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Setting Record Straight On Mosaic's Proposal
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Published: January 22, 2008
The "Other Views" column (Jan. 15) by Bev Griffiths, chair of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club, contained numerous errors about Mosaic's phosphate business and phosphate operations generally.
Residents of Hillsborough County could be seriously misled, so we appreciate this opportunity to set the record straight.
First and foremost, phosphate mines and phosphate fertilizer manufacturing plants are distinct, physically separate operations and should not be confused, as they were throughout Griffiths' column.
Mosaic is applying for a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) approval for extension of our Four Corners mine in South Hillsborough County. Phosphate mining is one of the most regulated and transparent industries in Florida, and this is just one of many permits and approvals required.
There are numerous opportunities during the permitting process for the public to provide input about our proposed mining before a permit is approved.
We know that our industry is complex and people have concerns about our operations. That's why, for roughly the past 25 years, we've established a track record of proactive community relations, including tours and periodic meetings with neighbors, to help the public understand who we are and what we do.
In the Four Corners/Lonesome area - adjacent to the proposed mine extension - we held a public meeting with our neighbors last June at which we openly discussed our mining plans and addressed their questions and concerns. Early this month, we offered to meet one on one with the neighbors referenced in the article.
As an ongoing practice unrelated to this specific permit request, a Mosaic Citizen's Advisory Committee, comprised of a cross-section of south Hillsborough County citizens, meets with us quarterly for updates on our activities in order to maintain open lines of communication and provide us with valuable public feedback.
In response to Griffiths' more specific assertions:
The byproducts of phosphate mining are sand and clay - neither of which is toxic or acidic. Phosphogypsum is a byproduct of fertilizer manufacturing, so it is misleading to associate it with this or any mining permit. Furthermore, there are no heavy metals in phosphogypsum. Phosphogypsum is calcium sulfate.
There is no "toxic dust" associated with phosphate mining, as Griffiths suggested. To help control the dust that can occur in an excavation-type process - particularly in dry weather - we construct a ditch and 6- to 8-foot grassy berm system around our active surface mining areas. These berms act as a wind block.
Griffiths expresses concern about cancer and respiratory illnesses. Long-standing studies by the University of North Carolina and the state-sponsored Florida Institute for Phosphate Research (FIPR) have found no evidence of heightened disease incidence among phosphate employees - people who work at phosphate mines and manufacturing facilities every day, many for their entire careers.
Griffiths writes of concerns about the noise of draglines, the surface mining equipment used to extract the phosphate. Our operations fall within normal limits of applicable noise ordinances established by the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) of Hillsborough County.
Griffiths frets about damage to private wells. Mosaic has a long-standing well-testing program. Residents who live within 1,800 feet of planned mining are contacted by Mosaic personnel to have their wells checked and tested by an independent third party before mining begins, providing a baseline for further testing until mining is completed.
After years of testing, we're not aware of any instance where water contamination has occurred in a neighbor's well.
Mosaic employees understand the importance of being good stewards of our water resources and meeting Clean Water Act requirements. We conduct water monitoring at all mining locations. Samples are collected and analyzed on a routine basis and are periodically analyzed by independent third parties. The results show the water quality to be excellent.
Over the years - like most industries - we have learned new and better ways to care for the environment as we operate. Today, we recycle over 95 percent of our water, reducing our reliance on ground and surface water withdrawals.
In reclaiming every acre of land we mine, we don't just restore its natural beauty - we also re-establish functioning wildlife habitats, wetlands, parks and uplands. And we pay special taxes that help the state of Florida buy and preserve environmentally sensitive lands.
As a Sierra Club member, Griffiths may be interested to know that the permit for the proposed Four Corners mine extension preserves more than 3,000 acres of wetlands and sensitive uplands that had been available for mining under a previous DRI.
Tribune readers may also want and deserve information and opinions from unbiased, third-party sources. So we urge you to visit the Web site for the state's research center on phosphate at www.fipr.state.fl.us.
You can also learn more about Mosaic's mining, manufacturing and environmental protection activities at www.phosphateflorida.com.
David Townsend is assistant vice president-public affairs for Mosaic.
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