Sen. Harry Reid says Nevada should accept the Environmental Protection Agency's help cleaning up an abandoned copper mine near Yerington.
Reid sent a letter to the EPA's regional administrator on Sunday, saying he supported the agency's stated intention to add the Anaconda mine to the Superfund National Priority List. The designation would label the World War II-era mine as one of the nation's most polluted sites, but would also mean federal officials cover 90 percent of cleanup costs.
Nevada has opposed past EPA proposals to list the site, fearing a stigma that might affect property values and any precedent that could be set by federal intervention in the mining-friendly state.
The EPA is giving Nevada until Jan. 29 to formally respond. State officials said last week they're reviewing EPA's proposal.