The Dirt: Understanding the Coeur d'Alene Work Trust

The cleanup work being done in the “Basin” of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site is funded in a unique and sustainable way. When a potential responsible party is identified at a Superfund Site, the EPA works to pursue all sources of funds to ensure the responsible party pays for cleanup and not taxpayers. In 2009, ASARCO applied for bankruptcy allowing the EPA to pursue environmental claims resulting in a settlement that must go toward environmental cleanup and restoration at the Bunker Hill Superfund Site. The settlement from the Asarco bankruptcy was placed with the Coeur d’Alene Work Trust (Trust) to support cleanup work for this area.

The Trust is a product of that ASARCO settlement and is an environmental remediation trust which allows management of settlement funds while also paying for environmental remediation. Its beneficiary is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with assets mainly consisting of money and properties. This collaborative effort is highly effective as both parties work together to complete the cleanup work. Their procurement process uses the marketplace to achieve the best value possible. EPA decides what environmental actions the Trust undertakes and approves their annual budget which currently stands at $30 million a year. The Trust and EPA have settled on a 10-year prioritization and planning tool, meeting several times a year to talk about future challenges and how best to proceed.

The Trust is very well defined on costs and cleanup, as these funds must be used in the Upper and Lower Basin, not in the original 21-square mile “Box” where other settlement agreements are set aside for those costs. Upper Basin remedial actions include work such as repository management, stream and riparian stabilization, and source control at mine and mill sites. Work in the Lower Basin includes recreational areas, wetlands, and work in the river, which will eventually start with pilot projects in the Dudley and Cataldo Reaches.