Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

The Belvidere Mountain Asbestos Mine has been dormant since 1993 but the issue of what to do with the toxic site is very much a current issue in the Vermont town of Belvidere.  A debate is raging on whether or not the site should be designated as a Superfund site, and thus become eligible for federal money if and when any clean-up is to take place.  Residents of two neighboring towns will shortly be voting on the future of the mine and the rest of the state will be watching.

Superfund sites are specific locations overwhelmed with uncontrolled hazardous waste, in this case asbestos – a known carcinogen.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated hundreds of such sites around the country and oversees clean-up operations and can assist in appropriating funding to protect residents of the surrounding towns. 

It is well known now that exposure to asbestos leads to fatal diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos cancer.   Therefore any sites that have significant amounts of asbestos are deemed as a potential risk to human and environmental health. 

The government plans, if the Superfund site vote goes there way, to clean up the Belvidere mine and install a biomass electric generation plant onsite.  Proponents of this plan cite the fact that the plant will not only generate revenue but create local jobs and boost the local economy. 

However, not everybody is onboard. 

Residents of Eden and Lowell, two small, picturesque towns sit at the foot of Belvidere Mountain into which the mine descends,  must approve the government’s plan on a March 6^th vote.  Those opposed to the plan say that there is no guarantee that this new biomass plant would create jobs (or if those positions would be lasting or just temporary.)  In addition, some folks are worried that by designating the mine as a Superfund site, the town would be shooting its tourist industry in the foot. 

Others think that having the ability to call on resources from the EPA and other government agencies to clean up the mine would be a huge benefit.  David Halquist, for one, thinks that getting rid of the potential health threat and eyesore that is the Belvidere Mine would dramatically increase real estate values in the surrounding towns. 

Leslie White has been examining the issue for years and thinks that voting to designate the mine as a Superfund site is a bad idea.  “I just want people to know if they say yes to Superfund,” Leslie said.  “That [the clean up is] a very long process.”  She goes on to say that there will be no immediate change in the affected towns and “the promise of jobs from a biomass plant are unrealistic.”

No matter which side of the debate residents are on, the sad fact is that cleaning up the site is far beyond the monetary means of any of the surrounding towns.  Estimates put the total cost at well over $200 million. 

Spurring residents to make a decision is the looming health threat of the abandoned property.  A report on the risk the mine poses, commissioned by the Vermont Department of Health in 2008, concluded that leaving the mine as-is is not a solution.  It continues to pose a significant health threat to Belvidere, Eden, and Lowell and will continue to do so until a permanent solution is found.  There have been at least five confirmed deaths linked to asbestos from the Belvidere mine since 1996.