'P.O.V.' film explores mining's toll on town
by Mike Hughes
August 28, 2007
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See: "P.O.V.: Libby, Montana," 9:30 p.m., PBS.
Tucked into the northwest corner of the state, Libby, Mont., has immense beauty. People climb the Rocky Mountains and fish the clear Kootenai River. It also has volcanic deposits that provided 80 percent of the world's vermiculite. That was transformed into a multi-use material called Zonolite. Strip-mining it produced clouds of dust; workers began to die. Prosecutors now charge that the W.R. Grace Co. knew of the dangers for 30 years, without telling workers. This film is a jolting story of a conservative town that once distrusted big government and now needs it.