WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Residents of the southeast Kansas town of Treece face "a unique and urgent threat from the legacy of pollution" and should be relocated, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.
EPA officials made their determination public shortly after Congress approved legislation giving the agency authority to buy out the town.
An amendment to that effect was included in the fiscal 2010 Interior Appropriations Conference Report that was approved by both chambers Thursday. The amendment was introduced by Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback of Kansas and James Inhofe of Oklahoma.
President Barack Obama is expected to sign the legislation by Saturday.
"EPA has determined that relocation is the primary option to address the concerns of Treece residents -- just as it was in neighboring Picher, Okla.," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a written statement.
About 70 families live in Treece, where zinc and lead were mined for decades. Many residents are hoping for a government buyout, saying remnants of the old mining operations make it impossible to sell their homes.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
