EPA dump worth fighting
In addition to being Idaho’s oldest building in a sacred place, readers should also know that the Mission of the Sacred Heart near Cataldo is a National Historic Landmark. Just 1,500 feet from the Mission property off Interstate 90, Exit 39, the Environmental Protection Agency is building a 20-acre, 40- to 60-foot-tall toxic waste dump.
It doesn’t matter that more than 2,000 affected citizens and 80 national groups have tried to cooperate with the EPA to stop the more than 600,000 cubic yards of lead and other heavy metal mine waste being dumped. Or that there is permanent waste treatment available that the EPA refuses to utilize. It doesn’t matter that the U.S. Geological Survey in one day of flooding, Jan. 19, 2011, measured 160 metric tons of lead washed downstream.
Parents, families and tribal members who care about the health and safety of your children, recreational activities, real estate, and tourism potential, tell President Barack Obama to stop the dumping and convene a citizens committee to bring the greatest protection of the environment and human health to all who live in the nation’s largest Superfund site. Use: president@whitehouse.gov, or (202) 456-6213.
Bob Colonna
Spokane