EPA Spill: Do Feds Get a Pass on This One?

Imagine the national outrage we’d see if a mining company turned the Colorado River into an uncomfortably bright shade of yellow. Environmentalists would be out in the streets, red-faced with rage. Journalists would fall all over themselves to find negligence. Democrats would be calling for major regulation reforms. The sight of that stained river would kick off every newscast from now until…well, until the ratings no longer justified it.

Instead, it seems the media, the politicians, and the environmentalists are prepared to give the EPA a pass. The scale (and color) of the disaster was too good for the news channels to pass up, but there has been remarkably little outrage. Instead, it seems everyone is scrambling to downplay the event. Sure it looks bad, but accidents happen, right? A little metal in the water never hurt anyone.

Contrast this with the coverage of the BP oil spill. And this is in no way defending that spill, the ramifications of which may not be fully clear for years. BP’s actions and subsequent PR campaigns were unconscionable. If they were vilified in the press, it was a smear campaign well-earned. But isn’t it interesting to note the disparity? When an oil company pollutes the ocean, it’s headline news for months. When the federal government does it, it can barely stay on top of the news cycle for a day.

The difference in the size of the event is certainly a part of it, but that doesn’t explain everything. No, this is another obvious example of liberal media bias and how a handful of news corporations decide what is and isn’t news. The EPA is one of the left’s favorite government agencies, ruling and regulating their way to total economic tyranny. Obama, the Democrats, and the media executives beholden to them are not about to let one little spill ruin decades of “progress.” Out of sight, out of mind. Nothing to see here.

A More Sinister Explanation

If you’re prone to conspiracy theories, you might enjoy this one. Some have pointed out a letter to the editor that appeared in The Silverton Standard a week before the spill. The letter, written by a retired geologist, appears to predict the accident in a specific fashion that would impress Nostradamus. According to the geologist, the EPA has been trying to get the Gold King mining site declared a Superfund site for a quarter of a century. He predicted that a major leak at the site could give them exactly what they want, allowing them to clamp down on further mining development.

Coincidence? Scandal?

If we had a media that was the slightest bit interested in investigating this accident, we might find out. Unfortunately, because it conflicts with the bigger agenda, that’s unlikely.