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Billings administrator: incinerator cleanup underway as city seeks DEQ ‘certificate of fitness’
Summary
City Administrator Chris said the city is negotiating a cleanup contract and working with the Department of Environmental Quality to obtain a voluntary certificate of fitness for the incinerator; a donor and several speakers also raised questions about possible FBI use of the incinerator.
Billings — The City Administrator told council staff and the public that the city is working with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on a voluntary certificate of fitness for the municipal incinerator and expects a contractor to perform cleanup work to meet DEQ standards.
“It's a voluntary program that we are working with them on, to receive that,” the city administrator said, adding that the contract was not yet signed but that a firm should be under contract to clean the incinerator room by late this week or possibly into next week. He said Northern Industrial Hygiene is working in partnership with the contractor and DEQ continues to be the expert in this space.
Why it matters: The certificate of fitness is intended to provide independent third‑party assurance that the facility is fit to operate following the incident that prompted the review. Council members asked for written timelines and scopes once contracts are finalized.
Public questions: During public comment, Gary Buchanan — who said he is an (formerly) anonymous donor to the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter — asked whether federal law enforcement (the FBI) used the incinerator to destroy about 188 pounds of material and whether the FBI paid the city or used the incinerator for free. Buchanan said the question merits investigation. The city did not confirm FBI fee arrangements during the work session; staff said they would follow up on outstanding questions.
Next steps: City staff said they will provide council with the contract, timeline and scope of work once available. The council also heard that the Department of Justice is working on an MOU related to incinerator use, which councilors said could affect future operations.
Reporting note: The statements about cleanup and the DEQ certificate were presented as staff updates; public questions about federal agency use of the incinerator were raised during public comment and were not resolved on the record.
