The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a new soil lead cleanup threshold of 456 parts per million for Butte’s long-running Superfund remediation — a figure that has drawn sharp criticism from residents and local officials who had argued for a far stricter standard of 175 parts per million.
A Lower Bar, But Not Low Enough
The new threshold does represent a significant improvement over the previous cleanup standard of 1,200 parts per million, which had been in place since toxic lead remediation began in Butte yards in 2006. But for many in the community, the EPA’s 456 ppm figure falls well short of what they believe is necessary to protect public health.
Residents and Butte-Silver Bow officials had pressed for the 175 ppm standard, a figure the federal government itself proposed in 2024 alongside a 25- to 40-year cleanup timeline. Instead, the EPA finalized a 15-year timeline and the higher threshold, drawing frustration at a recent public meeting.
“It’s insulting to us,” said Moose Petriz, a Butte resident. “It doesn’t seem like our comments are taken in and are respected. We wanted the 175. We’re not getting that.”
EPA Defends the New Standard
Cyrus Western, speaking on behalf of the agency’s position, pushed back on that characterization. He said the 456 ppm figure balances health protection with the practical goal of making measurable, timely progress on a cleanup that has stretched across two decades.
“We have arrived at a new number that is genuinely protective of human health, but that also allows us to make progress and to make progress quickly,” Western said. His daughter, at 16 months old, represents exactly the kind of young child health advocates say is most vulnerable to lead exposure.
Atlantic Richfield, the corporation responsible for the cleanup under the Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit designation, will be required to work under the new standard. The EPA has also expanded its cleanup map to encompass an additional 7,100 properties — a move that broadens the scope of remediation even as it applies the contested threshold.
Decades of Cleanup, Persistent Concerns
The remediation effort in Butte is one of the longest-running Superfund cleanup projects in Montana. Toxic lead contamination, a legacy of the area’s copper mining history, has required yard-by-yard soil replacement across large portions of the city. Work began in 2006 and has continued since, though residents say the pace and standards have never fully matched the community’s expectations.
Lorisa Podgorski noted that her childhood home’s yard was cleaned roughly 20 years ago — yet the broader neighborhood and surrounding properties remain ongoing concerns. That generational dimension has fueled frustration among longtime Butte families who feel the cleanup process has dragged without adequate accountability.
Evan Barrett, a long-time community activist affiliated with the Butte Watchdogs for Social and Environmental Justice, has been among those monitoring the process closely and pressing for more protective standards. Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive JP Gallagher also addressed the new standard at the public meeting, reflecting the concern that extends from grassroots activists to local government leadership.
What Comes Next
The public comment period on the EPA’s new cleanup standard remains open through June 30, 2026. Community members who want their input formally considered have until that deadline to submit written comments.
The gap between the community-requested 175 ppm standard and the EPA’s 456 ppm decision is likely to remain a flashpoint in Butte’s political and civic life as the remediation effort moves into its new 15-year phase. Local officials and activists have signaled they intend to continue pressing their case.
Butte’s Superfund cleanup is one of several environmental and resource challenges facing Montana communities this year. The state is also grappling with severe drought conditions affecting roughly 85 percent of Montana, adding pressure to already stressed landscapes and ecosystems across the region.
