EPA makes changes to its Libby site team

Environmental Protection Agency

officials announced this week changes to the site team that

oversees the day-to-day work of the Libby Superfund site.

Victor Ketellapper, EPA’s Libby team

leader, said that Ted Linnert, who had served as the site’s

community involvement coordinator for six years, is retiring from

the EPA after a decade of federal service.

Linnert recently transitioned his

duties to Libby Faulk, who has worked on the site team during most

of this year’s construction season.

Nicole Bein, the remedial project

manager assigned to Operable Unit 4 – which covers the City of

Libby – and who managed critical sampling events over the past

year, recently secured another position in EPA’s regional office in

Denver.

Ketellapper said the EPA is currently

in the process of selecting a remedial project manager to fill that

vacancy.

Bonnie Lavelle, remedial project

manager for OU3 – which covers the former vermiculite mine – will

be transitioning to oversee other Superfund work within the EPA’s

regional office. Lavelle guided the initial phases of the remedial

investigation/feasibility study at OU3 for the past three

years.

Ketellapper said Rebecca Thomas and

Christina Progess will assume responsibility for the work on that

vermiculite mine unit.

“EPA will ensure that these routine

personnel changes are seamless and that we continue to make

progress in achieving site cleanup goals,” Ketellapper said through

a press release. “I’m looking forward to the experience the new

members will bring to the team.”

The number of positions and individual

roles on Superfund site teams vary according to the needs of the

site, he added. In addition to the team leader, the Libby asbestos

site team employs multiple remedial project managers, two

toxicologists, an attorney and data management and community

relations personnel.

In 2002, the Libby Asbestos Site was

added to the Superfund National Priorities List, and the EPA

sampled and inspected more than 3,000 properties. By October of

this year, the

EPA had completed response actions at

more than 1,400 residential and commercial properties, and had

initiated significant toxicity studies to support completion of the

Site-Wide Risk Assessment.

Investigations and response actions are

ongoing in the neighboring town of Troy, the mine, various former

vermiculite processing areas, the railroad rights of way and state

highways.