Feds Stand Behind Report That Colorado Agreed To Mine Plan

DENVER (AP) — A federal agency is standing behind its assertion that Colorado officials signed off on a cleanup project that led to a 3 million-gallon toxic waste spill from an inactive gold mine.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's statement Monday was the latest twist in a dispute between state and federal agencies over what role Colorado officials had in the spill.

Colorado has objected to federal agencies' claims that its experts endorsed the plan.

The spill occurred Aug. 5 at the Gold King Mine in southwest Colorado. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was trying to gradually drain water from the mine but inadvertently unleashed a torrent of water laden with heavy metals.

The Bureau of Reclamation conducted an outside investigation of the spill. It hadn't previously commented on the dispute.

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