FWS announced a 12-month finding on a petition to list a distinct population segment of the red tree vole as endangered or threatened and to designate critical habitat under the ESA; the agency found that listing is warranted but precluded by higher priority actions. 

United States v. Newmont USA Ltd., No. 05-020-JLQ (E.D. Wash. Sept. 30, 2011). A settling CERCLA defendant responsible for violations at the Midnite Mine Superfund site on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Stevens County, Washington, must pay $18.7 million in U.S. response costs incurred at the site and must perform the EPA-selected cleanup for the site.