Atlantic Richfield Owes Asarco $16 Million in Montana Cleanup

Atlantic Richfield Co. will pay Asarco LLC $1 million on top of a $15.3 million cleanup bill for a contaminated Montana site where it “repeatedly evaded responsibility,” a federal district court ordered.

Asarco and Atlantic Richfield’s smelting and fuming operations in East Helena, Mont., contaminated groundwater with arsenic. Atlantic Richfield will pay a quarter of the cleanup costs Asarco incurred, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana said in a Wednesday order.

The court ordered the company to pay Asarco $1 million because of its “failure to cooperate with federal, state, and local officials to prevent any harm ...