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MAGNA - Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. pledged Thursday to have independent experts double-check the safety of its old mine-waste impoundment, a 1.8-billion-ton pile that for years was judged to be vulnerable if a big earthquake hit. Company President Andrew Harding announced the third-party review to kick off a meeting in the Magna Senior Center, where more than 100 area residents grilled Harding and Kennecott engineers about the tailings and other environmental concerns. Harding also said he could understand why some residents distrust the copper giant in light of revelations this week that former executives hid for two decades that the tailings impoundment might breach in a large temblor and bury their homes in mud. "You should be angry about it," said Harding, who took over the company four months ago. Addressing that distrust is exactly why a separate review is needed, he said. Kennecott insists the impoundment is safe now. Mine waste now goes into a new, modern impoundment that cost about $536 million and took more than a decade to build. The old impoundment is inactive and being drained, although it may take 10 years longer before it meets the state's minimum-safety standards, because the pile at its center remains too saturated.
Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8725598
