EPA to do study
December 13, 2006
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to expedite a long-awaited study to verify asbestos cleanup efforts in Libby, according to Max Baucus.
In light of a report released last week showing EPA cannot definitively say its cleanup standards are safe for human health in the community, Baucus announced that he would block any nominations for EPA positions before the Senate until the agency agreed to address the report's recommendations.
After receiving a letter from EPA assistant administrator Susan Parker Bodine, Baucus said today he's lifted his "hold" on EPA nominees because the agency assured him it will begin the long-awaited toxicity study, which will set baseline standards for environmental cleanup and verify that houses and other sites that have been cleaned up are indeed safe.
"It's beyond me why it took an investigation to get EPA to do the right thing for Libby," said Baucus, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the EPA. "Having said that, I'm pleased to see they are going to move swiftly to correct the situation."
The report said EPA staff requested the study, but agency managers did not approve the request. Baucus has been asking the EPA for a toxicity review since last spring.
In her letter to Baucus, Bodine said the EPA will execute a comprehensive Libby amphibole asbestos toxicity study within 45 days. The agency will hold public meetings in Libby to update residents on cleanup activities. Bodine said EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson will visit Libby personally, as Baucus previously suggested.
"I want to assure you that EPA is fully committed to conducting the necessary toxicity and other assessments to develop a long-term cleanup remedy that is safe for the citizens of Libby," Bodine wrote to Baucus.
"Now we all need to move forward together to get Libby a clean bill of health for the long-term," Baucus said.
Story by KLCB Radio News, www.bestcountryaround.com
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