RENO, Nev. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to give Nevada another 60 days to decide if it wants to oppose the agency's plan to declare a toxic, abandoned mine in Yerington a priority Superfund site.
The EPA originally gave Gov. Brian Sandoval until the end of January to make up his mind.
Sandoval said he needed until the end of April, partly because some local residents continue to fear a drop in property values if the former Anaconda copper mine is added to the Superfund's National Priority List.
In the meantime, EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenthal said in a letter to Sandoval this week he's willing to meet with opponents next month to seek ways to reduce any impacts of an NPL listing at the site where uranium and other contaminants have been leaking into rural water wells.