“It should be an EPA priority," he added. "The state has made it very clear where we stand and we will be working with the EPA to get them to commit more resources to Montana.”

Both of Montana’s senators, Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines responded via email to the report.

“The federal government must do better at cleaning up Superfund sites. It is common sense to develop priorities and distribute resources around your priorities. For years the EPA has failed to identify and dedicate resources strategically putting Montanans’ health at risk. We need to prioritize and distribute manpower accordingly,” Daines said.

Tester said the fact that Butte is still waiting for cleanup after three decades is “totally unacceptable.”

“Butte must get cleaned up, and that means having appropriate workers and resources to get the job done. I will be working with folks on the ground to hold the EPA accountable and ensure they are putting their staff where they are most needed, like the Butte community,” Tester said.

Citizens Technical Environmental Committee President Dave Williams called the issue a symptom of a wider problem.

“There’s not enough people in government to do, in theory, what government’s supposed to do. They don’t change the laws then they expect you can do more with less,” Williams said. “You reach a point where you can’t do more with less. You can only do more with less for a certain period of time and then can’t get anything done.”

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