Officials seek delay on Asarco demolition

A group of elected leaders this week will send a letter to state environmental regulators asking that they delay demolition of the Asarco smokestacks because of environmental and safety concerns.

The trustee in charge of the project said his team has already addressed most of the concerns and the rest will be addressed in advance of the planned April 13 demolition.

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, state Sen. Jose Rodriguez and state Rep. Marisa Marquez, all El Paso Democrats, on Thursday confirmed that they planned to sign the letter to be sent to Bryan W. Shaw, chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

County Judge Veronica Escobar and city Rep. Susie Byrd also said they would sign the letter, which asks whether risks associated with dropping the stacks have been adequately addressed.

"It has now come to our attention that serious, additional questions regarding the long-term environmental and health consequences of the planned demolition and burial of the stacks are being raised," a draft of the letter says.

The letter comes after a group wanting to save the 800-foot and 600-foot smokestacks for historical reasons apparently lost its battle battle in December.

The Asarco smelter shut down in 2000 after a century of operating as a smelter -- and processing quantities of dangerous toxins as lead, arsenic and cadmium. Residents fought to shut down the smelter, but preservationists want to keep the stacks, saying they're

The letter that lawmakers will send environmental officials cites health and safety concerns that add to the preservationists' arguments.

Among them, it asks what contaminants are in the stacks.

Roberto Puga, the trustee in charge of cleaning up the Asarco site, on Thursday said his team is undertaking additional tests to analyze them.

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Officials seek delay on Asarco demolition