EPA Region 8 official thankful for cooperation

Letter to the Editor,

As EPA wraps up the 2013 construction season, we want to take a moment to thank the residents of the Libby and Troy communities for your cooperation with this tremendous undertaking.

With your help, we have removed asbestos at more than 100 properties, bringing the total to nearly 1,900 homes and businesses. We also wish to thank those who assisted us in gathering additional data.

This allowed us to make great progress on the risk assessment. Lastly, we wish to congratulate the City of Libby and other stakeholders on the dedication of Riverfront Park. This is a superb model for reuse that will serve as an example as we go forward.

We also wish to acknowledge the impact of the cleanup work on the Libby community. EPA sincerely appreciates the cooperation of everyone involved – especially those who have had to temporarily leave their homes and those who must cultivate and nurture new yards.

We are constantly looking for ways to better this process and this is why we request feedback from every participant. We are happy to share that the majority of property owners who responded report being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience.

For more information, please visit EPA Region 8’s website: www2.epa.gov/region8/libby-asbestos

Looking ahead, we expect to make great progress in 2014. We look forward to engaging with the community as we work toward final cleanup decisions that are based on science as well as technology, economics and lifestyle.

— Shaun L. McGrath

Regional Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8