ASARCO Bankruptcy Case Summary: Miscellaneous Federal and State Environmental Sites Settlement Information Sheet
The Miscellaneous Federal and State Environmental Sites Settlement Agreement resolves claims pertaining to past and future cleanup costs associated with 26 American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO)-owned federal and state sites.
The settlement agreement provides funding in the amount of $104,814,679 to clean up the sites and to fund the administrative expenses associated with the trust. The payments are to be made as follows:
- $65,191,056 to EPA,
- $7,906,132 to the Forest Service (FS),
- $22,356,980 to the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC), and
- $15,832,268 to five states:
- $1,035,481 to Arizona for one site,
- $571,867 to Colorado for two sites,
- $1,176,683 to New Jersey for one site,
- $2,222,754 to Oklahoma for two sites, and
- $10,825,483 to Washington for four sites
The Department of Justice and ASARCO filed the settlement agreement with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas Corpus Christi Division on March 13, 2009. The Court approved the settlement agreement on June 5, 2009.
Parties to the Settlement
The United States (EPA, the Forest Service, and the U.S. International Boundary Water Commission), five states (Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Washington), and ASARCO, LLC are parties to the settlement agreement.
Site Information
| Site | Location | Lead Agency/ State | Funding Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma Federal Site | Tacoma, WA | EPA | $27,000,000 ($31,770,446 with interest) |
| Circle Smelting Corporation/Beckemeyer | Clinton County, IL | EPA | $6,052,390 ($7,121,745 with interest) |
| Terrible Mine/Isle | Westcliffe, CO | EPA | $1,400,000 ($1,647,356 with interest) |
| Vasquez Boulevard/I-70 | Denver, CO | EPA | $1,500,000 ($1,766,118 with interest) |
| Stephenson-Bennett | Dona Ana County, NM | EPA | $550,000 ($647,175 with interest) |
| Richardson Flat | Summit County, UT | EPA | $7,400,000 ($8,712,850 with interest) |
| Jack Waite Mine | Coeur d'Alene National Forest, ID | EPA | $11,300,000 ($13,304,758 with interest) |
| Coy Mine | Jefferson County, TN | EPA | $200,000 if fail to perform Supplemental Environmental Project ($235,336 with interest) |
| Black Pine Mine | Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, MT | FS | $190,000 ($223,569 with interest) |
| Combination Mine | Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, MT | FS | $542,000 ($637,762 with interest) |
| Flux Mine | Coronado National Forest, AZ | FS | $487,000 ($573,044 with interest) |
| Monte Cristo Mining District | Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, WA | FS/ WA |
$5,500,000/ $5,500,000 ($6,471,757 with interest) |
| American Dam and Canal portion of the Rio Grande Canalization Project and the American Dam Field Office | El Paso, TX | IBWC | $19 million ($22,356,980 with interest) |
| Helvetia | Pima County, AZ | AZ | $880,000 ($1,035,481 with interest) |
| Bonanza Mining District | Saguache County, CO | CO | $400,000 ($470,673 with interest) |
| Summitville Mine | Rio Grande County, CO | CO | $86,000 ($101,194 with interest) |
| South Plainfield | South Plainfield, NJ | NJ | $1,000,000 ($1,176,683 with interest) |
| U.S. Zinc, Henryetta Plant | Henryetta, OK | OK | $109,000 ($128,258 with interest) |
| U.S. Zinc, Kusa Plant | Kusa, OK | OK | $1,780,000 ($2,094,496 with interest) |
| Chollet Mine | Near Coleville, WA | WA | $300,000 ($353,004 with interest) |
| Golden King | Chelan County, WA | WA | $400,000 ($470,673 with interest) |
| Van Stone | Stevens County, WA | WA | $3,000,000 ($3,530,049 with interest) |
The settlement agreement provides $2,800 for permits and fees to Colorado.
More information on the EPA sites is available from the EPA Funded Sites and Communities web page.