On Monday, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) will visit Lake Powell, a reservoir on the Colorado River that straddles the borders of Utah and Arizona, in the aftermath of the EPA-triggered toxic spill into the Animas River. This lake and the Glen Canyon Dam that supports it are expected to be impacted by the dangerously high levels of lead, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium and mercury spreading from the Animas River down through the San Juan River. Bishop released the following statement:

“EPA’s grave blunder is posing a serious threat to both the environment and the economy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Lands and projects managed by the Department of the Interior and Forest Service - not to mention the tribal concerns – within my Committee’s jurisdiction will be seriously and negatively impacted. In the coming weeks and months, the Committee will be conducting extensive oversight over the causes and the short-term and long-term effects of this serious situation.”

Additional information on the Committee’s oversight efforts concerning the Animas River spill and related impacts on federal agencies will be forthcoming.