BUTTE — Federal officials say two polluted sites associated with Montana’s copper industry will get heightened attention as the government pushes to complete cleanups that have dragged on more than three decades.
The Silver Bow Creek/Butte site and Anaconda Smelter were added to the U.S. Environmental Protection agency’s Superfund list of highly-contaminated sites in 1983.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Friday identified the two as among 21 Superfund sites nationwide needing immediate attention. There are more than 1,400 Superfund sites in the U.S.
Officials set an end of January deadline for the parties involved with Silver Bow Creek/Butte to reach an agreement on cleaning up contaminated soils in Butte. The Montana Standard reports that if an agreement isn’t reached, the EPA will issue an order for Atlantic Richfield Company to finish the work.