BUTTE — After the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced earlier this fall that action levels for lead cleanup in the Mining City would be lowered, a newly formed environmental watchdog group in Butte submitted written public comment from about 20 members to officials with the EPA on Dec. 5 at the office of Citizens Technical and Environmental Committee, a nonprofit that works with the public and the government on environmental issues.
"We’ve got to tell them to get it done now, get it done right, but don’t take forever to do it because it endangers children. It endangers everybody," says Evan Barrett with Butte Watchdogs for Social and Environmental Justice.
The group recently formed with Sister Mary Jo McDonald, a long-time advocate for the cleanup of heavy metals in Butte.
Barrett and over a dozen other members of the group are concerned with the proposed time frame to clean attics and yards in the Mining City after the EPA announced lower action levels for lead cleanup.
Barrett’s group says more urgency is needed.
"We’ve been left suffering. Every single yard that is already been cleaned up, every house that has already been cleaned up has to be looked at again to see if it has to be done over," says Barrett.
He says the EPA and British Petroleum can do better.
"They had the chance to write it right in the first place and I’d like to know who in the heck came up with the 25 to 40-year idea in the first place? Is it just British Petroleum trying to save money? Is it local government just wanting to stretch out the jobs in the local courthouse? We don’t care about that kind of thing. What we care about is getting Butte clean," says Barrett.
The EPA will host a meeting detailing an approach to the cleanup in January at the Citizens Technical and Environmental Committee's monthly meeting. Written public comment is being accepted through Feb. 14.
You can learn more about the proposed changes by visiting the EPA's Silver Bow Creek - Butte Area Site web page. For questions, contact EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Mackenzie Meter at meter.mackenzie@epa.gov. Written comments can be emailed to EPAButtePPcomments@epa.gov.
To get your yard or attic sampled for lead levels you can contact the Butte-Silver Bow County Residential Metals Abatement Program at 406-497-5040.
