East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, along with U.S. Representative Russ Fulcher, have raised concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) failure to gather community input on the potential Superfund designation of Idaho's Cinnabar Mine. In a letter addressed to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the lawmakers expressed their worries about the agency's lack of public outreach and failure to visit the site in the past five years.

The Cinnabar Mine, located in Valley County, was a former mercury mine. The EPA is seeking to designate it as a Superfund site, despite the absence of community input from affected areas such as Donnelly and Cascade. The agency claims that its public outreach efforts have garnered enough support to justify the Superfund designation.

The lawmakers emphasized the importance of obtaining widespread public opinion, educating stakeholders, exploring alternative solutions, and identifying available funding before proceeding with the Superfund designation. They argued that the EPA's current approach is detrimental to the communities and economies that rely on safe outdoor recreation in Valley County.

In their letter, the lawmakers stated, "EPA Region 10's seeming insistence for listing Cinnabar as a Superfund site, without properly collecting widespread public opinion, educating stakeholders, entertaining other alternative solutions, or identifying available funding, is completely destructive to entire communities and economies that rely on safe outdoor recreation in Valley County."

While acknowledging the significance of the National Priorities List in assessing and cleaning up hazardous sites, they urged the EPA to thoroughly explore all options for the Cinnabar Mine and consider additional input from all affected communities before making a final decision.

The full letter can be accessed here.

This issue raises concerns about the EPA's failure to involve communities in the decision-making process. It highlights the need for thorough community engagement and consideration of alternative solutions before designating sites as Superfund locations. The lawmakers' letter serves as a reminder that the well-being of local communities should be a priority when addressing environmental cleanup efforts.