Recently, we let the cat out of the bag and told you that Butte’s Superfund parties reached a very big deal; one that will clean up the Mining City forever. That sounds like good news, and I hope it is. But as someone who lives right in the heart of a Superfund megasite, lately I’ve been experiencing some cognitive dissonance.
During his reign, President Trump has radically transformed the Environmental Protection Agency. I haven’t known how to square the EPA’s cheerleading on Superfund with the Trump Administration’s overall track record on the environment, and whether all the action we’re seeing in Butte, Montana is the Superfund exception, or the rule.
If we really want to understand what’s happening here and why — and what kind of example this EPA is trying to make out of Butte’s toxic mess — we’re gonna have to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. So today, Richest Hill goes to Washington and back again.
This is Episode 8: The Art Of The Superfund Deal.