EPA and Congress Wrangling Over Legality of New Colorado Office

The EPA and congressional Democrats are split on whether the agency consulted lawmakers over the decision to open a new land cleanup office in Colorado—and legal scholars also disagree on whether failure to consult violates federal law.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced its new Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains on Sept. 2. The office, based in Lakewood, Colo., will focus especially on mining cleanup and will provide oversight, guidance, and technical assistance, the agency said.

But Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) protested, writing to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler that the 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act ...