Murray Seeks Washington Voice In Cleanup

Sen. Patty Murray on Friday asked her Idaho colleagues to allow Washington a voice in the cleanup of decades of mining pollution in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin.

Murray, D-Wash., said in a letter to Sens. Larry Craig and Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, both Republicans, that mining-related contamination has been found in the Spokane River.

Last year, the Washington Legislature appropriated $300,000 to assess environmental and health impacts of the pollution in the Spokane River.

“Washington state citizens deserve to have a say over their water,” Murray said.

Her letter was in response to legislation pushed by Craig and Kempthorne that would establish a structure to clean up the basin with all decision-making power in the hands of Idaho’s governor.

, DataTimes