BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – Republicans in Congress say an U.S. Interior Department investigation glossed over the federal government’s negligence in a massive toxic wastewater spill that fouled rivers in three states.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is scheduled to testify on the matter Wednesday before a House committee.
An Environmental Protection Agency cleanup crew triggered the 3-million-gallon spill during cleanup work in August at an inactive gold mine near Silverton, Colorado.
The Interior Department investigation faulted the EPA for not taking steps that could have prevented the accident.
But House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop told The Associated Press that the investigation was too limited. It failed to answer whether any criminal conduct occurred.
Interior officials have yet to release documents related to the investigation sought by the AP through public records requests.