BUTTE — As the story goes, perhaps apocryphally, a boy approached Evel Knievel just before the motorcycle daredevil from Butte revved up for a dangerous jump.
“Mr. Knievel, are you scared?”
“Hell no, I’m not scared. I’m Evel Knievel and I don’t get scared. But I am damn concerned.”
Former state legislator Fritz Daily of Butte shared this anecdote about Knievel when discussing news in late February that the Trump administration would cut the EPA’s budget by 65%.
Daily, a Democrat, said he is damn concerned.
And he’s not alone.
Environmental watchdogs scrutinizing the massive federal Superfund site stretching from Butte to Missoula along the Clark Fork River worry the cleanup might rival Methuselah for longevity — dragging on with insufficient oversight.
“Anyone who is not concerned at this point about Butte Superfund is definitely not paying attention,” Daily said. “My hope has always been, no matter who is in charge, that things would get better.”
That prospect seems dimmer now, he said.
“The only thing I do know is that the entire environmental, economic and social future of this great town depends on a proper Superfund cleanup, which we have not received to this date,” he said.
The federal Superfund designations came more than 40 years ago in recognition of heavy metals, arsenic and other pollution tied to the region’s legacy of copper mining and smelting. Streams and floodplains were already polluted before a catastrophic flood in 1908 washed tailings and other wastes downstream along the Clark Fork River. But the flood created a ghastly landscape.
Atlantic Richfield, now Atlantic Richfield/BP, purchased the Anaconda Co., the original polluter, in 1977, and thus inherited the liability for its environmental sins.
The Clark Fork Coalition is based in Missoula. But its staff has long been active in the upper Clark Fork River, where remediation of polluted floodplains has been moving slowly downstream from the river’s headwaters at Warm Springs and recently resumed near Racetrack Pond.
Brian Chaffin, executive director of the Clark Fork Coalition, or CFC, said the nonprofit is concerned about how drastic budgets cuts at EPA could affect the river cleanup.
“Given our mission and work at CFC to protect and restore the Clark Fork River watershed, we are particularly concerned about the impact of a large reduction in workforce at EPA on the Superfund processes currently underway across the watershed, including along the upper Clark Fork River,” Chaffin said.
“Economically, logistically and legally, EPA is in the most efficient position to coordinate and enforce an effective cleanup and to protect the public from the financial burden and the human and environmental health consequences of lingering contamination in the Clark Fork River watershed. We need a fully staffed EPA to get this done.”
Chaffin said a gutted EPA will only benefit polluters and hurt taxpayers.
“The EPA budget is a drop in the bucket compared to what they can compel polluters to pay for Superfund cleanup under the law,” he said.
Upstream, Amanda Cooley is the planning director for Powell County and has been a consistent advocate for a thorough cleanup of the Clark Fork River and Arrowstone Park, a popular riverside park built atop contaminated soils.
Cooley said reductions in budget and staff for EPA “will very likely impact local oversight of federal Superfund sites, including the Clark Fork River, an operable unit of the largest Superfund mega-site in the U.S.
“Adequate EPA staff is critical for keeping Clark Fork River remediation moving forward, and accountable to EPA standards,” she said. “Over the last couple years, we’ve re-established a good working relationship between local-state-federal partners and it is imperative that we maintain the strength of this partnership so we can ensure the best outcomes for the river and our communities.”
Cooley also cited the importance to Powell County and the city of Deer Lodge of groups like the Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee, or CFRTAC.
“Our region relies heavily on the partnerships we maintain with community-based organizations like CFRTAC,” she said. “Groups like this receive funding from EPA to support community outreach and review cleanup plans and standards. This is critical to rural communities like Deer Lodge — to ensure our communities have a voice and an understanding of how these massive cleanup projects affect quality of life and health.”
The EPA office of public affairs was asked to address specific concerns about how drastic budget cuts might affect Montana’s Superfund sites. Instead, the agency emailed a generalized response attributed to EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou.
“President Trump and EPA Administrator Zeldin are in lockstep in creating a more efficient and effective federal government,” she said. “Compared to 2024, the total amount spent year over year at EPA will deliver significant efficiencies to American taxpayers by cutting wasteful grants, reassessing the agency’s real estate footprint and delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure.”
Daily and others also expressed concerns that a resource-challenged EPA might not follow through on a key proposal announced last year to lower the lead action level in soils and household dust from 1,200 parts per million to 175 ppm and to expand the area for possible cleanup.
“There is no question that the British Petroleum Company, for whatever reason, has always driven the decisions and directions of Butte Superfund,” Daily said. “I believe with the major cuts to the EPA that are being proposed they [BP] will now have more influence on Butte Superfund decisions and that will not be good for the future of our great community.”
In recent weeks, Lee Zeldin, EPA’s new administrator, has announced canceling hundreds of grants with the assistance of the Department of Government Efficiency. In a news release, Zeldin reported that “EPA has saved more than $2 billion in taxpayer money.”
In January, EPA announced Butte-Silver Bow County would receive a $20 million grant to build a recreation and wellness center in Butte. The money came from EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program.
J.P. Gallagher, chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow County, said there’s been no news to suggest the grant is at risk.
“Nothing new and we are proceeding with the award,” Gallagher said.
On Tuesday, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation announced a grant of $15 million toward construction of the so-called Butte CommUNITY Hub.
Gallagher celebrated the foundation’s award in a news release.
“This funding represents a monumental step forward in creating a vibrant gathering space for our community,” he said.
KC Becker was the former administrator for EPA’s Region 8, based in Denver. Her term ended Jan. 20. Mark Smith is acting regional administrator.
Gallagher said last week that communication with Region 8 has been limited.
“The recent federal job cuts and budget cuts in multiple agencies of the federal government leave everyone wondering what the status of the EPA will be in the coming years,” he said. “We look forward to the announcement of the new EPA Region 8 administrator so that we can open communication with the new administration.”
Evan Barrett is a member of Butte Watchdogs for Social and Environmental Justice.
“A 65% cut in the EPA budget by Trump/Musk is designed to make life easier on polluters like British Petroleum here in Butte, with little or no concern for the people who must suffer from the effects of pollution and environmental degradation,” Barrett said. “That kind of cut likely means less oversight over BP. And we know that as a corporation, BP is more interested in profits than protecting Butte and Butte folks.”
Barrett said EPA only recently started to push Atlantic Richfield/BP harder.
“And now that’s likely to go away,” he said. “Sad day for Butte, great day for the billionaires and the corporations.”
Atlantic Richfield/BP issued a statement related to its intention to continue to meet its obligations under Superfund law.
“Atlantic Richfield remains committed to Montana and our work to implement an efficient, effective and protective cleanup for local communities,” the company said.
A statement from the Montana Environmental Information Center cited examples of pollution past and present when expressing concerns about EPA budget cuts.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the last line of defense in the management and enforcement of life-saving air and water quality standards — standards that prevent death and disease,” the nonprofit said.
“A rollback of the EPA’s budget — which is already underfunded — will literally kill people,” MEIC said. “Montanans know well what happens when industry is allowed to run rampant — Butte and Anaconda residents still battle the pollutive legacy of mining that impacts water quality, soil health, and air quality.
“Billings residents live side-by-side with arsenic-spewing refineries, and the people of Montana face a future without regulations to tamp down on the toxins that pour out of the Colstrip-coal fired power plant,” MEIC said.
In addition, the organization said, “Lake Koocanusa is filled with toxic amounts of selenium from Canadian coal mines.”
MEIC added, “Without a federal backstop with the Environmental Protection Agency, Montana is in danger of sliding fully back into the days of the Copper Kings, where industry openly makes law and destroys our air and water in the process.”
Meanwhile, Cooley said groups like CFRTAC play a key watchdog role.
“We want people to remain safe and make informed decisions about living and recreating in and around impacted places like the Clark Fork River,” she said. “Groups like CFRTAC ensure this, and it’s likely that these types of programs will likely not be funded going forward. We will need to fight for this.”