Cleanup advisory committee 'off to a solid start'

A citizen committee set up to advise the federal and state agencies involved with the ongoing cleanup of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site is “off to a solid start,” said its chairperson.

Established in March and filled with appointees in May, the Institutional Controls Steering Committee so far has “focused on building a common understanding of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site conditions — its past and present, what has transpired and the status of the many elements today,” George Jamison, committee chairperson and vice chair of the City-County Board of Health for Lincoln County, said via email Sunday.

The committee will serve as advisors to the Board of Health and provide recommendations to it regarding institutional controls proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

Institutional controls are tools to protect the remedy implemented by the EPA and to manage any possible future releases of Libby Amphibole asbestos.

Jamison was assigned in late March as a liaison between the board and Libby’s two Superfund sites. County Commissioner Mark Peck was also assigned as a liaison and is the committee vice-chairperson. In May the Board of Health unanimously approved the appointments of six people to the steering committee: Linda Bauer, Virginia Kocieda, Ron Mahoney, Tom O’Bleness, Terry Odewaldt and Tina Oliphant.

“The group is diverse in tenure in the community, education and work experience,” Jamison wrote. “A good mix.”

In March, Board of Health Chair Jan Ivers reported that “collaboration between agencies and the community is essential in order to ensure a successful program.”

A press release at the time stated that because “it is not feasible to remove every fiber of asbestos from the area ... (institutional controls) will be implemented to ensure that the EPA’s remedy remains intact and protecting public health.”

The steering committee so far has met three times. Nick Raines, the Board of Health’s asbestos resource program manager, provided an in-depth overview of the Superfund site and the remedies this far put into place, among other items. Jamison lead the committee in a mind-mapping exercise to understand the situation from numerous angles.

Jamison said they “have been very pleased” with the committee’s ability to absorb a lot of information in a short amount of time as it ramps up.

“We are committed to an orderly process to yield details and resisting the temptation to jump right to details,” Jamison wrote. “We all, including the Board of Health, recognize the importance of ‘getting this right.’”

Jamison also praised the questions and insights that committee members have raised, and said that “we are hard at work and are looking forward after a few more months to begin to formulate specific recommendations.”