Atlantic Richfield Company Settles EPA Case: $10.2 Million to Include Asbestos Remediation at Yerington, NV Mine

In April 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC) agreed to undertake asbestos remediation and environmental hazard cleanup at the the site of the former Anaconda Copper Mine in Yerington, NV. The $10.2 million settlement includes a $2.2 million payment to the EPA for response and oversight work.

The terms of the settlement require ARC to:

Cover ARC’s former evaporation ponds to prevent the accumulation of standing water and prevent the migration of hazardous dusts;

Remove radiological materials in the former process areas to EPA-approved levels for permanent workers at the site;

Abate threats from abandoned electrical systems;

Remove asbestos-contaminated transite pipe within the site; and

Continue operation and maintenance of the heap leach fluid system at the site.

To date, the EPA has invested over $10 million to investigate and address toxic wastes at the abandoned mine. In 2006, the EPA capped 100 acres of mine tailings to prevent erosion and control dust, remove transformers, and build a collection pond to improve the Arimetco heap leach fluid system. In 2007 and 2008, the EPA facilitated additional leach fluid system repairs.

Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, contact our lawyers today for a free review of your case. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.