US lawsuit seeks to protect habitat of endangered corals

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An environmental organization is suing the U.S. government and accusing it of failing to protect 12 endangered coral species across the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean that have been decimated by warming waters, pollution and overfishing. The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity said it filed the lawsuit Monday against the National Marine Fisheries Service more than two years after the agency proposed to protect more than 6,000 square miles worth of coral habitat but never did so. A spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said the agency does not comment on litigation issues.