Six named to asbestos Superfund steering committee

The City-County Board of Health on Wednesday unanimously approved the appointments of six people to the Institutional Control Steering Committee for the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site. The committee’s structure was approved March 8, when the board approved Operating Procedure No. 1, which established focus area liaisons.

The appointed committee members are Linda Bauer, Virginia Kocieda, Ron Mahoney, Tom O’Bleness, Terry Odewaldt and Tina Oliphant.

George Jamison of the Board of Health, previously assigned as a liaison between the board and Libby’s two Superfund sites, is committee chairperson, while Lincoln County Commissioner Mark Peck, also a liaison, is vice-chairperson.

Eleven people applied to be on the committee. One application received after deadline was not considered, while one applicant was not interviewed after an employee-related conflict of interest was determined. Of the nine people interviewed, one withdrew from consideration.

Nick Raines, the board’s asbestos resources program manager, said in encouraging people to apply they “tried to get a broad perspective of the community” and found “a lot of great interested people,” yet fell short in getting people from the financial and real estate sectors. Many wanted to participate, he said, but didn’t believe they could commit the required time over the long haul.

However, Raines said several people from these industries offered to take part in any relevant focus groups that might arise.