It was the EPA which met with ASARCO in 2001, and concealed the Asarco regional contamination from us.

The TCEQ deferred to the EPA when testing for Asarco toxic-waste here, saying "it was outside their [the TCEQ's] jurisdiction". The EPA then did the testing and asked SAIC, a high-security military contractor to come in and do it for them.

Until the EPA discloses what Asarco toxic-wastes are here from the years of Asarco's illegal unmanifested/un-tracked toxic waste burning --- this whole region will remain affected. Our EPA oversees not only Texas but New Mexico.

It was the EPA who has refused to add the massive ASARCO storm-water-pond SPILL to their spill-database so that NOAA can do an investigation of the Rio Grande contamination, like NOAA did for the ASARCO contamination in Corpus Christi.

I wonder what agreements the EPA has with our industry - like Asarco - that they were able to write a "confidential settlement document" to the Federal DOJ in 1998 about Asarco's illegal activities and then HOLD THIS CONTAMINATION SECRET FROM ALL OF US FOR EIGHT YEARS.

Our government needs to demand that the TCEQ, the EPA and the DOJ start to be straight-forward with the peoples of the Paso del Norte.

It looks like to me that the whole thing is rotten to the core--from the basement of the local court house all the way up to the EPA!

To me, there are too many dang agencies, each of which can't seem to have any jurisdiction over much. The El Paso Times has more on TCEQ. - I frankly blame them both.

The state politicians also use the tax payer funded state agencies as polotical stool pigeons--these agencies are a device to perpetuate the system.