Butte’s Superfund Site in Focus: EPA leadership meets with key stakeholders to tackle Butte Superfund challenges
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Butte, Mont. (July 7, 2023) – Yesterday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leadership met with Butte-Silver Bow County (BSB), the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Atlantic Richfield (AR), and the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) to discuss next steps on community engagement and Superfund site progress in Butte.
“The goal of our Superfund work in Butte is to enhance public health protection for the community and it’s clear this objective unites all the stakeholders,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “We understand the urgency of reaching resolutions more effectively and ensuring the public is well-informed and actively engaged in the decision-making processes that impact their community.”
“I welcome EPA leadership to the state to engage in this important leadership conversation to benefit Butte, and want what is best for this community,” said Montana DEQ Director Chris Dorrington. “Transparency and forward progress on the part of the principal agencies is vital.”
EPA is initiating several new measures to communicate more frequently and effectively with the Butte community. This month, the agency is launching a monthly newsletter in partnership with the Montana DEQ and has also developed a new section on EPA’s website to answer questions from the community. EPA is also hiring new community involvement staff in the Montana office to assist with Butte and other Montana Superfund sites. These new staff, along with the newsletter, website updates and better coordination with stakeholders will enhance EPA’s communication in Butte.
EPA is also in the process of evaluating the reuse of on-site material at the Superfund site, which is often referred to as “grey dirt.” In the coming weeks, EPA will recommend a proposal related to on-site material, and none of it will move until the community has a clear picture of how it will be addressed and an opportunity to comment. While this on-site material is not tailings, waste or contaminated soil requiring transport to a repository, EPA is reaffirming its commitment to transparency as we make decisions about how to manage this material. EPA leadership is fully engaged in putting together a proposal that balances specificity with information that is easy to understand.
In addition, EPA is sharing information on current, and potential changes to, lead soil cleanup guidance for residential properties in Butte. EPA is currently compiling the technical information that provided the basis for the current lead cleanup levels which apply to Butte and will share this information in the coming weeks. While the current cleanup levels in place reflect the best available information when they were developed, EPA is now reevaluating the national residential lead soil guidance used to determine site-specific cleanup levels for all Superfund communities. EPA will share the results of any new guidance, and any changes that would apply to cleanup needs in Butte, later this year.
In terms of ongoing and historical health studies in Butte, in early June, EPA sent the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) a request to perform an Exposure Investigation to assess exposure of community members to arsenic; we expect to hear back from ATSDR this month. EPA is also coordinating with the Medical Monitoring Study Working Group to develop a voluntary program for evaluating urinary arsenic levels of residents within the Superfund site to help understand potential exposures in the community. EPA will be updating our website with information related to the studies and analyses that formed the basis of the lead action level in Butte, as well as providing additional information on other health studies that have been performed in the community.
Finally, EPA is reaffirming its commitment to professionalism in Butte. Recent news articles have focused allegations regarding the agency’s relationship with industry and responses to previous studies related to public health. EPA takes these allegations seriously and has referred these concerns to the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) for further investigation. For questions related to these allegations, please reach out to OIG.
EPA remains focused on making Butte a healthier place to live and will continue to develop new and enhance existing opportunities for public communication and engagement. The agency will provide the community with updates as we move forward with cleanup determinations and actions.
For more information, visit the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site website
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/buttes-superfund-site-focus-epa-leadership-meets-key-stakeholders-tackle-butte
