Old copper mine catches attention of New Mexico land boss

CUBA, N.M. (AP) — For decades, yellow- and white-tinged piles of waste from a defunct copper mine have covered the mountainside at the edge of this quintessential New Mexico village — out of sight, out of mind and not nasty enough to warrant the attention of the federal government's Superfund program. State Land Commission Aubrey Dunn says something needs to be done as heavy metals continue to leach from the tainted soil. He's awaiting word from consultants about what can be done to clean up the area and how much it might cost. He's estimating over $5 million — a total he says his office should not be saddled with. The Nacimiento Mine is among many sites in the West where polluters are long gone and state and local governments have been left holding the bag.