Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
EPA Proposes Libby as a National Priority
EPA Action Update #12, February 26, 2002
Helena, MT - Asbestos contamination caused the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to propose Libby, Montana to the National Priorities List (NPL) today. This announcement begins a sixty day period during which citizens may send EPA their comments on the proposed listing.
The National Priorities List is a published list of U.S. hazardous waste sites that are eligible for extensive, long-term cleanup under the Superfund program. Listing on the NPL makes the site eligible to receive federal funds for cleanup while EPA seeks to recover costs from the responsible parties. Placing the site on the NPL also allows EPA to use Superfund money for cleanup when there are no responsible parties who can pay for the work. When the Trust fund is used, the State of Montana assumes ten percent of the clean-up costs.In January, 2002 EPA received a formal written request from Governor Martz requesting that Libby be added to the NPL. In exercising this request, the Governor used the State of Montana's one-time privilege of naming a site as its highest priority for designation to the NPL. Even with the Governor's request, there is still a public comment period. After the 60 day comment period, EPA Headquarters will respond to the comments and make the final decision on whether or not to list the site on the NPL.
EPA and DEQ will continue to study and identify the asbestos distribution in Libby, stepping-up investigation of residences and businesses in Libby. The Agencies will examine the possible cleanup options and begin designing appropriate clean-up actions immediately. Funding for this year's work is already approved and does not hinge on the final listing. Final priority list status must be determined, however, before the EPA can use the Superfund Trust fund to pay for long-term cleanup.
The boundary of the site is not yet established and will depend on where asbestos is found to pose a health risk. The current focus of EPA's work will be in Libby and not at the mine site. Questions about the stigma that Superfund may bring to the city of Libby have been considered in discussions about whether or not to add part or all of Libby and the mine site to EPA's list of priority sites for cleanup.
Investigations at the mine site will be minimal until the risks in the town are eliminated. Air blowing off the mine site and spring runoff from the mine site are two measurements that EPA will make to collect some basic data for future assessment of the mine itself. These results will provide additional information to make decisions about potential clean-up actions.
Information that EPA used to document the proposed listing of the site is available at:
U. S. EPA Records Center
999 18th St., 5th Floor
Denver, CO 80202-2466
Tel: 303-312-6473
People interested in commenting on the proposed NPL listing should send the original comments and three copies to:
Docket Coordinator
Headquarters U.S. EPA; CERCLA Docket Office (5201G)
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460
703/603-9232
Contacts:
Dave Williams, EPA, 303-312-6757
Paul Peronard, EPA, 406-293-6194
Wendy Thomi, EPA, 406-457-5037
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EPA Libby Links
(Note, some of these files are LARGE, and may take several minutes to load over a telephone Internet connection)Federal Register Narrative Summary for Libby NPL Proposal
Full, Official Federal Register Notice, Libby NPL Proposal, 100KB, PDF
Description of Two Sites Proposed to the National Priorities List in February 2002 PDF (262.7 KB, 6 pages)
Auxiliary Information: National Priorities List, Proposed Rule PDF (591.8 KB, 70 pages)