Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor Matthew Rodriquez Secretary for Environmental Protection Sent Via Electronic Mail and U.S. Mail February 11 , 2016 Mr . Jared Blumenfeld Regional Administrator United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco , California 94105-3901 Blumenfeld . ja red@Epa.gov Dear Mr . Blumenfeld : Governor Brown ' s Office asked me to respond to your letter of November 2 , 20 1 5 , concerning the State of California ' s position on the proposed listing of the Argonaut Mine on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) . Protecting public health and environmental quality from dangerous contamination is a State priority and we agree with the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency (U . S. EPA) that the environmental and human health threats at this mine site must be remediated. As described in this reply letter , the State concurs with U.S . EPA ' s proposal to list the site on the NPL. We would appreciate it if U . S . EPA would work cooperatively with the State to ident ify and select a remedy for the site that would minimize long-term operations and maintenance costs. The potential funding demands for operations and maintenance at this site , in addition to other NPL and orphan sites in the State, is a significant concern because cumulatively they will ex ceed state resources . We are working to develop reliable , continuous funding sources to cover such costs ; however , until a solution is developed we will be looking for ways to ma x imize the use of our available funds, including considering potential adjustments to some of our ex isting operations and maintenance activities . Reducing the potential operations and maintenance costs at this site would also be of assistance . Finally , U.S. EPA has requested , and the State is providing, assistance at Argonaut Mine to design and const r uct a repair of the concrete dam that re t ains the mine tailings on-site . The State has currently funded an interim remedy for storm water management and design of the repair of the dam. We are making every effort to ensure that this work is in compliance with the National Contingency Plan and we request that U . S . EPA provide credit for our e xpenses toward future state-match obligations. We understand that before U . S. EPA can make a decision on whether to grant this credit , the State will be required to provide supporting documentation .

Air R eso tu·ces Board • D e p a r t m e n t of P es ti c ide Regul a ti o n • De p artme n t o f Reso ur ces Recycling a nd R ecove ry • De p artme n t o f T oxic S ubs tances Co nt ro l Offi ce of Environme n tal He a lth Hazard A ssessment • Sta t e W a ter Reso urces Co nt ro l B oard • Region al W a t

er Quality Co n trol Bo ard s 1 00 1 I Str eet, S acrame nto, C A 958 1 4 • P .O. B o x 2 8 15 , S acrame nto, C A 9 58 12 • ( 9 16) 32 3-25 1 4 • www .ca l e pa .ca. g ovMr . Jared Blumenfeld Page 2 We look forward to working with the U . S . EPA on these important issues , as both of our agencies move forward to safeguard public health and the environment at this and other NPL sites . Sincerely, Matthew Rodriquez Secretary for Environmental Protection cc: Mr . Cliff Rechtschaffen Senior Advisor Office of Governor Edmund G . Brown Jr. Ms . Barbara Lee , Director Department of Toxic Substances Control Mr. Thomas Howard Ex ecutive Director State Water Resources Control Board Ms. Pamela Creedon Executive Officer Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Mr. Mike Daley City Manager City of Jackson Mr. Adam Dalton, Chairperson Jackson Racheria Band of Miwuk Indians