A Monday evening town hall meeting in Libby drew residents who wanted to find out more about how public health emergency money will be allocated for healthcare and cleanup projects around the area.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that they will invest $125 million over the next five years to clean-up Libby and dozens of Libby residents showed up at the meeting to find out how the public health emergency declaration will affect them and the cleanup process.

The EPA has been cleaning the Libby asbestos superfund site for nearly a decade and hundreds of people have either died or become sickened because of exposure to asbestos. Now a $6 million grant over two years from U.S. Health and Human services will provide screening and treatment.

Some people at the meeting expressed concern about treatment for people who no longer live in Libby, but health officials said they would get help too.

Other people say the public health emergency is good for healthcare, but asked what it would do for cleanup efforts. EPA officials say the move gives them more authority.

EPA engineers were on hand to provide construction updates and residential cleanup, the golf course and the two rivers all made the 2009 list. Since cleanup began over 1,100 properties have been worked on in Libby and Troy.