Vermont Asbestos Mine Cleanup Cost Could Top $200 Million

State and federal officials say it could cost more than $200 million to clean up hazardous waste from an abandoned asbestos mine in northern Vermont.

The state is hoping to recover the costs of the clean up from two owners of the closed mine.

One of those companies is in bankruptcy and an attorney for the other says the company has minimal assets.

Assistant Attorney General John Beling says preliminary estimates say the cleanup could cost between $210 million and $250 million.

The asbestos mine in Lowell and Eden operated for almost a century. All that’s left now are piles of waste rock, some of which contain asbestos, which, the federal government says, can cause cancer.

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Information from: WVPS-FM, http://www.vpr.net