Friday news dump: EPA knew of Animas River spill risks

The Environmental Protection Agency chose the traditional time to obscure bad news--late Friday afternoon--to release bad information. It could be worse--the agency could have released more poisons into a Rocky Mountain river instead, as it did into the Animas River earlier this month.

From AP:

Internal documents released late Friday show managers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were aware of the potential for a catastrophic "blowout" at an abandoned mine that could release "large volumes" of wastewater laced with toxic heavy metals.

EPA released the documents following weeks of prodding from The Associated Press and other media organizations. EPA and contract workers accidentally unleashed 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater on Aug. 5 as they inspected the idled Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado.