Governor calls for listing CFAC site for cleanup
Gov. Steve Bullock sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week encouraging the EPA to put the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company smelter site on the Superfund’s National Priority List.
During a public meeting in Columbia Falls on Dec. 11, EPA representatives said the first step for them to begin work on the CFAC site was to get state support in the form of a concurrence letter from the governor or the Montana Department of Environmental Quality director.
Sen. Jon Tester sent a letter to EPA administrator Gina McCarthy on Jan. 8 urging her to join with Bullock to put the closed smelter site on the Superfund list. Tester said he was “deeply troubled†by Glencore’s decision to withdraw from cleanup negotiations with DEQ. Glencore, a Swiss-based global commodities trader, is the smelter site’s owner.
In his Feb. 17 letter to EPA regional administrator Shaun McGrath, Bullock cited contamination to groundwater and surface water, as well as sediments in Cedar Creek and the Flathead River.
“I’m concerned that if this issue remains unaddressed, the contamination from the site is serious enough to pose long-term risks to the community and to Montana’s environment, including the Flathead River,†Bullock said.
Bullock provided a number of steps he’d like to see if the CFAC site is placed on the list:
• The EPA should support and maintain a close working relationship with the DEQ as the cleanup process continues.
• Community involvement and coordination with Columbia Falls and Flathead County should be encouraged.
• Periodic residential well sampling should continue until sufficient data exists or cleanup has taken place to indicate that contamination of residential wells is not a potential risk.
• Where possible, the EPA should use local contractors to maximize the potential for local employment in the investigation and cleanup process.
• The local community’s redevelopment goals should be considered when evaluating cleanup needs.
“The plant was a critical part of the economy of Columbia Falls, and the site has been idle for too long,†Bullock said in his letter. “It has tremendous potential for redevelopment and will be an important anchor in the future of the region.â€
]]>Gov. Steve Bullock sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week encouraging the EPA to put the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company smelter site on the Superfund’s National Priority List.
During a public meeting in Columbia Falls on Dec. 11, EPA representatives said the first step for them to begin work on the CFAC site was to get state support in the form of a concurrence letter from the governor or the Montana Department of Environmental Quality director.
Sen. Jon Tester sent a letter to EPA administrator Gina McCarthy on Jan. 8 urging her to join with Bullock to put the closed smelter site on the Superfund list. Tester said he was “deeply troubled” by Glencore’s decision to withdraw from cleanup negotiations with DEQ. Glencore, a Swiss-based global commodities trader, is the smelter site’s owner.
In his Feb. 17 letter to EPA regional administrator Shaun McGrath, Bullock cited contamination to groundwater and surface water, as well as sediments in Cedar Creek and the Flathead River.
“I’m concerned that if this issue remains unaddressed, the contamination from the site is serious enough to pose long-term risks to the community and to Montana’s environment, including the Flathead River,” Bullock said.
Bullock provided a number of steps he’d like to see if the CFAC site is placed on the list:
• The EPA should support and maintain a close working relationship with the DEQ as the cleanup process continues.
• Community involvement and coordination with Columbia Falls and Flathead County should be encouraged.
• Periodic residential well sampling should continue until sufficient data exists or cleanup has taken place to indicate that contamination of residential wells is not a potential risk.
• Where possible, the EPA should use local contractors to maximize the potential for local employment in the investigation and cleanup process.
• The local community’s redevelopment goals should be considered when evaluating cleanup needs.
“The plant was a critical part of the economy of Columbia Falls, and the site has been idle for too long,” Bullock said in his letter. “It has tremendous potential for redevelopment and will be an important anchor in the future of the region.”