[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Proposes Air Quality Permit Revision for Safford Mine in Graham County

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Proposes Air Quality Permit Revision for Safford Mine in Graham
County

PHOENIX (Aug. 29, 2008) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ is proposing a revision
to the air quality permit for the Freeport-McMoRan mine near Safford in
Graham County. 

"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.  

The proposed permit revision allows the company to build and run a new
facility to produce sulfuric acid, which is used in the process that
extracts copper from soil.  The permit requires the company to install
air pollution control equipment which will limit, to safe levels,
emissions of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter,
volatile organic compounds, 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.


A public hearing on the permit will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.
23 at the City Hall Annex, 808 S. 8th Ave., in Safford. Persons wishing
to submit written comments can do so at the hearing. Mailed comments
must be received by Sept. 23. Comments should be sent to: Director, Air
Quality Division, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, 1110 W.
Washington Street, 3415A-1, Phoenix, Az. 85007-2935.

-30-

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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