EPA declares health emergency in Montana town

montanais4me 26 posts Jun 17, 2009 11:40 AM	Environmental Protection Agency for the first time has declared a public health emergency in a contaminated community, targeting a Montana town Wednesday for immediate federal attention. The declaration by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson involving Libby, Mont., will not result in an evacuation, but will require an extensive cleanup and better health protections for residents with asbestos-related illnesses. Jackson called Libby a "tragic public health situation" that has not received the recognition it deserves from the federal government for far too long. Asbestos contamination from a now-closed vermiculite mine near Libby has been cited in the deaths of more than 200 people and illnesses of thousands more. Jackson said the public health emergency declaration was the first time the EPA has made such a determination under authority of the 1980 Superfund law that requires the clean up of contaminated sites. Investigations performed by the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry have found that occurrences of asbestosis, a lung condition, near Libby are staggeringly higher than the national average for the period from 1979 to 1998, Jackson said. EPA is working with the Department of Health and Human Services, which is making available a $6 million grant to provide asbestos-related medical care to Libby and residents of Troy, another Montana town. "Based on a rigorous re-evaluation of the situation on the ground, we will continue to move aggressively on the cleanup efforts and protect the health of the people," Jackson said. "We're here to help create a long and prosperous future for this town." Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., called the emergency declaration a great day for Libby, which he said "had to wait year after year as the last administration failed to determine that a public health emergency exists." "Today is the day that after years of work we were able to succeed in getting this done," Baucus said. "We will continue to push until Libby has a clean bill of health." Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called the declaration long-overdue. "We still have a long way to do right by the folks in Libby. Working together with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency, we're making very good progress," Tester said.
montanais4me 27 posts Jun 17, 2009 11:41 AM	SO.... what line do I ned to get into to get some of this money.... ?
crill Guest Jun 17, 2009 8:43 PM	Work for the Card/St.Johns or the exMayor or EPA.Until Libby stops killing more people by the lies being told/sold that Libby is safe,,,what the hell is a Health Emergency for??? To continue killing more people too??How about a frickin freeze on any one moving to Libby then all you maggets can reep the millions.I care about those people not any of you in Libby...as you know.Just tell the truth and put other people/families first which also should of happened in 1999...
montanais4me 28 posts Jun 18, 2009 8:53 AM	Will this mean additional people into Libby? The best guess is an additional 100-200 government employees with an additional 100 -150 family members. That along with private supporting businesses, (health care providers , contractors,small business operations), could swell the population of Libby by 500-1000 additional people. Not since the dam construction will we see such an influx of additional people to Libby. This along with the addition of Stinger Welding we could be in for the most dramatic growth in Libby history - hang on to your hat
hereinlibby Guest Jun 18, 2009 11:03 AM	Lets do some back of envelop math here. So far the government has spent around 270 Million on the current clean up. Additional money from Grace may push that number to 300M easy. Now we are in line for an additional 130M for the next part of the clean up. Thats a total of 430M. Or to put it another way - based on a population of 3000 - $143,333.33 each. Sounds about right to me.
mike Guest Jun 18, 2009 4:27 PM	And you don't think any more innocent people/families will continue the deadly exposure.Are you kidding??? EVERYONE who has and continues to move to Libby is almost guaranteed a death sentence.Course most of you and me will not be around when the next population of Libby is told the truth as to why they are sick and dying.Thats the next Latency you all are aware of but hell, who cares huh.Again,you all can have Libby and all the millions to go with it but someone has to care about those who continue to be lied to that Libby is safe.Funny how some people just don't get it and move to Libby anyway.Course the City can put a freeze on killing more people but then again...who careshuh.Sure wish the dead and dying would be paid what is owed since everyone else IS making millions from what was done to us/me.What a town...What justice huh...
Perry Winkle Guest Jun 22, 2009 3:01 PM	Still, Libby is not a safe place for anyone and with the Health Emergency,does this mean Libby is not a safe place, like that Mike Crill dude(, Who?) has been telling all who will listen to stay the hell away from Libby since 1999?????Are the trees going to be a issue with 530 million Tremolite fibers in one gram of bark???? Cut all down when raining,hire a thousand out of work sawyers and replant after a cap is put on the entire 20 mile radius(Forest Circus and Corp of Engineers fire boundry if fire,will be fought from air, no ground force due to DEADLY EXPOSUREofTREMOLITE from release into the air.) from the mine site where this Tremolite exists at Emergency status.How bout a freeze of new folks/victims moving to Libby and all you there already sick and dying...you all clean Libby but it is wrong to kill more people NOW that Libby is in a state of Emergency.The town needs shut down and all that money given to all the people who are the victims who aren't getting a dime and continue to die without being made right.Sad and ugly part about all this is everyone knows we are dying since 1999 and hundreds have died since 1999...with nothin while all the rest who reap/steal the millions since 1999 care less about the people.These millions are being made from US and those making them Millions also are guilty of killing Libby as they too along with WR disGrace allowed all of us to be poisoned,since 1963 and today 2009, the killings have not stopped.The lies have not stoped.THIS is the Health Emergency and it means stop killing more people and tell them the truth that Libby is deadly still to all who breathe.NOTHING Clear/Clean or Safe about Libby.Shame it took 10 years and hundreds of lives.Will this continue????Will all deadly homes be destroyed as they must be,all that have asbestos in them as they ALL do.Tell EPA not to spray the carpets next time they test for asbestos.This is criminal and Libby should respond to EPA cover ups but then again,millions buy and create alot of crooks and Libby is FULL of them.Be fun to watch the maggots come out of the walls when the million are let lose.Who cares huh......

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