LATER STUDIES, <br />WHEN ADDITIONAL AND MORE DEFINITIVE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE. THESE THREE REMAINING COMMENTS <br />ARE SUMMARIZED BELOW, FOLLOWED BY SPA'S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE. <br />ENT: REFERRING TO EPA'S PROPOSED PLAN AND FS REPORT, SEVERAL COMMENTERS ASKED WHAT OVERALL <br />ECT EPA'S EFFORTS AT THE FIVE MINE PROPERTIES WOULD HAVE ON CONTAMINATION IN THE AREA, GIVEN <br />THE LARGE VOLUME OF DISTURBED LANDS, TAILINGS, WASTE ROCK, RUNOFF, RUNON AND EROSION THROUGHOUT <br />THE TWO COUNTIES. THE COMMENTERS ALSO ASKED IF EPA INTENDS TO CLEAN UP ALL OF THE MINED AREAS <br />IN THE TWO COUNTIES AND, IF NOT, WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL BE MADE BY CLEANING UP THE TAILINGS AT <br />ONLY THE FIVE PROPERTIES THAT TOGETHER MAKE UP THE SUPERFUND SITE. IN A RELATED QUESTION, A