EPA Proposes Pollution Controls at Freeport Miami Smelter and 5 Other Facilities

The US Envornmental Protection Agency is proposing pollution controls at six facilities in Arizona to improve visibility at national parks and wilderness areas.

The EPA is proposing a plan to limit emissions such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide at facilities including Freeport McMoRan’s Miami smelter and ASARCO’s Hayden smelter.

The EPA estimates this would reduce sulfur dioxide by almost 30,000 tons a year and nitrogen oxides by 3,100 tons a year.

The EPA will hold public hearings on February 25 in Phoenix and on February 26 in Tucson. The agency will accept comments for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Annual Fireworks Display July 4 at 9:PM

The annual Freeport-McMoRan fireworks display will take place tomorrow (July 4) beginning at 9:pm.

The fireworks display will be atop the historic tailings off Highway 60, across from Walmart.

Annual Fireworks Display

Freeport McMoRan announces that the annual fireworks display will take place on Thursday, July 4 at 9:pm. 

The display will be atop the historic tailings off Highway 60, across from Walmart.

Freeport Mine Shut Down in Indonesia

The Indonesia government has ordered the Freeport Grasberg mine to halt production while it investigates recent fatal accidents.

PT Freeport Indonesia’s Big Gossan underground training facility collapsed on May 14, kiling 28 workers. A truck driver at the mine died on Saturday, a day after  he was injured when liquid ore flowed into his vehicle.

The mine produces around 220,000 tons of ore a day.

Freeport Morenci Natural Resource Injury Settlement

The US District Court for Arizona has approved a $6.8 million settlement involving the State of Arizona, the US Department of the Interior and Freeport McMoRan Corporation for natural resource damages resulting from the release of hazardous substances from the Freeport Morenci mine.

The settlement money will be used for for the restoration of Arizona wildlife populations and their habitat.

July Fourth Fireworks

Once again this year Freeport McMoRan will host the Independence Day Fireworks Show at the old tailings site on Highway 60 across from Safeway and Walmart.

The fireworks begin at 9:pm.

Tune in to KIKO AM 1340 for patriotic music prior to the fireworks beginning at 7:00.

Freeport McMoRan 4Q Profits Drop

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold said today (Thursday) that its fourth-quarter profit dropped 59% as gold and copper production both declined.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the company posted a profit of $640 million, or 67 cents per share. That’s down from $1.55 billion, or $1.63 per share for the same quarter last year.

Revenue dropped 26% to $4.16 billion from $5.6 billion.

Freeport-McMoRan says the drop is mainly due to labor disruptions and the temporary suspension of operations in Indonesia because of pipeline damage.

Huge Anode Reaches Its Destination

The truck and trailer rig that was carrying a 285 ton anode used for mining arrived at its destination at the Miami Freeport McMoRan mine yesterday (Tuesday) morning.

The rig with the oversized load began its slow journey in Salt Lake City and entered Arizona on August 9.

Rig Hauling Anode Across Arizona to Miami

A Phoenix-based hauling company will be carrying a 285 ton anode across Arizona this week to the Freeport-McMoRan mine in Miami. A 225 foot specially designed truck and trailer rig from Precision Heavy Haul is expected to cross the border from Nevada into Arizona shortly after midnight tonight (Tuesday AM) It started its trip from Salt Lake City last Tuesday and will take eight more days to reach its destination.

During its trip across the state, motorists can expect delays in the vicinity of the oversized load, which takes up to two lanes and is being escorted by Department of Public Safety officers and pilot cars.

The rig’s final day of travel will be next Tuesday, August 16 when it leaves Tonto Basin at 6:am, traveling southeast on SR 188, then west on US 60 to New Street in Miami.

(Photo from ADOT)

Freeport McMoRan Morenci Agrees to Settlement

Freeport McMoRan Morenci has agreed to a $150,000 settlement for releasing sulfuric acid and heavy metals from a pipeline into Lower Chase Creek.

Freeport McMoRan will pay a $75,000 penalty and complete a supplemental environmental project valued at $75,000 as part of a consent judgment in Maricopa County Superior Couirt.

On October 30, 2008, Freeport’s Morenci facility discharged the solution directly into Lower Chase Creek from a stormwater pipe. The material traveled downstream for more than two miles, passing through areas of the creek publically accessible from both Morenci and Clifton. The discharge occurred after a contractor incorrectly connected an electrolyte solution pipeline into a pipeline dedicated to transporting stormwater through the mine.

When it became aware of the spill, Freeport McMoran acted quickly by constructing four temporary check dams, which stopped the discharge 120 feet from the confluence of the San Francisco River. They also minimized the potential impact by recovering 93,000 gallons of discharged liquids and removing 85,000 tons of contaminated sediment from the creek bed.

Freeport McMoRan has also agreed to conduct household hazardous waste collection events at dates and locations to be announced.

New Mexico Reaches $13M Settlement with Freeport-McMoRan

The State of New Mexico has reached a $13 million settlement with Freeport-McMoRan over groundwater contamination from mining in southwestern New Mexico.

KOLD reports that money from the settlement will be used for restoration projects.

New Mexico’s governor says the settlement is a model for resolving natural resource damage claims.

Freeport Invests in Gulf Oil Drilling

Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold is investing $500 million in a Louisiana company that plans to increase oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. The Tucson Sentinel reports that this will effectively fund more than half of McMoRan Exploration Company’s purchase of shallow water operations from a Houston company. The Houston company says it wants to move to safer on shore drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill.

McMoRan Exploration is a separate oil production company that shares some management with Freeport McMoRan.