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"THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING"
--Burke

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Irony of it

Now, in 2012, Sec. Salazar came to El Paso Texas to look at the El Paso Desalination plant -- without any mention that Asarco El Paso has contaminated our surface drinking water supply and all of our irrigation district waters. Will El Paso TX get any of the over 190 million dollars (below) to remediate the old American Canal and clean the Asarco-chemical-plume that reaches the Rio Grand? No. The Asarco Bankruptcy, the Department of the Interior and other Governmental Agencies have acted as if the Asarco burning of illegal secret hazardous wastes from 1991 to 1998 never happened.

"December 10, 2009

Contact:
Georgia Parham 812-334-4261 x 1-203

ASARCO Settlement Provides $194 Million for Federal, State and Tribal Wildlife and Habitat Resource Restoration
Agreement includes Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District and Tri-State Mining District in southwest Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that an environmental damage settlement with ASARCO LLC, a North American mining conglomerate, would provide about $194 million for the recovery of wildlife, habitat and other natural resources managed by Interior, state and tribal governments at more than a dozen sites.

Through this historic settlement, the American public is compensated for the damage and loss of natural resources resulting from ASARCO’s past mining, smelting and refining operations,” Secretary Salazar said. “Were it not for this agreement, these injured resources would either remain impaired for future generations or require taxpayer expenditures to achieve environmental restoration.”

“This is a milestone not only for the Federal Government but also for Interior and its Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program,” Salazar said. “It exemplifies government working effectively for the American taxpayer to recover damages from polluters and restore and protect significant national landscapes and wildlife resources that have been injured.”

Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland called the settlement the type of environmental enforcement action that ensures that those responsible for polluting the nation’s landscapes and waterways are made to pay for their actions. “I want to commend the extraordinary level and amount of federal, state and tribal cooperation and coordination that accomplished this settlement,” Strickland said.

He also thanked representatives on the case teams that developed the claims, including Interior personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, other federal agencies and state and tribal governments for their professionalism and dedication. “The settlement demonstrates the ability of Interior’s bureaus and offices to work cooperatively and productively on behalf of the public – and especially the taxpayers – to achieve major benefits for the environment.”

The Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District spans multiple counties from 40 to 90 miles south southwest of St. Louis, Missouri and is located in the Big River/Meramec River, Black River, and St Francois River watersheds. It is one of the largest lead producing regions of the world. Natural resources affected by mining-related contamination include surface water, groundwater, fish, migratory birds, endangered species of fresh-water mussels and their supporting ecosystems, including sediment and floodplain areas. Lead mining continues in the New Lead Belt, also called the Viburnum Trend, and the region continues to be the nation’s top lead producer.

Heavy-metal mine, mill, and smelter wastes from Asarco’s operations covers thousands of acres of land in St. Francois, Madison, Iron, and Reynolds counties. Two National Priority List Superfund sites and an active mining and processing district are contained within the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District affected by Asarco. Runoff from these operations has contributed to contamination of sediment in over 100 miles of streams including Flat River Creek, Big River, Adair Creek, Logan Creek, Sweetwater Creek, West Fork of the Black River, Logtown Branch, Little St. Francois River, and Big Creek. Interior and the State of Missouri jointly received $41.2 million for natural resource damages at five sites in the District. Interior received approximately $274,000 to reimburse past assessment costs.

The Tri-State Mining District spans 2,500 square miles, including parts of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri and northeast Oklahoma. The District is located in the Spring River and Neosho River watersheds, both of which flow generally south, terminating in the headwaters of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokee. Natural resources affected by mining-related contamination include surface water, fish, migratory birds, freshwater mussels and threatened and endangered species and their supporting habitat, such as sediments. Interior, the states of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and six American Indian tribes jointly received $62.4 million for natural resource damages in the District. Interior received $2.3 million to reimburse past assessment costs.

Trustees for natural resources affected by mining operations in the Tri-State Mining District include two Interior Department bureaus - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the states of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, and several tribes: Cherokee Nation; Eastern Shawnee Tribe; Ottawa Tribe; Peoria Tribe; Seneca-Cayuga Tribe; and Wyandotte Nation. The Trustees for each site have completed or are now drafting plans to restore injured natural resources.

In Missouri, ASARCO conducted operations in Jasper and Newton counties. Mining and milling operations generated about 150 million short tons of waste scattered over 7,500 acres in Jasper County, affecting waterways such as Center Creek, Turkey Creek, Short Creek and their tributaries. Similar conditions occurred in Newton County, affecting Shoal Creek and its tributaries, and Lost, Sycamore, and upper Center creeks. The Interior Department and the State of Missouri will receive $20.1 million for Jasper and Newton counties. The Trustees for these sites are developing a draft restoration plan and anticipate releasing the draft for public review and comment in spring 2010.

The Tri-State Mining area is a mix of tallgrass prairie and hardwood forests. Commercial mining began in about 1848 in Missouri and moved westward into Kansas and southward into Oklahoma. Commercial smelters occurred in all three states within Tri-State. Historically, lead was the ore of primary interest; however, the ore was rich in zinc deposits, and zinc production became increasingly important over time. The Jasper County site was designated a Superfund site in 1990; the Newton County site was added in 2003.

Funds will be deposited into Interior’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment and
Restoration Fund and will be used to restore, rehabilitate, replace, and/or acquire the
equivalent of the injured natural resources managed by Interior and jointly managed with
state and tribal agencies. The majority of this amount is a joint claim with federal, state,
and tribal co-trustees, depending on the site.

For more information on the ASARCO settlement in Missouri, visit www.fws.gov/midwest/nrda/index.html
"

Sept. 2011 El Paso Mayor border affairs refers to Punto Colonet and Ferromex Santa Teresa Port of Entry Plan

"Calderón's capital projects plan includes the proposed rail bypass that would connect rail service in Juárez from San Jeronimo-Santa Teresa to the Guadalupe-Tornillo border crossings......"Mayors John Cook and Jose Reyes Ferriz of El Paso and Juárez are unhappy with the proposal, which they believe will disrupt vehicular traffic in Juárez during several years of construction, lead to an increase flow of dangerous cargo through heavily populated neighborhoods and undercut efforts to move cross-border rail traffic to a new port of entry at Santa Teresa, New Mexico," a 2008 cable said.....Robert Andrade, Cook's border affairs aide, said Calderón wanted the Santa Teresa rail bypass and rail border crossing because it is part of a plan for a new major seaport at Punto Colonet in Baja California, a project that is still pending."

from: "WikiLeaks cable: El Paso, Juárez mayors didn't like rail project"



Foxconn expands to Brazil...proximity to airfields a factor

"Foxconn to manufacture iPads in Brazil


By Lara Holmes

The Taiwanese firm Foxconn confirmed that it will begin manufacturing iPads in Brazil in December [2011] but is still negotiating a multimillion-dollar expansion plan in the country, said senior executives of the company and Brazilian government officials on Thursday.Rousseff President first announced the intention of Foxconn to build Apple Tablet popular in Brazil for an official visit to China in April [2012] ....Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, and the Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, Aloizio Mercadante, told reporters Thursday that the company begin to assemble the iPads locally in December at its plant in Jundiai, in the state of Sao Paulo.....Logistical factors such as proximity to airports, are key issues in this decision, the minister explained."

Santa Teresa N.M. Airport near Port of Entry is adding/changing airport runway(s), and opinion is that these would be capable of accommodating cargo planes.

Ferromex

"Ferromex still has $160.8 million dollars"

Tuesday, 11 October 2011 00:00

Asarco's owner Grupo Mexico owns Ferromex (and Carlyle Group owns more than 20% of Grupo Mexico)

The Asarco El Paso Cleanup TRUST has no feduciary responsibility to remediate or report on the secret materials Asarco incinerated between 1991-1998

What do Asarco's owners Grupo Mexico (Ferromex Railroad), Punta Colonet Pacific Seaport , Santa Teresa N.M. Port of Entry and Foxcon
have in common? They all depend upon development within ten miles of Asarco's secret hazardous waste incinerator (1991-1998) --- the contamination likely stretched out 30 miles (1000 square miles); and, the secret wastes (which included radioactive materials) should have been vetted before any of this port-development, railroad development, and Asarco-site-cleanup/development occurred....

http://puntacolonetmega-port.blogspot.com

"Sunday, December 12, 2010

Punta Colonet Mega-Port to be Bid in Spring 2011, Regardless of Panama Canal Expansion, Says Mexico Secretary of Communications & Transportation; Ferromex/Union Pacific Considering Bidding on Rail Portion"

Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory

Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory

For more information about this company, who is the keystone-company at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, search this blog for "Foxcon" or google the internet for "Foxcon asarco".