{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-urges-epa-to-prioritize-montana-in-superfund-sites-selection", "Daines Urges EPA to Prioritize Montana in Superfund Sites Selection", "2017-12-04", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "MT", "Steve Daines", "D000618", "www.daines.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.04.17\n\t\t\t Daines Urges EPA to Prioritize Montana in Superfund Sites Selection \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDaines Urges EPA to Prioritize Montana in Superfund\u00a0Sites\u00a0Selection\u00a0\r\nU.S. SENATE\u00a0\u2014U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a\u00a0letter\u00a0to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)\u00a0Administrator\u00a0Scott Pruitt urging him to ensure Montana is\u00a0represented in the\u00a0Administrator\u2019s\u00a0Top Ten\u00a0list of\u00a0Superfund sites\u00a0which will receive the Administrator\u2019s utmost attention.\r\n\u201cWith 17 National Priorities List (NPL) sites and one proposed NPL site in Montana, including some of the most expansive in the nation, there is a clear need for at least one Montana site to be among those to which you will pay utmost attention,\u201d\u00a0wrote\u00a0Daines.\u00a0\r\nIn July, U.S. Senator Steve Daines secured his recommendations for improving the Superfund program in the EPA Superfund Task Force report released by Administrator Pruitt. The report also recommended that the agency establish a Top Ten list of Superfund sites which will receive special attention from the Administrator.\r\nBelow is the full text of the letter:\r\n\u00a0\r\nDecember 4, 2017\r\n\u00a0\r\nThe Honorable Scott Pruitt\r\nAdministrator\r\nU.S. Environmental Protection Agency\r\n1200 Pennsylvania Ave Northwest\r\nWashington, D.C. 20460\r\n\r\nDear Administrator Pruitt:\r\nAs you compile your Top Ten list of Superfund sites to prioritize, I urge you to ensure Montana is well represented. With 17 National Priorities List (NPL) sites and one proposed NPL site in Montana, including some of the most expansive in the nation, there is a clear need for at least one Montana site to be among those to which you will pay utmost attention.\r\nAmong Montana\u2019s most severe Superfund sites is the Butte/Silverbow Creek Area. With a Record of Decision for the Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (OU) dating back to 2006, and the OU still without a consent decree for cleanup, this site serves as a strong example of one in Montana that would benefit from inclusion on your list. The Anaconda Co. Smelter site, meanwhile, has ample work to be done with respect to sampling residences and schools for lead and other chemicals and the subsequent cleanup thereof. I have also heard from the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County CEO Bill Everett repeatedly about the need for more diligence on this site. In another example, asbestos cleanup has been ongoing for 17 years and is still underway at the Libby Asbestos site, which is another where contaminants remain present in the community. While these few sites have garnered some of the most notoriety, the remainder of Montana\u2019s NPL sites span as far as Yellowstone County and all of them continue to hurt Montana communities every day.\u00a0\r\nI also believe recent visits to Montana Superfund sites by the new Region 8 Administrator Doug Benevento, as well as his meetings with local officials and stakeholders, have been productive and positive. I applaud his involvement on the ground.\u00a0\r\nI recognize that with the number of Montana sites alone nearly double the length of your forthcoming list, not every Montana site will be included. Regardless, I urge your continued commitment to finding more expeditious\u2014while simultaneously environmentally and healthily protective\u2014remediation solutions to all Superfund sites in Montana, along with the listing of at least one among your Top Ten.\u00a0\r\nThank you for your continued attention to the crucial matter of Superfund in Montana.\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\u00a0\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-urges-epa-to-prioritize-montana-in-superfund-sites-selection"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9076548740267754, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}