EPA gathering the documents to list CFAC smelter site

Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia said she recently received a call from Rob Parker, an environmental engineer at EPA’s Region 8 office in Denver, Colo., with an update on the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. site.

She told the city council at their Feb. 17 meeting that Parker was preparing the documents needed to have the smelter site placed on the federal Superfund program’s National Priorities List for cleanup.

If the EPA received a letter of support soon from Gov. Steve Bullock, the documents could be submitted in time to meet the mid-March deadline, Parker told Nicosia. Otherwise they would have to wait until the next filing date in mid-November.

Parker also told Nicosia that no more well sampling was planned for residences near the closed CFAC plant.

In a related matter, city councilor Mike Shepard said he had recently spoken to Aluminum Workers Trades Council recording secretary Brian Doyle.

Shepard said Doyle told him that Glencore, the Swiss-based commodities trader that owns CFAC, had ordered Doyle and AWTC vice president Dave Toavs to stay away from the plant site and not to talk with Steve Wright, CFAC’s environmental engineer and the lone employee remaining at the plant.

Glencore had approached the two union leaders last year about completing negotiations over severance pay. Doyle said those talks now take place at the whim of Glencore. About 220 craft and production hourly workers have recall rights at the smelter in Columbia Falls, according to Toavs.

Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia said she recently received a call from Rob Parker, an environmental engineer at EPA’s Region 8 office in Denver, Colo., with an update on the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. site.

She told the city council at their Feb. 17 meeting that Parker was preparing the documents needed to have the smelter site placed on the federal Superfund program’s National Priorities List for cleanup.

If the EPA received a letter of support soon from Gov. Steve Bullock, the documents could be submitted in time to meet the mid-March deadline, Parker told Nicosia. Otherwise they would have to wait until the next filing date in mid-November.

Parker also told Nicosia that no more well sampling was planned for residences near the closed CFAC plant.

In a related matter, city councilor Mike Shepard said he had recently spoken to Aluminum Workers Trades Council recording secretary Brian Doyle.

Shepard said Doyle told him that Glencore, the Swiss-based commodities trader that owns CFAC, had ordered Doyle and AWTC vice president Dave Toavs to stay away from the plant site and not to talk with Steve Wright, CFAC’s environmental engineer and the lone employee remaining at the plant.

Glencore had approached the two union leaders last year about completing negotiations over severance pay. Doyle said those talks now take place at the whim of Glencore. About 220 craft and production hourly workers have recall rights at the smelter in Columbia Falls, according to Toavs.