U.S. Minerals, Inc., Clean Air Act Violation, Montana 2024
MISSOULA – In a shocking turn of events, U.S. Minerals, Inc. has admitted to violating the Clean Air Act by exposing employees to elevated levels of arsenic at its Anaconda facility.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson, U.S. Minerals, Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of negligent endangerment, a misdemeanor, under the Clean Air Act as charged in a criminal information.
The corporation faces a maximum penalty of five years of probation and a fine as determined through statute. Under the terms of a plea agreement in the criminal case, the government and U.S. Minerals will jointly recommend to the Court that the company be placed on probation for five years and pay a $393,200 fine.
As part of the agreement, U.S. Minerals will implement a nationwide environmental health and safety plan that applies to all of U.S. Minerals' facilities throughout the United States and a medical monitoring program for current and former employees who have been exposed to elevated levels of arsenic during their work at the Anaconda plant, which has ceased operations.
U.S. Minerals also has agreed to resolve a related civil case brought by the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), alleging 19 serious health and safety violations with a total penalty of $106,800.
Under the terms of that agreement, U.S. Minerals will accept all citations as issued and pay the penalty as assessed.
Sentencing in the criminal case was set for December 10 in Butte before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.
U.S. Minerals, Inc. is a corporation accused of exposing employees to elevated levels of arsenic at its Anaconda facility.
Defendant: U.S. Minerals, Inc.
Criminal Charges: Negligent Endangerment
City and State: Missoula, Montana
Exact Date: December 10, 2024 (sentencing)
Sentence or Outcome: Five years of probation and a fine of $393,200
Dollar Amounts: $393,200 fine, $106,800 penalty
Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Category: Environmental Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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