Reply #39: The mess in Libby and the danger of the vermiculite mined there covered [View All]

[havocmom]

up in the 80s by the Grace Commission.

Here is a little something which seems to have slipped into the media memory hole: A close pal of Reagan was appointed to head the commission looking into the problems in Libby back in the 80s. You'll love the part where you find out who that was! Since the efforts to toss this all under the rug in the 80s, there have been a lot of folks who got sick and too many who have died.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/uncivilaction/lib181.shtml

<snip> Don Judge, the head of Montana's AFL-CIO, suggested that if the inspectors really wanted to find out why EPA's asbestos efforts were thwarted in the '80s, they might be in the wrong place.

<snip> "When you're back in Washington, check out what impact the Grace Commission had on all the agencies' effort to regulate asbestos," Judge said. "The 28,000-page Grace Report on getting government off industry's back was taken to heart by the Reagan White House. And Reagan's EPA administrators were way too cozy with industry. Check it out. You may find your answers."

<snip> The Grace Commission was headed by the late J. Peter Grace, former head of W.R. Grace & Co. and a close friend of President Reagan.*

* boldface mine to get your attention on this little detail which is too often missed

And let's think back to the Reagan Administration... Wasn't there a guy named Cheney involved with it? Didn't he go on to work for Halliburton in some small, unimportant capacity? Wasn't he involved in that corporations acquisition of the Grace operation in Libby? Put it on your list of things that make ya go 'Hmmmmm'.

Been trying to find an old photo of Libby kids playing in piles of the vermiculite from that mine. The company had piles of the stuff around and the kids were in it like it was snow. Cannot find the photo online now. Anybody know the one and have a link? It needs to get lots of attention.