From Deseret News archives:

Kennecott gives $250,000 to pay for pond study

Published: Wednesday, April 9, 2008 1:04 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Kennecott Utah Copper President Andrew Harding surprised the Salt Lake County Council Tuesday with a $250,000 check that will fund an independent study of Kennecott's 100-year-old south tailings impoundment in Magna.

News of the check, however, competed with a shouting match between Councilmen Joe Hatch and Michael Jensen.

Hatch was worried that Jensen, Mayor Peter Corroon and Councilman Randy Horiuchi might take "political advantage" of the situation in an election year by being involved with a committee that will pick a company to do the study.

"I take that as a direct slap," Jensen told Hatch during a council meeting. "It's about governance. It's not about politics."

Hatch said he wanted the committee expanded to include more people who don't have anything to gain politically.

Kennecott's only request for the committee's makeup is that it be mostly seated by Magna residents. In an April 8 letter to Jensen, Harding wrote that Kennecott has "no intention" of being part of the committee.

Before the jabs between Hatch and Jensen, Harding told the council that if the study costs more, he will make up the difference. If the tab is less than $250,000, Harding said the council could donate the unused funds to charities that benefit Magna residents. Past studies have cost around $150,000.

Story continues below
Harding hopes the study will assuage Magna residents who may not believe Kennecott officials' recent claims that the impoundment, mainly its southeast corner, would hold up or liquefy and only move a little in a strong earthquake. After all, 20 years ago no one except a few officials with Kennecott and the state knew about a study that said the southeast corner was seismically unsafe.

"It is in everyone's best interest to proceed with the independent assessment in a timely manner," Harding told Jensen in his letter.

Harding recently apologized in two meetings with Magna residents in as many weeks. He restated his mea culpa again this week to the council, vowing that Kennecott would be much more transparent today if a potential risk to public health and safety could be linked to the company's mining operations.

Harding, who has been company president for about four months, said Tuesday that a public engagement process around 1999 put the word out about upgrades to the southeast corner and why those improvements were needed. But only last month did residents living near the impoundment learn about the 1988 study that singled out the seismic instability.

Recent comments

The southeast impoundments could certainly rupture in an earthquake...

Anonymous | April 9, 2008 at 4:17 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Broncos make Aggies pay

These message boards are for trading insults.....so if you don't want to be...

Boys basketball rankings

Did JD Books change his name to Porkins? Easy there fella

BYU has slim shot at BCS

RE: BYU accounting grad. Most employers could give a hoot about your...

Best of luck to this young man. I do hope they get him out soon!

SUU falls to Tennessee Tech

This team plays with very little heart at times. They had better step it up...

Bill Clinton was the unknown man on the grassy knoll.

Utahn is starving herself for Kenya

Like in all honesty her starving herself is going to get govt officials in a...

Where do I need to go to sign this petition. It is long overdue.

I understand her desire to spread the word and make a difference, but I...

Preps of the week

Reading is fundamental. Selected by ESPN as top player in state and signed...

Advertisements