diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/build_environment.py b/lib/spack/spack/build_environment.py
index ce0b91b71832079ffa734abb49c5c3d90b666e30..fe5186a7d7f1a81e72622145df6dd9f584bdad9f 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/build_environment.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/build_environment.py
@@ -277,6 +277,15 @@ def set_build_environment_variables(pkg, env, dirty=False):
         env.unset('LD_RUN_PATH')
         env.unset('DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH')
 
+        # Remove any macports installs from the PATH.  The macports ld can
+        # cause conflicts with the built-in linker on el capitan.  Solves
+        # assembler issues, e.g.:
+        #    suffix or operands invalid for `movq'"
+        path = get_path('PATH')
+        for p in path:
+            if '/macports/' in p:
+                env.remove_path('PATH', p)
+
     # Add bin directories from dependencies to the PATH for the build.
     bin_dirs = reversed(
         filter(os.path.isdir, ['%s/bin' % prefix for prefix in dep_prefixes]))
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/openssl/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/openssl/package.py
index a0747f229d42d1cb429827b22279844f04de23db..e7c105d5f5b031b2e3beb86206105edd24a02806 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/openssl/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/openssl/package.py
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ def url_for_version(self, version):
                 # case return a fake url and exit
                 openssl_url = '@system (reserved version for system openssl)'
                 if not warnings_given_to_user.get(version, False):
-                    tty.msg('Using openssl@system : the version @system is reserved for system openssl')  # NOQA: ignore=E501
+                    tty.msg('Using openssl@system: '
+                            'the version @system is reserved for system openssl')
                     warnings_given_to_user[version] = True
             else:
                 openssl_url = self.check_for_outdated_release(
@@ -87,37 +88,46 @@ def check_for_outdated_release(self, version, warnings_given_to_user):
             openssl_url = latest.format(version=version)
             urllib.urlopen(openssl_url)
         except IOError:
-            openssl_url = older.format(version_number=version_number, version_full=version)  # NOQA:ignore=E501
+            openssl_url = older.format(
+                version_number=version_number, version_full=version)
             # Checks if we already warned the user for this particular
             # version of OpenSSL. If not we display a warning message
             # and mark this version
             if not warnings_given_to_user.get(version, False):
-                tty.warn('This installation depends on an old version of OpenSSL, which may have known security issues. ')    # NOQA: ignore=E501
-                tty.warn('Consider updating to the latest version of this package.')  # NOQA: ignore=E501
-                tty.warn('More details at {homepage}'.format(homepage=Openssl.homepage))   # NOQA: ignore=E501
+                tty.warn(
+                    'This installation depends on an old version of OpenSSL, '
+                    'which may have known security issues. ')
+                tty.warn(
+                    'Consider updating to the latest version of this package.')
+                tty.warn('More details at {homepage}'.format(
+                    homepage=Openssl.homepage))
                 warnings_given_to_user[version] = True
 
         return openssl_url
 
+
     def install(self, spec, prefix):
         # OpenSSL uses a variable APPS in its Makefile. If it happens to be set
         # in the environment, then this will override what is set in the
         # Makefile, leading to build errors.
         env.pop('APPS', None)
-        if spec.satisfies("target=x86_64") or spec.satisfies("target=ppc64"):
+
+        if spec.satisfies('target=x86_64') or spec.satisfies('target=ppc64'):
             # This needs to be done for all 64-bit architectures (except Linux,
             # where it happens automatically?)
             env['KERNEL_BITS'] = '64'
-        config = Executable("./config")
-        config("--prefix=%s" % prefix,
-               "--openssldir=%s" % join_path(prefix, 'etc', 'openssl'),
-               "zlib",
-               "no-krb5",
-               "shared")
+
+        options = ['zlib', 'no-krb5', 'shared']
+
+        config = Executable('./config')
+        config('--prefix=%s' % prefix,
+               '--openssldir=%s' % join_path(prefix, 'etc', 'openssl'),
+               *options)
+
         # Remove non-standard compiler options if present. These options are
         # present e.g. on Darwin. They are non-standard, i.e. most compilers
         # (e.g. gcc) will not accept them.
         filter_file(r'-arch x86_64', '', 'Makefile')
 
         make()
-        make("install")
+        make('install')