[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Issues Air Quality Permit For Acid Facility at Safford Mine in Graham County

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Issues Air Quality Permit For Acid Facility at Safford Mine in
Graham County

PHOENIX (Oct. 20, 2008) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ has issued a final
revised air quality permit for the Freeport-McMoRan mine near Safford in
Graham County to enable the company to build a facility to produce
sulfuric acid needed in the mining operations. 

"This permit revision will enable the mine to continue its operations
more effectively and provide good-paying jobs in Graham County, while
making sure that air quality and public health in the community are
protected," Owens said.  "Having this facility at the mine also will
mean that trucks hauling sulfuric acid will no longer be driving through
the community."  

Owens noted that ADEQ received no adverse comments on the draft permit
when it was proposed in August.  

The revised permit allows the company to build and run a 1,350-ton-a-day
facility to produce sulfuric acid, which is used in the process that
extracts copper from soil. The permit also allows a propane start-up
boiler, a propane pre-heater and a cooling tower. 

The permit requires the company to install air pollution control
equipment which will limit, to safe levels, emissions of sulfur dioxide,
particulate matter and sulfuric acid mist. 

To ensure that the Freeport-McMoRan mine remains within state and
federal standards, the permit requires the company to monitor emissions
on a continuous basis and regularly provide the monitoring data to ADEQ.
Construction on the facility began this week and is expected to be
completed in about one year.

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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