Congresswoman Capito To Hold Hearings On the Elk River Toxic Spill

This is something to keep an eye on. Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, who represents West Virginia’s Second District—which includes Charleston and much of the area affected by last month’s toxic spill—will be holding hearings tomorrow morning on the spill.

            Witnesses include Gary Southern, the president of Freedom Industries, the company responsible for the spill that poisoned water for 300,000 West Virginia residents, as well as representatives from Homeland Security, West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection, and other officials.

            No one representing the people affected by the chemical spill is scheduled to speak at this hearing, nor will there be any attendees who represent environmental groups.

UPDATE 2/10/14: I don't see this in any of the press from this hearing, but this is good news from the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. Bowing to pressure from activists and citizens, public comments were added o this hearings agenda, and the testimony of Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and a critic of the official handling of this disaster, was entered into the Congressional Record. A very small victory, but a victory nonetheless!