Animal Claims May be Added to Uranium Lawsuit [in CO]

DENVER (Map, News) - Conservation groups say they may add endangered species claims to a lawsuit seeking to stop uranium mines in western Colorado.

The groups are suing the U.S. Department of Energy over a leasing program that could clear the way for uranium mining on 42 square miles near Dolores River Canyon in southwest Colorado.

The lawsuit has been pending since last summer. The environmentalists said Wednesday they may add endangered species claims to the lawsuit. The groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, say uranium mining would release poisons that could hurt protected fish and waterfowl living on the Delores and Colorado rivers.

Southwest Colorado was a major uranium-producing area in the 1940s and 1950s.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1962705~Animal_claims_may_be_added_to_uranium_lawsuit.html