The American Smelting and Refining Company, also known as Asarco traces its origins to 1887 in the city of El Paso when Robert Safford Towne arrived in the city. In 1887 Towne originally bought 1,156 acres along the Rio Grande for $3,757 and within five months the smelter was standing 100 feet tall, however, the local residents had no clue what they were going to encounter in the future. Since Asarco’s existence, they were held accountable for exceeding air safety guidelines and the emissions were harmful to people, plants, or animals in the state of Texas.
The company first focused on refining lead and zinc, but primarily refined copper. Refining metals came with many problems such as lead poisoning invading local families and the environment. …show more content…
Asarco was accused of violating the 1967 Air Safety Code. Lead poisoning had been discovered in a Chicano community close to the Asarco plant. The court proceedings began 2 years after the discovery of lead poisoning. During that time public health and housing officials resolved the health problem by relocating the local residents. The El Paso City-County Health Department determined that between 1969 and 1971 Asarco had emitted 1.12 metric tons of lead, 508 metric tons of zinc, and 11 metric tons of arsenic. The public health director estimated that 2,700 people between the ages one through 19 had blood lead levels at or above 40 micrograms per 100 milliliters and that the residents within the four-mile radius were affected by the metals (Romero). The only economically feasible solution was to relocate the nearby residents and use the leftover land for other purposes. The next step was to pursue long-term effects of low lead exposure in children. The children were used as pawns, while each interest group conducted their studies. Dr. Bertram Carnow, one of the nation 's leading environmental scientists, told 41st District Court that Texas Air Control Board regulations governs emission of sulfur dioxide “are too high to effectively protect the health of the population” …show more content…
In the 21st century Asarco was closed temporarily several times because of many more violations of the El Paso. The majority of El Pasoans were against the reopening of Asarco. The community continued to urge the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to deny that copper smelter permission to request to renew its air-quality permit. On August 9, 2005, Asarco filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Later on August 1, 2006, the United States filed a bankruptcy proof of claim on behalf of EPA with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. On June 5, 2009, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division approved five settlement agreements which provided recovery on environmental claims at numerous Superfund sites throughout the country. In 2009, Asarco set a new record of the largest environmental bankruptcy in the United States. The EPA along with other federal and state agencies pursued and received $1.79 billion to fund environmental cleanup of all the buried byproducts from the metals. EPA, along with the departments of Justice, Interior, Agriculture announced the settlement on December 10, 2009 following the bankruptcy and district courts approval of Asarco
The company first focused on refining lead and zinc, but primarily refined copper. Refining metals came with many problems such as lead poisoning invading local families and the environment. …show more content…
Asarco was accused of violating the 1967 Air Safety Code. Lead poisoning had been discovered in a Chicano community close to the Asarco plant. The court proceedings began 2 years after the discovery of lead poisoning. During that time public health and housing officials resolved the health problem by relocating the local residents. The El Paso City-County Health Department determined that between 1969 and 1971 Asarco had emitted 1.12 metric tons of lead, 508 metric tons of zinc, and 11 metric tons of arsenic. The public health director estimated that 2,700 people between the ages one through 19 had blood lead levels at or above 40 micrograms per 100 milliliters and that the residents within the four-mile radius were affected by the metals (Romero). The only economically feasible solution was to relocate the nearby residents and use the leftover land for other purposes. The next step was to pursue long-term effects of low lead exposure in children. The children were used as pawns, while each interest group conducted their studies. Dr. Bertram Carnow, one of the nation 's leading environmental scientists, told 41st District Court that Texas Air Control Board regulations governs emission of sulfur dioxide “are too high to effectively protect the health of the population” …show more content…
In the 21st century Asarco was closed temporarily several times because of many more violations of the El Paso. The majority of El Pasoans were against the reopening of Asarco. The community continued to urge the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to deny that copper smelter permission to request to renew its air-quality permit. On August 9, 2005, Asarco filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Later on August 1, 2006, the United States filed a bankruptcy proof of claim on behalf of EPA with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. On June 5, 2009, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division approved five settlement agreements which provided recovery on environmental claims at numerous Superfund sites throughout the country. In 2009, Asarco set a new record of the largest environmental bankruptcy in the United States. The EPA along with other federal and state agencies pursued and received $1.79 billion to fund environmental cleanup of all the buried byproducts from the metals. EPA, along with the departments of Justice, Interior, Agriculture announced the settlement on December 10, 2009 following the bankruptcy and district courts approval of Asarco