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EPA sues for access to Libby vermiculite mine
Friday, September 15, 2000
By JOHN HUGHES
HELENA, Mont. -- The federal government filed suit against W.R. Grace & Co. yesterday, seeking immediate access to the company's former vermiculite mine and screening plant in Libby.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Missoula by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, which has had only limited access for cleanup operations.
The EPA seeks to remove asbestos-contaminated soil from the screening plant, and to dispose of that soil and continue cleanup operations at the former mine site just down the road.
Alan Stringer, W.R. Grace representative in Libby and former manager of the vermiculite mine, said he wasn't surprised to hear of the lawsuit. "We were aware that the EPA had intended to do that. We've always wanted to do this outside the courts and are still searching for an amenable position to both sides."
Last week, the company agreed to give environmental regulators access to the mine but continued to block efforts to have the site used for waste removal.
"We can't get the EPA to tell us what they want to dump up there," Stringer said, "but they're demanding that we open the site."
Paul Peronard, the EPA official directing the cleanup, strongly disagreed. "That's garbage -- that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," he said. "They know exactly what we want to put up there. They know exactly where it's coming from. They've known exactly what we've been talking about since November."
In November, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer linked the mine to dozens of asbestos-related deaths and illnesses among Libby residents and former employees.
Grace operated the mine from 1963 until its closure in 1990, then sold the property to Kootenai Development Co.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Also named in the suit is Kootenai Development Co., which purchased the property from Grace after the mine closed in 1990.
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Day 1
· A town left to die
· It all started with the search for gold
· The History of W.R. Grace Co.
· Dangers of asbestos exposure
· Known deaths from tremolite from Libby mine (graphic)
Day 2
· While people are dying, government agencies pass buck
· 'No one ever told us that stuff could kill you'
· Libby's lost miners: A gallery
· Group organizes to help victims
(newest at top)
· W.R. Grace to pay record Superfund fine
· Finally, asbestos-plagued Libby, Mont., to get help
· Up to 30% tested in Libby hurt by asbestos
· W.R. Grace files for bankruptcy
· Labor Dept. enters Libby's asbestos fight
· Why did dying miners get no help?
· Health warning on attic asbestos
· W.R. Grace buys its old Libby mine, then bans EPA investigators from it
· Grace backs off pledge to clean up asbestos
· Grace sends papers to EPA -- reportedly tainted
· A small group of physicians is trying to change the course of asbestos-induced disease
· One victim's story: '(I) couldn't get a breath; it scared me to death almost' · Horseman in the race of his life
· Class-action suit targets Grace Co., insulation
· Mine-safety agency takes action
· Immediate cleanup sought in mining town
· Grace to pick up medical bills in tainted town
· Asbestos study is expanded nationwide
· Deadly ore was shipped around U.S., Canada
· Just 23 months hauling ore--and it killed him 36 years later
· Finally, asbestos victims have their say
· Initial tests reveal areas of asbestos in and around Libby
· Montana's governor knows asbestos danger
· State, federal authorities sending teams to Montana mining town
· Editorial: Libby folks must get some answers
· EPA sues for access to Libby vermiculite mine
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