Utah part of $1.79 billion environmental settlement

In what is being touted as the nation's largest environmental settlement — both in dollars and in scope — a mining company has paid $1.79 billion for cleanup and restoration of contaminated sites in 19 states, including Utah.

The American Smelting and Refining Co. operated the large lead smelter — the Murray smokestacks — from 1902 to 1949 and also operated a large copper smelter in Box Elder County's community of Garfield.

"The real winner is the environment," said Mathy V. Stanislaus, an assistant administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The announcement was made Thursday via teleconference featuring representatives from the EPA, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior and U.S. Forest Service.

Once dominated by the twin smoke stacks that towered over Murray, ASARCO's lead smelting and arsenic refining operations left contaminants in the soil, groundwater and surface water at the 42-acre site and surrounding area.

The stacks have since come down in a complex remediation effort that led to capping contaminated soils and full reclamation of the area, which now sports the Intermountain Medical Center, a Costco, mini-mall and a TRAX stop with enough parking space for 300 cars.

Just last week EPA officials joined with Murray representatives and state environmental regulators in a tour of the area, showcasing it as an example of how Superfund sites can be transformed.

ASARCO is a leading producer of copper and one of the largest nonferrous metal producers in the United States. It is based in Arizona and is responsible for sites around the country that are contaminated with hazardous waste.

The money from environmental settlements in the bankruptcy will be used to pay for past and future costs incurred by federal and state agencies at more than 80 sites contaminated by mining operations in 19 states. Those states are Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington.

"Today's landmark enforcement settlement will provide almost $1 billion to clean up polluted Superfund sites," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "This will mean cleaner land, water and air for communities across the country."