By Roger McKinney
rmckinney@joplinglobe.com
TREECE, Kan. — The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed legislation that includes authority for the buyout of residents in the former mining town of Treece.
The authority is included in the 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Conference Report, and will head to President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature into law.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson issued a statement that the EPA was on board.
“EPA has determined that relocation is the primary option to address the concerns of Treece residents — just as it was in neighboring Picher, Okla.,” Jackson said.
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he had received a phone call from Jackson to that effect.
“I’m very pleased,” Roberts said by phone. “It’s been a long, dusty, chat-covered road.”
Roberts said he expects the president to sign the measure in the next few days, and he is confident that it will lead to a buyout of Treece residents.
“This will be on a fast track,” Roberts said.
Roberts credited U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.; U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.; and U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., for advancing the measure.
Residents of Treece, like those in Picher, have suffered from the ill effects of mine waste left over from decades of lead and zinc mining.
The results of blood-lead screening last month on 73 Treece residents found that they are consistently exposed to environmental lead hazards, and that children from birth to age 6 are three times as likely as children elsewhere in the state to have elevated levels of lead in their blood.
The report found that a Treece resident’s median blood-lead level is 4 milligrams per deciliter of blood, while the statewide norm is 2.5 milligrams per deciliter.
Gayla Woodcock, a Treece resident who has been a longtime advocate for a buyout, said she has confidence that a buyout is coming.
“It is a lot more hopeful than what we’ve seen before,” Woodcock said by phone. She said Treece residents are thankful to state Rep. Doug Gatewood, D-Columbus, for bringing Treece to the attention of people in Washington.
“We’re excited,” Woodcock said. “That’s very good news.”
Gatewood, speaking by cell phone, said he is encouraged by the Senate’s passage of the measure. He said a buyout is the best thing that could happen for Treece.
“It’s not going to happen tomorrow,” Gatewood said. “It’s still going to take a while. It’s still going to be a long process.”
The current estimate for a Treece buyout is $3 million.
The EPA also is in the midst of a 10-year cleanup in Treece and Baxter Springs, with a price tag of $66 million.
Jackson said in her statement that an August visit to Treece by some top EPA officials was instrumental in convincing the agency of the wisdom of a Treece buyout.
“After sending a team to meet with residents and local officials, EPA determined that the people of Treece, Kan., faced a unique and urgent threat from a legacy of pollution in their community,” she said.
Jackson said the EPA wants to be responsive to Treece residents and provide them with solutions to their challenging circumstances.
“It is our hope that this will give them the opportunity to raise their children, run their businesses and get on with their lives free of the burdens of pollution and environmental degradation,” she said.
Theater money
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., noted in his news release about Senate passage of the 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Conference Report that it also includes $500,000 for restoring the Colonial Fox Theatre in Pittsburg.
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Authority for Treece buyout approved by U.S. Senate
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