The Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Nebraska state officials, saying it may require the state to take action against a polluter for raising water temperatures and thus reducing water quality along much of the length of the Platte River, directly affecting the area's piping plovers. The polluter in question is, in fact, the sun. Puzzled state officials interpret the EPA's stance to mean they might have to pipe in cold water from elsewhere, or else install canopies.

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