Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 4.1.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
Superfund: Success Story or Stigma?
APRIL 1, 2015 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
DARK MONEY
The Montana House narrowly endorsed a bill, 51-49, which would require more disclo- sure surrounding campaign donations. Ten Republicans joined all 41 Democrats sup- porting the measure.
BLACKTAIL
Blacktail Ski Area has closed for the season. Whitefish Mountain Resort has two more weekends of spring skiing remaining.
MEDICAID
Montana senators endorsed a measure to expand Medic- aid to low-income people but would require them to pay premiums each month as well as co-payments for certain services. The measure will now got to the House for con- sideration.
SUN ROAD
Plow crews in Glacier National Park have begun clearing the Going-to-the- Sun Road. They may have an easier time this year. According to the SNOTEL station in the park, there was 94 inches of snow on March 30. Last year the snow depth was over 160 inches at this time.
With EPA’s decision to
propose the CFAC site for Superfund cleanup, debate begins on federal program’s success
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to propose the Colum- bia Falls Aluminum Company as a federal Superfund site prompted praise and com- mendation from local business leaders, the governor and Montana’s senior U.S. Senator.
Not surprisingly, company officials balked at the proposed listing, calling the Superfund program ineffective, improvi- dent and stigmatizing.
“Listing on the NPL has not result- ed in expeditious cleanups. In the last 31 years, the EPA has listed 18 sites in Mon- tana on the NPL and none have been re- moved,” wrote Cheryl Driscoll, CFAC’s corporate secretary. “Listing on the NPL can stigmatize a property and prevent others from seeking to redevelop the site and thus potentially limit economic growth in Flathead County.”
What did surprise civic and business leaders in Columbia Falls were two letters from U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke to the EPA and Gov. Steve Bullock reiterating the compa- ny’s stance in lockstep and encouraging the federal agency not to list the site on the Superfund program’s National Priori- ties List (NPL).
“Historically, NPL listings in Mon- tana have not resulted in expeditious res- olutions; instead, they have faced exces- sive delays and bureaucracy,” the White- fish Congressman wrote in his letter. “Our state has 18 Superfund sites, yet not a sin- gle one has been removed in the life of the program.”
Zinke said Superfund projects notori-
Columbia Falls Aluminum Company. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
ously go over budget and taxpayers end up bearing the financial burden, despite the program’s “polluter pays” principle that is the keystone of Superfund.
But just because a site isn’t deleted from the NPL doesn’t mean it’s not clean, said Rob Parker, a site assessment manag- er with the EPA.
Examples of sites that have gone through stages of cleanup without being delisted include the Anaconda Smelter site, the Silver Bow Creek site in Butte and the Milltown Reservoir Sediment site near Missoula.
A portion of the Anaconda site was re- developed into a Jack Nicklaus golf course 20 years ago, called the Old Works Golf Course. The Silver Bow Creek site has led to the development of parks, trails, re- stored wetlands and a cutthroat fishery.
A portion of the Milltown Reservoir Sediments site has been transferred to the state for development of a multi-hundred acre state park as the cleanup continues.
“The key thing is that although all three of these sites remain on the Super- fund National Priorities List, a lot of envi-
ronmental clean up work has already tak- en place at each site,” Parker said. “Each site has gone through stages of cleanup followed by redevelopment while still on the National Priorities List. These sites are examples where cleanup leads to the dual benefit of reducing risk to human health and the environment while foster- ing redevelopment and re-use potential before the site is deleted from the Nation- al Priorities List.”
CFAC’s owner, Glencore, the largest commodities trading group in the world, closed the plant in 2009, citing high elec- tricity rates and poor aluminum market conditions. For the past six years, only a handful of employees have remained on site to maintain the mothballed 800-acre facility, which sits on a 2,500-acre prop- erty.
And while the company insists it’s committed to a “long term, sustainable solution” for the shuttered plant, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said he’s dubious of Glencore’s intentions, particularly after spending
See Superfund PAGE 22
FLATHEAD VALLEY
Thursday, April 16 • 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Flathead Valley Community College Arts & Technology Building Free and open to the public
ATTENTION VETERANS Veterans and their families given exclusive access to the event from 3-3:30 p.m.
Kid Sports Parking Lot, across Hwy 93, off Four Mile Drive Free shuttle service provided by
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FAIR
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