County Health Board to pursue $48,500 grant

The Lincoln County Health Board is looking toward the future — after the EPA leaves Libby — and has begun steps to independently determine safe asbestos levels in Libby.

By a vote of 6-0, the board agreed to apply for a Department of Natural Resources and Conservation grant that will provide money to pay for a survey to determine safe levels of asbestos.

Board members Peggy Williams, Doug Roll, Kathi Hooper, Dr. Brad Black, Ron Downey and Tony Berget voted in favor of pursuing the $48,500 Reclamation and Development Planning Grant. Board members Mike Cole and Micki Carvey did not attend the session.

According to the five-page application, the grant is to “repair, reclaim and mitigate environmental damage to public resources from nonrenewable resource extraction;” and “to develop and ensure the quality of public resources for the benefit of all Montanans.”

Also in attendance, either in person or teleconference link, were Mark Peck of the DNRC, Katy Norris of Tetra-Tech, Christina Progess of the EPA and Health Board Attorney Allan Payne.

“This is different than what the EPA is doing,” Payne said. “This will focus on public health, to answer what level is safe, and of what level we should have protection. The EPA and the DEQ have their own standards.”

Payne, who grew up in Libby and practices in Helena, said the Health Board hopes to learn much from the grant and subsequent studies.

“Without a toxicity value from the EPA, this will help us as we work from a public health perspective,” Payne said. “

Payne said there is an absence in just how county residents are affected by air, dust, duff and rocks.

“There is a real dearth of any comprehensive look at this,” Payne said.

Peck, the DNRC Libby Unit Manager, applauded the vote to proceed.

“It’s a great step,” Peck said. “It fits right into what you’re talking about. We need more data to start to pull the facts together.”

Progess, the EPA’s OU-3 site manager, said she is happy the board is moving forward on this.

“I’m excited the county is taking this on,” Progess said. “There are large areas of contaminated areas outside of town. I’d be interested in following up.”

The survey will outline four tasks: 1.) compile existing data; 2.) identify data gaps; 3.) develop a work plan; 4.) prepare reclamation, which the applications states should begin by May 15, 2014.