Pueblo hopes budget threat will hasten old smelter cleanup

(AP) — Pueblo residents hope President Donald Trump's plans to slash the Environmental Protection Agency's budget will push the EPA to hasten the Superfund cleanup of a neighborhood around an old smelter.

The EPA has told residents it has an interim plan to start the cleanup next year, even though it hasn't tested most of the homes in the study area, The Pueblo Chieftain reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/2w0WG0e).

"There's so much uncertainty back in Washington right now that I think the agency's approach is to get funding locked in before anything changes," said Terry Hart, chairman of the Pueblo County commissioners.

What we're hearing is the Trump administration is taking a hard look at clean air and water regulations first, not Superfund sites.