ASARCO
A United States copper mining, smelting, and refining company owned by Grupo México.
Last updated October 21, 2026
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Overview
ASARCO, originally the American Smelting and Refining Company, is a United States metals company focused primarily on copper mining, smelting, refining, solvent extraction, and electrowinning. Its corporate history began in the late nineteenth century, when the company was established by a group of financiers and mining-industry figures including Henry H. Rogers, William Rockefeller, Adolph Lewisohn, Robert S. Towne, Anton Eilers, and Leonard Lewisohn. The business initially developed as a major American smelting enterprise and later expanded across mining, processing, and refining. The Guggenheim family gained control in 1901, after which ASARCO became a significant force in the American nonferrous-metals industry. Its historical activities included lead, silver, zinc, and copper operations. The company acquired the Tacoma smelter from Bunker Hill Mining Company in 1905 and at one stage was associated with a dominant share of United States lead smelting. ASARCO was included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average from 1901 through 1959, reflecting its former importance to American heavy industry. Over time, copper became the central focus of the business. ASARCO developed an integrated operating model that linked open-pit mines with concentrators, smelting facilities, and refineries. Its principal modern mines are the Mission, Silver Bell, and Ray open-pit mines in Arizona. Copper-bearing material from these operations is processed through concentration and, at selected sites, solvent extraction and electrowinning. ASARCO also operates the Hayden smelter in Arizona and a copper refinery in Amarillo, Texas. The company formerly operated a large copper smelter in El Paso, Texas; that facility was suspended in 1999 and later demolished. ASARCO's operations have historically produced copper concentrate, copper anodes, refined copper cathodes, sulfuric acid, and associated metals. The company's downstream refining network has included the production of high-purity copper cathode, while its smelter operations have converted concentrates and other copper-bearing feedstocks into intermediate materials suitable for electrolytic refining. A commercial relationship with Chemetco supplied semi-refined copper anodes to ASARCO's Amarillo refinery before Chemetco closed in 2001, reducing available feedstock for the refinery. The company has also had a highly consequential environmental and legal history. Federal and state authorities have associated ASARCO facilities and former operations with contamination involving lead, arsenic, copper, zinc, and other pollutants. Sites linked to the company have included locations in Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Alabama. Several became part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program. Pollution-related litigation, cleanup obligations, and financial liabilities contributed to ASARCO's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2005. ASARCO emerged from bankruptcy in 2008 under Grupo México ownership and entered major settlements with the United States concerning environmental liabilities. A settlement announced in the post-bankruptcy period committed approximately $1.79 billion toward remediation at numerous sites, including the Bunker Hill complex and the former El Paso smelter. The company continues to operate as a privately held United States copper producer, with its principal active assets concentrated in Arizona and its refining presence in Amarillo, Texas. Its hourly workforce has primarily been represented by the United Steelworkers.
History
ASARCO was created in 1888 as the American Smelting and Refining Company during the consolidation of the United States mining and smelting industries. Its founders included Henry H. Rogers, William Rockefeller, Adolph Lewisohn, Robert S. Towne, Anton Eilers, and Leonard Lewisohn. The company established itself as a large-scale processor of nonferrous ores, building or acquiring facilities that handled lead, copper, silver, and related metals. Control passed to the Guggenheim family in April 1901. Under Guggenheim influence, ASARCO expanded its industrial footprint and strengthened its role in American smelting. In 1905 it acquired the Tacoma smelter from Bunker Hill Mining Company. During the first half of the twentieth century, the company became closely associated with the development of the American lead and copper industries. Its historical position was sufficiently important that it formed part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average from 1901 until 1959. The business later shifted toward a more integrated mining and processing model. ASARCO developed and operated mines, concentrators, smelters, and refineries, with copper eventually becoming its principal product. Its Arizona portfolio came to include the Mission, Silver Bell, and Ray open-pit mines. These assets supplied copper-bearing material for processing through concentration, smelting, and refining. The company also developed solvent-extraction and electrowinning capabilities at Ray and Silver Bell and maintained a major copper refinery in Amarillo, Texas. ASARCO's industrial history also included facilities that were later closed. Its El Paso smelter was suspended in 1999 and ultimately dismantled in 2013. The company had previously operated or been associated with facilities in a number of states, including lead and zinc operations, copper smelters, and metal-processing plants. Some of these properties became the focus of environmental investigations and remediation programs. Environmental liabilities became a defining part of ASARCO's later history. Contamination associated with former plants and mining operations included lead, arsenic, copper, and other hazardous substances in soil, air, waterways, and residential areas. Among the better-known sites were the Globe and Argo smelter areas in Colorado, the Bunker Hill complex in Idaho, the Omaha plant in Nebraska, the Tar Creek area in Oklahoma, the Commencement Bay area in Washington, and the former El Paso and Hayden facilities in Texas and Arizona. The company faced litigation under federal environmental law and claims for natural-resource damages and cleanup costs. In 1983, Colorado authorities sued ASARCO over natural-resource damage connected with the Globe Plant, which subsequently entered the federal Superfund system. At the Omaha facility, regulators had identified lead releases affecting surrounding areas. ASARCO closed the plant in 1997 after submitting plans for demolition and cleanup and after receiving a substantial pollution-related fine. The remediated property was later reused as public parkland, while a much larger area of East Omaha remained subject to Superfund remediation. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe sued ASARCO, Hecla Mining, and other parties in 1991 under CERCLA over contamination downstream from the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex. The United States later joined that litigation. ASARCO agreed to a substantial settlement after emerging from bankruptcy. The company had filed for Chapter 11 in August 2005 under president Daniel Tellechea. Its bankruptcy was shaped by the cost and scope of environmental claims as well as operating and financial difficulties. ASARCO emerged from bankruptcy in 2008 under Grupo México ownership. A subsequent settlement with the United States committed approximately $1.79 billion to environmental cleanup at a broad group of sites, with the Environmental Protection Agency administering much of the remediation. The settlement covered liabilities connected with numerous former operations, including the El Paso smelter. ASARCO has remained an operating copper company, with its active production base centered on Arizona mining and smelting and its refining operations centered on Amarillo, Texas.
- 2013
El Paso plant demolished
[1]The former El Paso smelting plant was demolished.
- 2008
ASARCO emerges from bankruptcy
[1]The company completed bankruptcy proceedings and agreed to major environmental settlements.
- 2005
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
[1]ASARCO filed for Chapter 11 protection in Corpus Christi, Texas, amid extensive environmental claims and litigation.
- 1999
Grupo México acquires ASARCO
[1]Grupo México acquired ASARCO, bringing the historic United States metals company under Mexican corporate ownership.
- 1999
El Paso smelter operations suspended
[1]Operations at the El Paso copper smelter were suspended after decades of industrial activity.
- 1997
Omaha plant closes
[1]ASARCO closed its Omaha plant after years of pollution concerns and proceeded with demolition and site remediation.
- 1991
Coeur d'Alene Tribe brings CERCLA action
[1]The Coeur d'Alene Tribe sued ASARCO and other parties over contamination connected with the Bunker Hill complex and downstream waterways.
- 1983
Colorado natural-resource lawsuit filed
[1]Colorado environmental authorities sued over damage associated with the Globe Plant, contributing to the site's later Superfund status.
- 1975
Corporate name changed to ASARCO Incorporated
[1]The company formally adopted the ASARCO Incorporated name.
- 1959
Dow Jones Industrial Average membership ends
[1]ASARCO's long inclusion in the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended after a period spanning much of the first half of the twentieth century.
Products and positioning
An integrated United States copper producer combining open-pit mining, concentration, smelting, and electrolytic refining.
Mining output
Copper concentrate
Copper concentrate is produced by processing ore from ASARCO's open-pit Arizona mines. It is an intermediate material containing concentrated copper minerals and is sent for further treatment in smelting operations. The Mission, Silver Bell, and Ray mines form the core of ASARCO's modern mining portfolio.
Smelting product
Copper anodes
Copper anodes are an intermediate smelting product made by converting copper-bearing feedstock into cast anodes. They are suitable for subsequent electrolytic refining, where impurities are removed and high-purity copper cathode is produced. ASARCO historically made anodes at its smelter network, including the former El Paso facility.
Refined metal
Copper cathodes
Refined copper cathode is ASARCO's principal downstream product. Electrolytic refining produces high-purity copper suitable for industrial customers and manufacturers. The Amarillo refinery in Texas is a key part of the company's refining system, while solvent extraction and electrowinning are used at selected Arizona mining operations.
Smelter by-product
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is associated with the treatment of sulfur-bearing gases generated during copper smelting. It is a commercially useful by-product of integrated smelting operations and may be supplied to industrial and mining customers.
Controversies
2020
EPA fines Asarco over dust controls
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Asarco paid $33,000 in penalties after the company failed to comply with a plan to control windblown dust containing lead and other pollutants at its Hayden smelter. The penalty relates to the dust-control plan at the facility, according to the EPA announcement.
2009
Large-scale environmental settlement
After the bankruptcy process, ASARCO reached a settlement reported at approximately $1.79 billion to address contamination and cleanup obligations across numerous sites.
2007
Hayden smelter pollution findings
EPA testing near the Hayden smelter found unusually high concentrations of arsenic, lead, and copper. Federal authorities considered adding the area to the Superfund list.
1996
Omaha pollution fine
ASARCO was fined for discharging lead and other pollutants into the Missouri River. The Omaha plant closed the following year.
1991
Bunker Hill and Coeur d'Alene contamination litigation
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe sued ASARCO and other defendants under CERCLA over contamination affecting the Coeur d'Alene watershed and related lands.
1983
Globe Plant natural-resource litigation
Colorado authorities brought an action concerning environmental damage associated with the Globe Plant. The site was later placed on the federal Superfund list.
1972
Lead contamination associated with Omaha plant
The Omaha facility was identified as releasing substantial lead into surrounding air and soil, contributing to later closure, cleanup, and Superfund activity in East Omaha.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Tar Creek documentary
United States
The documentary film Tar Creek examined the Tar Creek Superfund area in Oklahoma, a region associated with historic lead and zinc mining and smelting activity linked in part to ASARCO.
Outcome. The film brought additional public attention to one of the United States' most heavily criticized mining-related environmental sites.
Brand decisions
2008
Commit to post-bankruptcy environmental remediationStrategyBackground
Federal and tribal litigation had established significant cleanup and natural-resource claims associated with former ASARCO properties.
Action taken
ASARCO agreed to settlements directing substantial funds toward remediation at numerous United States sites.
Aftermath
The EPA received funds for cleanup at a broad portfolio of contaminated locations, including Bunker Hill and the former El Paso smelter.
Environmental settlement commitment. $1.79 billion (2008-2009)
2005
File for Chapter 11 bankruptcyOtherBackground
ASARCO faced extensive environmental claims, litigation, and associated financial obligations.
Action taken
The company filed for Chapter 11 protection in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Aftermath
ASARCO emerged in 2008 under Grupo México ownership and proceeded with major environmental settlements.
1999
Suspend El Paso smelting operationsStrategyBackground
The El Paso facility had operated as a major copper smelter but faced operational and environmental pressures.
Action taken
ASARCO suspended operations at the El Paso smelter.
Aftermath
The plant was later dismantled and demolished in 2013, with environmental liabilities addressed through later cleanup settlements.
Recent events
- 2013
El Paso smelter demolished[1]
Other
The former ASARCO copper smelting plant in El Paso, Texas, was demolished after operations had been suspended since 1999.
- 2005
ASARCO files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection[1]
Bankruptcy
ASARCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Corpus Christi, Texas, amid substantial environmental liabilities, litigation, and financial pressure.
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