The Navajo Nation’s president expressed anger as he announced the federal government’s decision to deny the tribe’s request for an emergency declaration following the Gold King Mine spill.

“The Gold King Mine spill culturally and economically devastated the Navajo Nation, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision to decline our request for an emergency declaration is disappointing and wrong,” President Russell Begaye said in a statement.

Begaye said “the federal government’s failed response to this crisis has only added insult to injury,” chastising the Obama administration’s lack of mobility after the disaster.

Navajo officials have chastised the federal government, specifically the Environmental Protection Agency, since the Aug. 5 agency-caused spill at Gold King Mine.

Leaders say the aftermath of the spill left their people on the brink of economic disaster and threatened their culture.

The tribe said a Department of Interior independent review of the disaster released Thursday showed the “EPA’s gross negligence.” The report found the agency triggered the spill and that the disaster was preventable.

“The Navajo Nation will appeal FEMA’s ill-advised decision and fight for every resource possible to address the damage caused by the Gold King Mine spill,” Begaye’s statement said. “As president, I will not rest until our people have been made whole and fairly compensated for their losses.”

Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul