Mar 02 2020
The Gold King Mine Spill: Environmental Law and Liability

The Gold King Mine Spill: Environmental Law and Liability

Presented by The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law at University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

12:15-1:15 p.m., S.J. Quinney College of Law Moot Courtroom (Level 6)
After grabbing headlines across the country in 2015, the Gold King Mine spill receded from the public eye but has remained the subject of significant policy questions as well as active litigation.  This presentation will share the results of research into many of these questions, in support of an article published in the current issue of the Utah Law Review. The first part of this Article attempts to explain what really happened with the Gold King Mine spill, both the causes of the spill and the response to it. The Article then considers a number of federal environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), in order to assess alleged violations and demonstrate some of the important legal protections available to parties who engage in the challenging work of responding to mining contamination in the United States. The Article concludes with a look at protections for individual responders and hopes for cooperative efforts to address the mining contamination in the Animas River watershed and other contaminated mine sites across the country.

Admission Info

No registration required. Free and open to the public.

Dates & Times

2020/03/02 - 2020/03/02

Location Info

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

383 S. University Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84112