The EPA and ASARCO LLC have reached an agreement to resolve its environmental compliance issues. The Hayden facility is one of three copper smelters in the United States.
The ASARCO smelter provides more than $50 million in salaries, wages and benefits to local workers.
Because of the agreement, the EPA will clear the way for ASARCO to move forward with its planned modifications to the smelter, including its planned Converter Retrofit Project. The company says the project will improve sulfur capture and control efficiency, resulting in the smelter being among the cleanest in the world.
The agreement also specifies several other actions by ASARCO: installing new equipment and pollution control technology to reduce toxic emissions; funding local projects such as road paving and dust reduction; replacing a diesel locomotive with a cleaner model; and paying a $4.5 million civil penalty for violating the Clean Air Act.