Puga Addresses Packed, Passionate Breakfast Meeting

Mr. Roberto Puga

At her public breakfast this morning, Representative Ann Morgan Lilly hosted Roberto Puga, the ASARCO Site Custodial Trustee. The meeting was marked by controversy and passion on all sides and what I am about to post is only a snapshot.

I do hope that readers will comment below. I certainly would like to get the views of those who have been involved with this issue much longer than I have. I wasn't even aware that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese owns the cemetery at ASARCO. One of my big concerns (and probably the concern of only a few others) is to preserve that sacred site.

Mr. Puga was very knowledgeable and very articulate. He understands his fiduciary duty to clean up the site with the money the bankruptcy court awarded for the clean-up. (Some at the meeting implied that the City had set the clean-up cost. I understand that the City was at the table during the bankruptcy proceedings but had no input. Instead the City paid around $100,000 in legal fees to keep ASARCO from re-opening again.) He is also keenly aware of his duty to sell the site.

The differences in opinion today centered around how well the clean-up will be or can be given the funds available. The contention of many is that the site requires far more remediation than scheduled before any demolition of structures may occur. Since it is now established fact that ASARCO illegally burned demilitarized hazardous wastes mainly from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (a fact established by the work of Heather McMurray), the question arises as to how much of the residue from that waste will remain and will get into the ground water. Those, who contend that the wastes are indeed substantial and have already caused harm to humans and the environment, do not want to see the main smelter smoke stack torn down. The fear is that demolishing the chimney will further spread the toxic residues already present.

Those who want the clean-up to begin as soon as possible want to tear the smoke stack down as soon as possible and get on with the process of remedy so that the land can be utilized for other purposes. The area can be occupied by commercial interests but not by residences, schools, hospitals or daycare centers. The $52million dollars that Mr. Puga has to work with can only contain the damage - it can never fully clean-up the site of all of the hazardous wastes.

I have often heard the contention that the smoke stack should be torn down so that it can never be employed again for any industrial purpose. However, in answering a question about this concern, Mr. Puga said that it could never be used again and, in fact, would have to be torn down in order for any industry to take advantage of the site.

Those who want to move the process along more quickly were encouraged by one attendee to write the EPA and the TCEQ. A sign-up sheet was passed around by someone wanting the process to move faster.

However fast it moves, Mr. Puga says that the time line is around 5 years.

There were those who accused Puga of not remediating enough and those who said that he was not moving quickly enough. The bottom line is that he says he has made no decision on the chimney yet. Throughout the process he answered questions calmly, amiably and without ever becoming flustered or rude. He kept his calm. I for one am glad that he is being deliberate.

I also don't understand why the stack can't be tested unless, as some contend, it must not be and it must be torn down quickly to hide any evidence of more insidious contamination that might keep commercial interests from going ahead faster. (I am always leery when I see developers and reps from Mr. Jobe's office present at these things.)

I'm also very concerned that toxic run-off can't be contained and that contamination of ground and river water is inevitable and indeed has already gone on for a long time. Has anyone tested the cotton and pecans in the lower valley for some nasty, toxic compounds? How's the honey bees make from those cotton flowers?

$52million dollars can only buy so much. The clean-up leaves much to be desired for sure. But can anything more be done?

To make an understatement, having ASARCO in El Paso was unsustainable from the get-go. Once poisons from the military were burned there, El Pasoans then and for a long time to come will be in harms way. There was one man present who said that he is in pain all of the time from having worked at ASARCO. Did the bankruptcy court address the medical debts he and others have most certainly incurred?

After the meeting, three of us began to explore the arroyo on the other side of I-10 from the ASARCO plant - but land owned by ASARCO nevertheless. A number of El Paso storm water culverts flow into this arroyo and there is running water or stagnant water in several places. If indeed pollution from the smoke stacks settled in this area, then the chemicals in that pollution has already run down the Rio Grande.

For more information, visit Recasting the Smelter and the epgtlo blog.