Freeport-McMoRan Sierrita will pay the state $105,000 under a consent judgment for dust violations that affected many Green Valley residents in 2006, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality reported.
The Sierrita Mine had excessive dust emissions on five occasions in August and September 2006. The settlement also covers two dust violations at the open pit copper mine in August and October 2008, ADEQ said in a release.
Freeport McMoRan told ADEQ the company spent $170,000 to clean and reimburse homeowners for cleaning more than 600 homes in the Green Valley area.
The $105,000 settlement includes a $45,000 penalty for violating the air quality permit and $60,000 toward buying a diesel-electric hybrid school bus for the Sahuarita Unified School District.