How did this happen?

Since the discovery of the health crisis in Libby, Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus, has fought to help the people there get the healthcare and cleanup funding they desperately need.  Baucus has been a long time champion of getting a public health emergency declared in Libby, a status needed to allow the Federal government to step in and begin providing healthcare and cleanup services.

It has been an uphill battle. In 2008, Baucus released a report detailing a 2002 attempt by the Environmental Protection Agency to declare a Public Health Emergency that was thwarted by the Bush Administration’s Office of Management and Budget.

On June 17, 2009, the EPA declared its first ever Public Health Emergency - in Libby, Montana. The Public Health Emergency determination requires the federal government to provide screenings and healthcare for Libby residents with asbestos-related disease.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided an initial $6 million in funding to help the county build the infrastructure to provide healthcare to people exposed to asbestos in Libby.