EPA Pays $1.2M More In Local Costs From Mine Spill
The agency made the announcement Friday, the anniversary of the blowout at the Gold King Mine.
Read more
For decades some Westerners have tried to make it easier to clean up thousands of abandoned mines, but a solution remains elusive.
Nearly 70 individuals and businesses across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation have filled out financial claims with the EPA.
One government report estimates 33,000 hard rock abandoned mines are causing environmental problems across the West.
"New Mexico and its citizens are now paying the price" of last year's mine spill near Silverton, that state's attorney general says.