ANACONDA — The company that ran a former slag plant in Anaconda has pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act.
The Department of Justice reports U.S. Minerals pleaded guilty to misdemeanor negligent endangerment for exposing workers at the Anaconda plant to high levels of airborne arsenic.
The Anaconda plant opened in 2013 and used the slag to produce Black Diamond abrasive products for roofing material. The company closed the Anaconda plant on June 30.
The Illinois-based company released a statement to MTN News that said the company has cooperated with this investigation, adding:
"As part of the agreement, the company will develop and implement a medical monitoring program and promises to continue its good-faith efforts to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act."
The company was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay a nearly $400,000 fine.
