Montana Standard: Tester urges tailings removal
A U.S. senator on Friday called for the removal of the toxic Parrot Tailings buried near the Butte Civic Center.
Sen. Jon Tester, citing scientists at Montana Tech, called the tailings a “serious threat” to the region’s public health.
He is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to work together toward the removal of the tailings.
Leaving the tailings in place, Tester said, risks reversing previous restoration work to the Mining City’s water system.
The Parrot smelter produced blister copper in the late 1800s, leaving behind the metal-laden tailings.
