Libby in line for $130 million

Montana Sen. Max Baucus called Wednesday a truly historic day with the declaration of a public health emergency in Libby by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson.

The declaration means the Obama administration will pump more than $130 million into the Northwest Montana town where asbestos contamination has been blamed for more than 200 deaths.

In a telephone press conference from Washington, D.C., Baucus said the EPA move finally brings some justice to the people who were exposed to asbestos from the W.R. Grace vermiculite mine that closed in 1990.

He said Libby and Troy residents now will 'start to get the medical help they so deserve."

Jackson's announcement will not result in an evacuation of Libby's 2,600 residents, but will require an extensive, home-by-home cleanup and better health protections for those with asbestos-related illnesses.

The EPA will invest at least $125 million over the next five years in the ongoing cleanup of Libby and nearby Troy. The Health and Human Services Department will spend an additional $6 million on medical assistance for area residents suffering from asbestos-related illnesses.

The money is in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars the government and Maryland-based W.R. Grace & Co. have spent to clean up Libby so far.

Baucus has sought the "public health emergency" designation for years but was unsuccessful under the Bush administration. The new status requires the federal government to provide screenings and health care for Libby residents with asbestos-related disease.

Jackson said the announcement was the first time the EPA has made such a determination under authority of the 1980 Superfund law that requires the cleanup of contaminated sites.

Throughout the presentation, Baucus referred to Les Skramstad, a mine worker who died of asbestos-related disease. Baucus said his efforts for Libby were spurred on by sitting in Skramstad's living room, listening to how he came home from the mine caked with asbestos dust that also sickened his wife and children.

"I cannot emphasize too strongly what a tragic situation this is in Libby," he said.

Baucus described tremolite asbestos as more pernicious or deadly than common chrysolite asbestos. Because of its fiber structure, tremolite penetrates the lung causing scarring and thickening of the lining called the pleura.

Baucus presented photos of Skramstad to Jackson as well as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. He said Skramstad's picture serves as a reminder of "how much more we need to do."

Dust containing the deadly tremolite asbestos fibers contaminated many parts of town. The dust came from the mine as well as from the railroad cars that rolled through town carrying vermiculite to other areas.

Baucus said the public health emergency was the beginning of what needs to be done for Libby and Troy.

Following Baucus, Jackson called the contamination of Libby a "toxic legacy" and the death rate from asbestos-related disease as 'staggeringly high."

Referring to products made with Libby's vermiculite, she said that the EPA determined that houses with undisturbed vermiculite insulation don't need abatement. The agency plans to launch a nationwide educational program to give homeowners this message.

Jackson said the public health emergency was issued to address the unique threat found in Libby and Troy. She said the EPA has planned a public meeting in the near future in Libby to address cleanup activities.

Responding to reporters' questions, the administrator called the catastrophe in Libby "a perfect storm."

"No matter where residents turned, they were exposed to this stuff," she said.

Sebelius called Jackson's emergency declaration a bold step forward to expand cleanup activities. She referred to a multiyear $8 million medical research project started to pinpoint the effect of tremolite asbestos on human health to assist the EPA's cleanup activities.

Sebelius said that Washington agencies had long turned a blind eye to the needs of Libby. She said that she and Jackson came to the press conference to say those days are over.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., also spoke at the press conference, crediting Baucus for his many years of work to secure the public health emergency declaration. He said no city, large or small, could cope with an environmental catastrophe on the scale of the one in Libby.

He quoted a newspaper's description of Libby as a town left to die.

"The people of Libby want their future back," Tester said. "We still have a long way to go. But working together with Health and Human Services and EPA, we're making some progress and that's a good thing."

Gayla Benefield of Libby, who suffers health effects from asbestos exposure and lost both parents to asbestos-related lung diseases, called the declaration "a giant step forward" for improved medical care and cleanup of the town.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com