US enters settlement talks over coal mines in West

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – Federal judges have suspended lawsuits that challenged coal mining projects in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico after government attorneys asked for time to negotiate potential settlements.
The judges’ rulings give the U.S. Justice Department until April 1 to negotiate with New Mexico-based environmental group WildEarth Guardians.
The sides also are seeking to settle a lawsuit involving coal lease in Utah.
WildEarth Guardians prevailed in similar cases against