The Latest: U.S. Court Asked To Stop Christo's River Project In Colorado
DENVER (AP) - The latest in the legal battle over artist Christo's efforts to drape the Arkansas River with fabric:
2:25 p.m.
Colorado residents fighting the artist Christo's dream of draping the Arkansas River with fabric are asking a federal appeals court to throw out permission for the project.
The Bureau of Land Management signed off on the plan to drape 6 miles of fabric panels along 42 miles of the river, which would take about two years to install.
The lawyer for opponents, Michael Harris, told judges Wednesday that the agency violated its own plans for protecting the sensitive environment by allowing what he called an "industrial scale project."
The BLM acknowledges that the work could potentially harm bighorn sheep in the area but says it has required Christo to provide monitoring of the animals and other kinds of mitigation.
It says the project will draw visitors and enhance their enjoyment of the area.
8:20 a.m.
Residents fighting the artist Christo's dream of draping the Arkansas River with fabric are headed to court again to try to block the project first proposed nearly 20 years ago.
Judges at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver are set to hear arguments Wednesday morning about whether federal approval of the Over the River project should be thrown out.
It's the last pending legal challenge to the work.
Last month, Colorado's Supreme Court refused to reconsider state approval for the project, which would involve draping 6 feet of translucent fabric panels over a 42-mile stretch of the river between Salida and Canon City. It would take two years to install and be on display for two weeks.
A ruling isn't expected immediately.
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