CFAC breaks off talks with DEQ on cleanup

The former external affairs manager for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. announced in a Dec. 9 press release that the company “is no longer negotiating” with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality about cleaning up the smelter site on the Flathead River near Columbia Falls.

Haley Beaudry said CFAC “is committed to assessing soil and groundwater impacts at its Columbia Falls site” and “has hired specialty environmental consultant Roux Associates to develop a site assessment plan.”

Beaudry said CFAC, which is owned by the giant Swiss-based global commodities trader Glencore, had been committed to assessing conditions at the smelter site, but “DEQ assumed the role of lead agency on the CFAC project” this year, never completed a “white paper” about the cleanup project, and instead “submitted an administrative order on consent to CFAC and demanded immediate acceptance by CFAC.”

In his short press release, Beaudry also described how the Environmental Protection Agency agreed “for a second time” to evaluate the smelter site to see if it qualified as a Superfund cleanup site. Beaudry claimed that “based on its first evaluation, the EPA decided the plant did not meet the Superfund criteria.”

While saying CFAC wants to move forward on assessing the site, Beaudry expressed displeasure with how DEQ acted.

“Under these conditions and after working diligently to establish a joint resolution with DEQ, CFAC is no longer negotiating with DEQ regarding the investigation,” he said.

Beaudry insists CFAC is still interested in assessing the smelter site.

“CFAC understands and concurs that it is in the best interest of all to move forward with a thorough assessment of the site conditions and options for addressing any historical impacts,” he said. “CFAC has assembled a team of professionals to lead the efforts to define and resolve the outstanding issues at the Columbia Falls plant site and remains fully committed to completing the job in a timely and competent manner.”

The announcement comes two days before a scheduled public meeting on the CFAC cleanup hosted by the DEQ and EPA. The meeting will be held at the Little Theater at Columbia Falls High School on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. The larger venue was needed to accommodate all the stakeholders and interested parties from across the Flathead.

In addition to contaminants commonly found at any large industrial site, there are concerns about the presence of cyanide in groundwater beneath the plant site that has leached out of CFAC’s landfills. Cyanide is produced in the brick linings of the reduction pots after many years of operation. Prior to 1985, spent potliner was buried at the CFAC plant in unlined landfills.

Bill Kirley, an attorney with the Department of Environmental Quality, said that when DEQ and EPA arranged the Dec. 11 public meeting several weeks ago, state officials weren’t optimistic that a settlement would be reached for the administrative order.

“We knew there was not likely to be an agreement, so this confirms what we thought was likely,” he said.

But the end of negotiations between CFAC and DEQ won’t prevent the state from pursuing a National Priorities Listing for a Superfund cleanup of the CFAC site, he said. Putting the smelter site on the list will give federal authorities the muscle needed to require a cleanup, he said.

The aluminum plant began operating in 1955 and reduced capacity several times in response to high electrical power prices. Glencore shut down the smelter in October 2009, and it’s been idle since. Montana’s congressional delegation and state leaders then pushed for the reopening of the plant.

Roux Associates, the company Beaudry cited in his press release, was founded in New York in 1981 as a groundwater contamination investigation firm working at Superfund sites. It has since expanded operations, with offices in six states across the U.S. It was twice named one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine.

Roux Associates has worked with chemical, pharmaceutical, petroleum, technology, paper, transportation and other industrial companies. Among its 1,700 clients over the past 30 years are ExxonMobil, BASF, Eastman, Honeywell, Amtrak, Sunoco, UPS, Konica Minolta, BP, Pfizer, GAF and Novartis.