A 4-inch salamander might stop Northern California dam project
A trio of tiny salamander species could mean big trouble for federal officials spearheading a controversial $1.4 billion project to raise the Shasta Dam in Northern California.
Two environmental organizations - the Center for Biological Diversity and the Environmental Protection Information Center - filed a federal lawsuit last month asking a judge to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the Shasta salamanders should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The Center for Biological Diversity asked the wildlife service in 2012 to declare the amphibians either endangered or threatened, but the agency never made a decision, said Jenny Loda, an attorney for the environmental group.
Under federal law, U.S. Fish and Wildlife was required to make a determination on the
