EPA denies $1 billion-plus in claims from toxic Colorado mine spill

[WorldNews]

By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday denied $1.2 billion in claims for economic losses stemming from a 2015 toxic wastewater spill accidentally triggered by the agency at a defunct Colorado mine, that fouled waterways in three states. The EPA said in a statement that it was "not legally able to pay" damage claims over the discharge from the century-old Gold King Mine, located near the town of Silverton in southwestern Colorado. Farmers, ranchers and river-running raft companies, among others, filed the claims seeking compensation for lost business or wages from the spill.

Continue reading...