The end of ASARCO
by Regional Identity Staff
February 4, 2009
The infamous ASARCO smelting plant in El Paso, TX has announced that it will not reopen due to weak current economic conditions.
State and local officials have already begun discussing what will become of the 100-acre land currently occupied by the plant.
Texas Senator Eliot Shapleigh has stated, “Now, we can move to a new era of better jobs, clean skies and healthier neighborhoods. Winning this battle with ASARCO is as important to our future as creating the medical school. Since the 1880’s, ASARCO has defined our past—now our talent and aspirations will define our future.”
Collaborating with the office of Senator Shapleigh, the UTEP Regional Economic Development Association (and the Regional Identity) and the UTEP student organization Students for Reform will be hosting an open event at UTEP featuring various student presentations and Senator Shapleigh regarding the future of the ASARCO site. More information about this event is posted at “Adios ASARCO, Hello Future”.
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Topper February 4, 2009, 9:37 pm
DOWN WITH POLLUTION!
Heather February 15, 2009, 12:23 pm
The EPA said in its 1998 confidential-for-settlement-purposes-only (never meant to be public) document for the Federal Dept. of Justice that ASARCO El Paso had secretly burned toxic waste for profit for nearly a decade.
The EPA won’t tell us what waste remains here in our environment from those years of massive waste incineration by ASARCO (using the world’s largest contop furnaces – two of them).
We don’t know the dioxin levels. We don’t know the polonium levels. We don’t know the PCB levels. We don’t know the mercury levels.
We should start asking.
teresa February 20, 2009, 9:10 pm
The demise of Asarco is news, but what is possibly more interesting is to know who Asarco’s neighbors are. This may be a small lesson in geopolitics not available to most large cities in this country. Because El Paso has no other model to go by, it appears that this opportunity continues to be missed decade upon decade.
Just nearby Asarco is a point where three states meet and two nations also meet. Asarco just happens to be a lot of land near by it but also shares a boundary near this focal point.
What happens there may have to do more with what happens to Asarco’s land and impact greater on El Paso than any other event. Possibly! It is one option.
Current political and economic waves such as listed:
Democratic President in power.
Economic stimulus plan.
Asarco, loss of a 100 year old plant.
National Security.
Infrastructure Investment.
Tourism.
Border fence.
Economic Development.
Mexican President fighting drug cartels.
May make it the only time possible, El Paso will ever be able to take advantage of this window in time where all these elements above can forge into a new paradigm not already contemplated.
But first we start with a question: What is the option to not building the exiting fence? Or is there another option?
bordercommerce.com would answer to this question with the following.
The option to building a border fence is to build an economic platform which both creates economic and national security in urban cities. When the levee is not proving flood protection, then it should also be used in an economic fashion. As part of the re-construction of the levee, which would mean a small height increase and creating a usable deck upon which it will become the foundation for economic development between El Paso and Cd. Juarez for all the approximately 20 miles of border they share.
Investment in this new levee with a deck, connections to this deck, development and / or re-development along these connections, personal ports of entry using this new deck are parts of what will become the new paradigm of securing our border urban cities and creating economic activity to sustain this security.
This is how we answer the question above.
What about Asarco?
Well it is near this three state, two nation focal point where this new vision of the border can begin. Asarco, its land near the river and across the freeway towards Executive drive and bounded by UTEP as well, just happens to be between that area.
Richard Sapien February 20, 2009, 9:44 pm
Great writeup Teresa. I’ve heard dozens of ideas pitched, but no one has really mentioned the geographical significance that the ASARCO land has. It will be interesting to see how its significance plays out in what is eventually developed there.