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APRIL 8, 2015 | 15
Zinke Town Hall Meeting Draws Crowd in Kalispell
CFAC, Amtrak funding among local issues Montana Congressman discusses with constituents
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke fielded ques- tions from a mostly acquiescent audi- ence April 2 during his visit to Kalispell for a town hall meeting, even as a smat- tering of questions fell outside of the rank-and-file Republican dogma that typified the crowd.
Censures of President Obama, a ground offensive in the Middle East, better care for our veterans, opening our forests for more timber harvests, and mending a broken Congressional body were all issues that drew nodding ap- proval from those in attendance.
But the Republican freshman’s re- cent opposition to listing the contami- nated Columbia Falls Aluminum Com- pany plant site on the Superfund pro- gram’s National Priorities List drew fire from one audience member, Sta- cey Schnebel, president of the Colum- bia Falls Chamber of Commerce and a proponent of listing the site for federal cleanup dollars.
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the shut- tered plant site for listing on the NPL one day before CFAC’s parent company, the global commodities behemoth Glen- core, announced that the former alumi- num facility would permanently close.
The move for listing, which the com- pany opposes, prompted public praise from the community’s civic and business leaders, as well as support from U.S. Sen.
Jon Tester and Gov. Steve Bullock, both of whom publicly urged listing in the months prior to the EPA’s final decision.
But in separate letters to the EPA and Bullock, Zinke, of Whitefish, reit- erated the company’s stance that Su- perfund listing is inefficient and riddled with delays, encouraging the federal agency to leave cleanup responsibilities and the investigation in the company’s hands.
“The problem with designation as a Superfund site is there are 18 Superfund sites in Montana and not one of them has been removed. My fear is that once it goes on Superfund it will never come off and property values will plummet,” Zinke told audience members, adding that an 18-month independent investi- gation by Glencore, through an indepen- dent consulting firm, is the best course of action.
But Schnebel, who recently met with Tester along with Columbia Falls Mayor Don Barnhart, City Manager Susan Nic- osia, city council members and members of the local business community, balked at the notion that Superfund designa- tion would jeopardize the community’s economic future, which she painted as bright, and said the community had “lost faith in Glencore.”
“The community supports [cleanup] and we would love it if you could get be- hind the people and not the company,” Schnebel said. “Based on the tone of your letter opposing listing, it seems to us that you have the best interest of Glencore in mind.”
She said the community has grown increasingly frustrated with the compa- ny through the years as it’s made a series empty promises to reopen, dragged its feet and stalled, and ended negotiations with the Montana Department of Envi- ronmental Quality. She said any confi- dence the community had in Glencore
taking the lead on a thorough cleanup has diminished.
“I think that’s pretty pie in the sky,” she said. “What we would like to see as your constituents is for you to stand be- hind the people of Columbia Falls and not the interests of a corporation.”
Zinke, who grew up in Whitefish, said he would continue to advocate for a full and thorough cleanup of the CFAC site. However, EPA’s record of deleting sites from the Superfund list is poor, and the stigma it attaches can devastate a community.
“What I advocate for is to return the site to a clean status. What I don’t like about Superfund is it’s open ended and the record of getting out is not good,” Zinke said.
Schnebel countered that sites are cleaned and repurposed for recreation and economic opportunities prior to delisting, as they progress through stag- es of the cleanup.
“They are being used for other pur- poses,” she said.
“If the EPA is faster and there’s a record of that, I will jump on whatever train can accomplish that,” Zinke said.
Montana’s lone Congressman also defended his recent vote against feder- ally funding Amtrak, calling the move a “shot across the bow” to get the railway’s attention and demand that the company pay more attention to rural states.
Zinke complained that the rail ser- vice passes through Glacier National Park and scenic Whitefish at night, when the views are obscured by darkness.
“It wasn’t going to pass,” he said of
the failed amendment to defund Am-
trak. “I wanted to get their attention.
And I did. The next day I got two phone
calls from Amtrak. They are an East
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