Grijalva Questions GOP Refusal to Vote On or Debate Newly Issued Recess Subpoenas of Army Corps Gold King Mine Spill Analysis

Press Release

Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today questioned the timing and manner of the Republican majority's newly announced subpoenas seeking federal documents on the Gold King Mine spill. The subpoenas, which Republicans took the unusual step of issuing during a recess week so as to avoid Committee hearings or public debate, target the Army Corps of Engineers and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, demanding to see the Corps' peer review of DOI's analysis of last year's mine spill in Colorado.

Issuing recess subpoenas is typically done on an emergency basis. It remains unclear why the Committee could not schedule a markup on the subpoenas when it reconvenes next week, especially because -- according to DOI officials -- Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) has not previously requested the documents listed in the subpoena through standard channels.

The DOI analysis, formally titled "Technical Evaluation of the Gold King Mine Incident," did not include any accusations of criminal wrongdoing against the Environmental Protection Agency. Interior officials have already provided the majority with 1,701 documents on the Gold King spill running to 6,806 pages, according to a Department analysis.

Today's action is similar to Committee Republicans' issuance of subpoenas in the last Congress as part of an investigation of DOI assessments of the Deepwater Horizon spill -- an investigation that produced no results.

"Once again the Republicans have gone out of their way to protect irresponsible corporate polluters and investigate the investigators for doing their jobs," Grijalva said. "If the majority would agree to so much as a debate about the need for polluter-pays mining laws, we'd be on the road to preventing spills like the Gold King incident. Instead they're throwing mud at the Obama administration, just like they always do."

On Feb. 13, 2015, before the Gold King incident, Grijalva introduced the Hardrock Mining Reform and Reclamation Act (H.R. 963) to establish an industry fee to cover mining site cleanup costs. The Republican majority maintains a standing refusal to debate or mark up the bill.

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