A fire destroyed several WWII-era buildings in Arkansas this past January, and recently, the Federal Emergency Management Association has declined to grant the area 'disaster status.'  As a result, the Chafee Crossing residents have been denied federal funds to clean up the debris.  The cleanup, including asbestos abatement, is estimated to cost upwards of $4.6 million.  If the town government is forced to absorb the costs, the local economy is predicted to be handcuffed for several years. 

The Environmental Protection Agency denied the town funds because asbestos tests did not show a significant level of pollution.  However, tests performed by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality found asbestos contamination in some areas to be much higher than EPA estimates, qualifying the area for federal subsidization.  Because of the buildings' age, it is estimated that every structure contained at least some asbestos.

The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Commission has indicated that the EPA plans to return in 30 days for further testing, though experts say an appeal of the ruling is unlikely because of the complicated terms for qualifying for the federal funds. At the moment however, the asbestos remains highly concentrated in some areas and cleanup efforts are not being addressed because of a tangled web of bureaucratic mandates.