Phelps Dodge Guilty Of Poisoning Migratory Birds - Faces $15,000 Fine

[hatrack]

NEW YORK - "Phelps Dodge Morenci Inc., a unit of world No. 2 copper producer Phelps Dodge Corp., pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the deaths of 43 migratory birds near its mine at Morenci, Arizona, and will pay a maximum fine of $15,000, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The plea in federal district court in Phoenix came after the company was charged with violating the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the deaths of the birds, which were identified as being species protected under the act.

More than 60 birds were found dead between October 2000 and March 2001 near confined waters polluted by the mining process at the Morenci mine site, east of Tucson, and since then additional dead birds have been found nearby, according to court papers in the case that were obtained by Reuters.

A number of bodies of water near Morenci have high concentrations of sulfuric acid and copper compounds, and lab studies have demonstrated that ingesting these is lethal to migratory birds because the toxins cause severe irritation and corrosion of the gastrointestinal tract."

EDIT

Ooh, hope their finances can stand the strain!

[BJ]

1. Hey, this is the company Ann Coulter's old man helped.

Yep, he's a union-bustin' a**hole!

"...Ann's father was a union-busting lawyer for Phelps Dodge Corporation, the mining and manufacturing giant -- while negotiating with the unions, he presided over the largest union decertification ever.. One would think that his offspring couldn't sink much lower than that, but Ann is proof that one of them could.Link

What a sweet company.