| Gabriela Minjares The opposition that exists for the reapertura of the fundidora Asarco on the part of several sectors of the border Juárez-El Paso-Sunland Park lacks scientific arguments and solid bases to demonstrate that an environmental damage in the region has been caused.[this is not correct - see the link in the beginning of this blog to the EPA SECRET DOCUMENT TO THE DEPT.OF.JUSTICE about the illegal and secret burning of toxic waste by Asarco in El Paso]
The producing copper plant, located in the Surponiente of the Passage from 1887, closed its operations in 1999 before the fall of the international prices of this metal. When in 2002 the company tried to reinitiate its workings and managed the renovation of its permissions of emissions (that had won), was with this ample competing front that has prevented the reapertura to consider that the plant will contaminate the medioambiente of this border region.[Asarco's new ConTop furnaces did reduce sulfur dioxides in the air - but, Asarco did not tell the community that the ConTop was designed to burn Toxic Waste AND the El Paso plant was not ever given a permit to officially/legally burn toxic waste].[WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
Nevertheless, in agreement with an ample investigation made by the Newspaper, many of the arguments of the groups that are against the reapertura of the fundidora are based on presumptions and disinformation, investigated situations that to the being left in the open I interest other people's to the environmental cause. [Who supplied the data for this story?][WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
None of the environmental studies - independent officials and made by several agencies, Mexican and American dependencies and organizations have determined that Asarco is the main source of contamination in this border[both Weston Solutions and the Sierra Club in separate studies showed the link between Asarco and the lead contamination]
That conclusion one reaches after making a revision to the diverse studies that the competing groups have used like foundation to sustain their opposition to that the permission of reapertura to Asarco is granted, of all which the Newspaper has copy in their power.[WE NEED TO TEST FOR, MEASURE AND TALK ABOUT THE ILLEGAL TOXIC WASTES BURNED BY ASARCO]
Although some of those studies conclude that when the fundidora used lead in its process he was partially responsible for the contamination of the border ground, the data used in those reports correspond to information of three decades ago, every time the company let use the lead in 1980. In addition, it eliminated the fundidora of lead in 1985.
In addition, most of these reports they do not take into account the technological changes made by Asarco in the decade to the 90,[umm are we talking about ConTop here? ] as well as they do not establish either that now the plant is prepared to fuse copper, that completely eliminated the lead use and that the company not even is the same one[Asarco's own 4151 Ore handling permit and emissions state that the ores will contain and that it will emit lead (Pb)]
The American Smelting and Refining Company (Asarco) was a North American company until in 1999 it sold in his totality the Mexico Group, Mexican mining company that from 1965 had the 49 percent of the actions.[Asarco is now owned by Grupo Mexico, who owns over 50% of the Freight Railroad right-of-way in Mexico; and whose investors include the CARLYLE GROUP]
The commercial relation of the Group Mexico and Asarco goes back at the beginning of 1900, when they established mining operations in Mexico and they developed to the mine Santa Eulalia and the smelting of Chihuahua, through a denominated subsidiary Mining Company Asarco.
In 1965, as a result of a change in the Mexican legislation that imposed restrictions to the foreign participation in the share capital of Mexican mining societies, the company was reorganized and several Mexican investors acquired most of the share capital of the society.
With the passage of time, the Mexico Group grouped several companies until becoming at world-wide level the second bigger company of copper reserves, the third copper producer and the fourth producer of silver. [THEN THEY CAN AFFORD TO CLEAN UP THEIR TOXIC WASTES LEFT IN THE PASO DEL NORTE REGION?!] To the group Germa'n Larrea presides over at the present time Speck Velasco, one of the richer Mexican industralists of the world, that simultaneously is advisor of Banamex and the Television Group.
Between its directors they appear Valentin Diaz Morodo, ex- vice-president of the Group Modelo; Claudius X. González, president of Kimberly Clark of Mexico and director of General Electric [note: Carbon Dioxide, SO2, NO2 and other emissions-amounts are TRADEABLE ON THE OPEN COMMODITIES MARKETS], Kellogs, Home Depot, Carso Group and Television Group; Striking Juan Thurlow, member of the Sugar Group Mexico; and Juan Rebolledo Gout, who was private secretary of Carlos of Gortari and Saline undersecretary of Outer Relations in the administration of Ernesto Zedillo.
The studies made by the Agency of Environmental Protection - dependency of the Government of the United States who is in charge to direct the environmental policies; EPA, by its abbreviations in English -, they reflect that Asarco is not the main source of contamination of the air in the Step. [but no one has tested for the Toxic Waste --- so, WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTE?]
The emissions to the air that Asarco registered in 1999, their last year of operations, were not greater to the emissions than they had other nine companies in 2000, which they are at the moment in operation in the Step, nor exceed the limits established by the State of Texas, indicate the reports of the EPA.
The Study of the Released Toxic Inventory (TRI, in English) emitted by the EPA in 2002 informs that companies established in the Step, such as the manufacturer of floors of loseta Dal Tile Corporation, the refineries Western and Chevron, Fort Bliss and four companies more, emitted more polluting particles than the registered ones by Asarco in 1999, three years before. [wiw, how about that. WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTE?]
The companies mentioned in this report declined to comment out on the matter and, as the EPA has not returned to evaluate the emissions in the community, the present levels are not known [TRUE THE LEVELS OF TOXIC WASTE CHEMICALS ARE UNKNOWN].
"the opening of Asarco is not a threat to the medio.ambiente. From the implementation of ConTop, the things have changed ",[YES, CONTOP ALLOWS THE BURNING OF TOXIC SLUDGES AND OTHER WASTES] assures Lairy Johnson, manager of medio.ambiente of the fundidora in the Step.
The ConTop technology (Continuous Top-Feed Oxigen Process), is a system that allows to fuse copper to one more a higher temperature, reason why the process is faster and the emissions are reduced in a 90 percent to the atmosphere. [WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?] Nevertheless, the technological advances implemented by the company are not considered by the ample front of opposition that has been integrated against the reapertura of the plant.
Integrated by several officials government, like the mayors of City Juárez, Héctor Murguía; of the Step, John Cook; and of Sunland Park, Safe Rubén; as well as environmental and civil legislators and associations of both sides of the border, the opposition front affirms that Asarco represents a great danger for the region.
One of the main opponents to the reapertura of the plant is the government of the Step, reason why it has launched a campaign in which it has invested almost million dollars (around 11 million weights, according to the type of present change) of the contributors in legal expenses and advertising announcements to act and to pronounce themselves against the fundidora.
"We do not love an industry that sends 80 thousand tons of polluting agents every year. We do not think that he is right for the medio.ambiente since is a threat for the health of people and the economic development ", says John Cook, mayor of the Step.
Cook affirms that their arguments are based on the request of permission that put under Asarco before the Commission for the Quality of the Medio.ambiente of Texas (TCEQ by its abbreviations in English) to obtain from new account the authorization and to reinitiate operations, but the document that the mayor paseño mentions does not contain the data that refer, since the same be in possession of the Newspaper.
However, Cook mayor has not only continued with his campaign but that in addition for sale offered lands of Asarco to developer of diverse branches without the fundidora acceded to carry out these negotiations.[WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
"They - the Town hall of the Step wants the land more than another thing. We have been blocked by the government, does not fit doubt; a great campaign against Asarco exists ", affirms the manager of the fundidora.[WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
Johnson is not mistaken when she indicates that a "great campaign" against the company exists, since from the beginning of the proceeding of reapertura in 2002 a binational network formed to fight against the same one.[WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
Headed by the international organization environmentalist Mountain range Club and with the endorsement of American senator Eliot Shapleigh, the front has extended to Mexico and has had greater resonance in Juárez through civil organizations who have summoned the same neighbors of the plant, that to legislators and authorities of the three levels of government.
"We are an international organization that we have contact with countries as Mexico and our interest to maintain closed Asarco is by social and taken care of justice to the medio.ambiente", asserts Mariana Chew, leader of Mountain range Club in the Step.
Nevertheless, the speech of opposition of this front is based on studies with untimely data, that do not consider the technological changes made by the plant [CONTOP][WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?] and reject the conclusions of governmental agencies like the TCEQ, that determined that Asarco is within the normal standards of emissions and can to authorize the operation leave. [THE SMOKING GUN MEMO LETS US KNOW THAT THE TCEQ IS HIDING THE TOXIC WASTE]
A new turn far from the ecological question
The battle joined by Asarco and the diverse blocks of opposition by the reapertura of the fundidora plant have acquired a new moved away turn of the ecological question. The land in which is the company has taken a great importance in the litigation.[THE EMISSIONS ARE WORTH MONEY INTERNATIONALLY]
The lot property of Mexico Group is located in the 2301 the West of the street Of the same country in the Step and have an extension of more than 161 hectares of which 50 correspond the structure of the fundidora of copper.
According to paseño Alexandro exposes the regidor Lozano, the land property of Asarco has enviable characteristics due to its logistic location and.
It indicates that the land in which account with wagon infrastructure is located the fundidora plant and geographic position that allows connections with other towns and, mainly, with Juárez City, reason why are an ideal place for the development of very diverse projects.[WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
Official documents indicate that the government of the Step met with eight developers in order to analyze the possibilities of creating new projects in the land in which is the fundidora of Asarco copper.
"a conflict of interests on the part of the City Exists. They want the land ", assures the manager the plant.[WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES? DOES THE CITY AND DO THE TAXPAYERS REALLY WANT TO TAKE ON THE UNCLEANED UP, UNMEASURED, UNDECLARED CONTAMINATION/POISON?]
In order to prove this suspicion, the Asarco asked for by means of the Law of Access to the Information of the United States (FOIA, by its abbreviations in English) the documents that they establish that the government of the Step met with eight developers of several branches.
In these documents, of which the Newspaper has in its power a copy, one settles down that Chuck Hendrix and Rick Goff, of the park of diversions Six Flags; Jason Leinehan, of The Place; Mac McClure, of the Main group Investment; Brad Snow and Katy Kier, of Reliable multicast Transport; Travis Gilbert, of Koontz-Mc Comb; the Cabelás company and personnel of the Foundation Brownfield Stewardship, met with civil employees of the Municipality in answer to the call of the City.
Only which they visited the plant was the representatives of Six Flags, route who did at the beginning of this year by means of a request made by the government of the Passage through the lawyer who takes the case of bankruptcy of the company, indicates the director of Asarco, Lairy Johnson.
The civil employee of the fundidora explains that they agreed in which the representatives of Six Flags visited the plant [WOW DID THEY WEAR HAZMAT SUITS ... WHY DID THE EPA WEAR HAZMAT SUITS TO TAKE SOIL SAMPLES IN THIS REGION?] [WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]like part of the obligations that establishes the bankruptcy procedure, to maintain a policy of open doors and to offer visits guided the people interested in the operations of the company.
"the request made by the city of the Step made us ask for the public opening of documents in last March. The documents that we received do not detach all the content or the intentions of the city to put themselves in contact with developer and to look for valuations of our land ", add.
On the matter, Cook mayor explains that the city of the Step only offered alternatives to Asarco to do something with its property in case that the permission of emissions did not renew to them.
"When Asarco signed the bankruptcy process, we wanted to know the terms in which are the lands and how much it would cost to again clean them in order to be developed", it adds.
The regidor Lozano says that the position of the City is a weapon of double edge since, to occur the reapertura, Asarco it could demand them.
It refers as antecedent the closing of the nocturnal center Foxy's in the Step, that it demanded to the City by a million dollars after which outside the local government the one who requested his closing.
"In exchange for not paying that number, one remembered that we (the municipal government) would not have authority on them. The same it could happen with Asarco, but this time we would be speaking of one (demand by one) much greater number ".
Lairy Johnson mentions that Asarco takes a file with the documents that guarantee the actions of the government of the Step and which they try to give his version of the facts whenever it occurs to know information erroneous. [WHAT ABOUT THE TOXIC WASTES?]
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