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.

The Trust started at just over $436 million and has spent $234 million so far. The current value of the Trust is $618 million. Their gross investment continues to grow, earning sufficient money to pay for the Upper Basin Record of Decision (ROD) and fund additional Lower Basin projects as well. Their portfolio is conservative with investments into different types of securities with very slow or rare changes made.

Another focus of the Trust is local labor. Currently, 80% of the construction workforce must come from the three local Idaho counties. In 2023, 86% of construction contractors and sub-contractors working on the site were local. They estimate over the last 14 years, the economic impact has been over $200 million.

The Dirt is a series of informative articles focused on all aspects of cleanup efforts associated with the Bunker Hill Superfund Site. Our goal is to promote community awareness of contamination issues, to provide tools for protecting public health, and to keep the community informed of current and future cleanup projects. The Dirt is a group of committed and local experts from multiple agencies including the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Panhandle Health District, Shoshone County, Silver Valley Economic Development Committee, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.