BUTTE — After the news came out in September that the EPA is proposing changes to the action levels of cleanup of heavy metals like lead, a new activist group led by a local nun is calling on the community to add their voices to make sure that the agency follows through with the proposed plans.
"Time is of the essence. It has been too long and people have suffered from it and they need to have their rights protected and they need to have their health protected. They deserve to have a clean environment here. They don’t have to live with this for another 40 years," says Sister Mary Jo McDonald.
Sister McDonald has been serving with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas for 65 years. Much of her work as a nun has taken place in the Mining City as a Superfund watchdog. After she suffered from Covid-19, the Sisters of Charity asked her to move to Kansas, but she has the opportunity to travel back to Butte for her work.
Now, as the EPA proposes changing action levels for cleanup of lead from 1200 parts per million to 175 parts per million, Sister Mary Jo is back in Butte.
"Lead is a poison and basically it should not be in our community. It should totally be removed," says Sister McDonald.
She says the cleanup of Butte’s attics and yards needs to be done more quickly. Under the proposal, the EPA is adding 15 years to study homes that have already been cleaned in the Butte Priority Soils Operable. Under the EPA's plan, an additional 25 years will be added to clean homes in an expanded area of the city.
"People in Butte, you need to stand up and say no, it’s not alright and it's not correct. We will be poisoning generations of people in this city and it is not just. It’s not correct," says Sister McDonald.
That's why McDonald and seven other community members have formed a group to keep an eye on how the proposed changes will be carried out.
"It is the Butte Watch Dogs for Social and Environmental Justice for this community and I’m a part of that and I will continue to be a part of that and to work diligently for this community to have what is just," says Sister McDonald.
To submit written public comment by Dec. 16, visit epa.gov/butte.
