Feds cleanup plan leaves Libby, Montana with asbestos

A long-delayed U.S. government cleanup plan for a Montana community where asbestos contamination has sickened thousands would leave the deadly material in the walls of houses, underground and elsewhere — stirring worries among residents and state officials about future exposures.

Tuesday’s proposal, for the neighboring mining towns of Libby and Troy, calls for asbestos-containing vermiculite to be left in place where the Environmental Protection Agency says it presents minimal risk and can be safely managed.

But some Libby residents said the asbestos inevitably will escape during future excavation work, home renovations and accidents such as fires.

By MATTHEW BROWN The Associated Press

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