Kirkpatrick presses on EPA for efficiency on ASARCO Smelter improvements
US Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick has requested that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) achieve a coordinated and complete settlement as quickly as possible regarding the ASARCO Hayden Smelter retrofits. This settlement will allow ASARCO to have adequate time to complete the retrofits at the Hayden smelter by 2018 or it may put the smelter operations at risk. Currently the retrofits submitted by ASARCO have not been approved by the EPA despite the approval of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
In her letter to the EPA Kirkpatrick explained that she is confident that ASARCO and the EPA can find a balance between protecting the environment and sustaining the jobs in the region. The Hayden smelter is one of the three working smelters in the United States; she has two of the working smelters in her district. The third is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and is owned by Kennecott Copper.
