| WASHINGTON, DC Congress has approved legislation, to be signed into law by President Obama, to provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to buyout Treece, KS. The legislation will allow the EPA to protect and improve the lives of residents living with the daily threat of contamination and health related risks from long abandoned lead and zinc mining should the federal buyout be initiated. The announcement was made by U.S. Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and U.S. Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), ardent supporters of the plan.
Roberts' and Brownback’s amendment, along with the support of Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, was included in the Fiscal Year 2010 Interior Appropriations Conference Report approved by both chambers today. The bill now heads to the President’s desk where it is expected to be signed into law by October 31, 2009.
Brownbeck called the action the "first step in a very long process," He vowed to ensure that the "rest of the process runs smoothly."
Inhofe was glad to share the stage with his colleagues from Kansas. He sees the bill as a step closer to relocation assistance for Treece residents similar to what he secured for the residents of Tar Creek in his home state.
In August, US EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson honored Roberts’ request and immediately sent key officials to Treece including: Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response; Bob Sussman, senior policy counsel to the administrator, and William Rice, acting Region 7 administrator. Jenkins hosted officials through the town and held a town listening session where residents could relay their concerns.
Following this visit, in September, EPA began blood-lead level and air quality testing at the request of residents.
“With this important first step, I look forward to working with Administrator Jackson and her team on a long term solution for residents of Treece,” Roberts said. “I applaud the EPA for going the extra mile, sending representatives to thearea to listen to residents firsthand, and then understanding their special hardships. Together, I think we can now give these folks a little hope.”
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