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Washington. A bankrupt Arizona copper mining company has paid $1.79 billion for environmental cleanup and restoration in the largest such payout in US history, US federal agencies said.

The funds, obtained through the American Smelting and Refining Company’s (Asarco) bankruptcy reorganization, will be used to pay for past and future costs to clean up mining waste at more than 80 sites in 19 states.

Tucson-based Asarco will remain liable for environmental damage at properties it continues to own and operate, the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of justice, interior and agriculture announced.

“This will mean cleaner land, water and air for communities across the country,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant EPA chief.

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli hailed what he called an “historic day for the environment and the people affected across the country.”

The company exited this week after four years of bankruptcy reorganization — the largest environment-related bankruptcy ever in the US — after it was bought by Grupo Mexico, a Mexican mining and railroad giant.

For nearly 110 years, Asarco operated mines, smelters and refineries of copper, lead and other heavy metals. But the company buckled under the weight of heavy cleanup costs at the sites. It continues to operate mines in Arizona and a refinery in Amarillo, Texas.

The federal government received around $776 million to restore more than 35 sites, including a lead smelter in Omaha, Nebraska. Lead poisoning is considered particularly toxic for children, and has been linked to learning and behavior disorders.

Federal officials noted that without the settlement, US taxpayers would have been forced to pay for the cleanup.

The process is expected to take many years.



Agence France-Presse