Montana's top Democrat is demanding that federal environmental protection officials push for budgets big enough to thoroughly clean deadly asbestos from the town of Libby.

As already reported on this blog, earlier this month, damage at the community's Asa Wood Elementary School resulted in asbestos-laced vermiculite insulation spilling onto the ground. Children discovered the pile during recess, and reported it to teachers.

Senator Max Baucus said that the accident was an outrage, and "there was a pile of vermiculite sitting outside the place we send our kids to learn. Our government has failed us in Libby."

Because of the old W R Grace & Co mine, Libby is a declared Superfund site, but the Senator feels that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken the Superfund in the wrong direction and feels that the budget requested for the clean up operation in 2009 "would only continue to shortchange the people of Libby and other communities across the country dealing with Superfund sites." In fact, he says, the funds requested represent a $5 million shortfall on last year's budget.

Baucus feels that more funds would become available if the town declared a public health emergency.

Read more at the Missoulian site