Congress of the United States ‘Washington, BE 20510 October 8, 2015 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama We respectfully request that you take prompt action on Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye’s request for an emergency declaration a3 a result of the Gold King Mine spill accident that occurred on August 5, 2015. ‘The mine spill released more than three million gallons of toxic waste that flowed into the Animas and San Juan Rivers, The San Juan River runs along the northern border of the Navajo Nation for approximately 250 miles. The toxic contaminants directly impacted 13 Navajo Chapters and serious ‘concerns remain about the long-term public health and economic challenges caused by this extrem serious spill. Recovering from this incident will require a full and coordinated approach. Given the complexity of this disaster, we request a thorough response to the Navajo Nation’s request for a Presidential emergency declaration. We would further request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide adequate technical assistance for tribal officials to identify all available federal assistance to effectively respond to this emergency and to protect the Navajo Nation’s public health and safety. ‘Native communities deserve full and complete protection of their water, land, and livelihoods. Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this important issue. ‘om Udall U Martin Heinrich United States Senator United States Senator Bota tne Sin D malta hejer Badan Steve Pearce Ben Ray Lujan Michelle Lujan Grisham United States Representative United States Representative United States RepresentativeWnited States Senate WASHINGTON, DC 20510 October 7, 2015 The Honorable Barak Obama President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: ‘As you know, the President of the Navajo Nation, Russell Begaye, made a formal request under Section 501 of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5121-5206) for an Emergency Declaration due to the Gold king Mine spill. We are writing to ask you to swiftly review and respond to this request. (On August 5, 2015, EPA contractors breached a tailing pond at the abandoned Gold King Mine in Colorado releasing more than 3 million gallons of wastewater down the Animas River and into the San Juan River in New Mexico. Soon after, water-quality monitoring and soil sampling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency measured levels of, pollutants like arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium at levels that exceeded the Nation’s water quality standards for irrigation, livestock, and drinking water. The ensuing public health, public safety, and environmental impact resulted in a crisis that has drawn emergency response resources from the entire ‘Navajo Nation, We thank you for your attention to this matter and ask for your timely consideration of President Begaye’s emergency declaration request. Sincerely, ubited States Senator