Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), speaks during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the Gold King mine disaster in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. The August spill occurred when contractors for the EPA tried to open the blocked Gold King Mine to address leaks near Silverton, Colorado, accidentally releasing the toxic mining wastewater into the Animas River. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images