Following a plan designed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today issued an order relinquishing its control over Milltown Dam, P-2543.

The order dismisses the pending license application and gives notice that FERC intends to accept project surrender. FERC also ordered actions in accordance with EPA's plan to remove Milltown Dam, such as permanent reservoir drawdown, and clarified that EPA is now in charge of regulating and ultimately removing the dam.

On December 20, 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency released its final plan to remove Milltown Dam, a FERC project and also a Superfund site.

The details of the plan and a site map are available on EPA's Milltown Superfund website. Coalition member Clark Fork Coalition was instrumental in building enormous public support for dam removal, visible on bumpers across Montana.

On April 15th, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Montana jointly issued a proposed Superfund cleanup plan that calls for the removal of FERC project Milltown Dam. The action follows a local groundswell that ultimately turned the president and governor from opponents of dam removal into supporters.

Intense mining upstream has allowed heavy metals to tumble into the Milltown Reservoir, over time rendering the waters toxic. The Environmental Protection Agency considers the dam' s impoundment a Superfund site and has spent years evaluating clean up options. Area citizens have been clamoring to remove the old, failing dam before toxics leach into the groundwater system or worse, the dam breaks. Unfortunately, EPA already is responsible for delivering clean water to many nearby households whose water supply has been poisoned by arsenic. Removal of the dam will eventually provide badly needed fish passage for a variety of trout species including the endangered bull trout.

At her State of the State speech on January 21st, Montana Governor Judy Martz announced her support for and approval of the removal of Milltown Dam located on the Clark Fork River in Montana. The next day, the Environmental Protection Agency released a proposed clean-up plan that endorsed the removal of both toxic sediment and the dam.

“ [T]onight, I am announcing that I am placing the full support of my office behind removal of the Milltown Dam,” Martz told a surprised audience and a thrilled citizenry.

The Milltown hydroelcetric dam in Montana that trapped toxic wastes, mainly arsenic, from mining operations was breached on Friday, March 28.