ASARCO — Globeville

After operating as a smelting and refining plant for 109 years, the Asarco Globe Plant north of downtown Denver was faced with conducting a multi-million dollar environmental cleanup mandated by the state of Colorado and a class-action lawsuit filed by residents of its neighborhood. The 5-to-7 year cleanup involved replacing metal-contaminated yards in 567 homes and businesses. This was compounded by an EPA investigation of environmental justice charges.

The assignment required Sigler to operate at the intersection of mining-sector accountability, environmental remediation, regulatory oversight, community trust, and sustained media scrutiny.

Asarco retained Sigler Communications to develop and implement a strategic communications plan and comprehensive public outreach program for its massive environmental cleanup program. We managed communications and public involvement for the ASARCO remediation site for six years. Strategies included launching an award-winning community information center and community hotline that served as the information hubs for residents. Program components included producing bilingual fact sheets, brochures, a quarterly newsletter, public meetings, special events and ongoing briefings for community leaders and public officials.

The company successfully completed its environmental obligations under its order with the state of Colorado. Due to our extensive outreach campaign, it also was able to mend relationships with neighbors and re-establish itself as a socially responsible corporate neighbor. Despite activist claims that prompted an EPA environmental justice investigation, the charges were dropped when the company demonstrated its comprehensive community involvement program.