EPA gives update on OU1 process

During a presentation to the Libby City Council on Monday night, the Environmental Protection Agency indicated that the Record of Decision on the old export plant site is tentatively scheduled to be finished within six months.

Victor Ketellapper, Libby team leader, told the council that many people believe that a Record of Decision for the export plant area – identified by the agency as Operable Unit 1 – is the end-all of cleanup decisions.

“That’s not exactly true,” he said at the meeting, “because we have five-year reviews. Every five years, we ask, ‘Is it still working?’ The ROD can be opened and re-evaluated.”

Ketellapper said a draft of the remedial investigation will come out next week, the feasibility study and final RI should come out by May and a proposed plan should surface by June or July. The ROD could be in place as soon as August or September.

“This is the timeframe, but we can re-evaluate the schedule,” Ketellapper said. “Throughout this process, I want to work with the city. This is the first time for the Superfund site to move through this process.”

Mayor Doug Roll said that the council needed time to digest the information and would discuss its views with Ketellapper at a later date. After the meeting, Roll mentioned concern about the timeline and Ketellapper assured him that it was adjustable.

After the proposed plan is out, the public will have a maximum of 60 days to voice concerns before the ROD is put in place. Councilmember D.C. Orr asked Ketellapper how thick of a document he would be expected to read in that time.

Ketellapper said there would be a summary about five to 15 pages in length and two documents that would each be more than an inch thick. He mentioned the most of the pages would be appendices.