Aurora, N.C.-The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 16 voted to ask the North Carolina Congressional delegation to aid PCS Phosphates in getting a permit to expand its Aurora phosphate rock mine, according to the Washington Daily News. The resolution asks the delegation to urge three federal agencies – The Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service – not to appeal a forthcoming decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the permit. The board fears the impact of the delay. County Manager Paul Spruill was quoted as telling the commissioners that the PCS Aurora complex is “perilously close to imposing layoffs.” PCS is the largest employer in the county. “We simply would not be able to recover from the impact of a world without PCS,” said Spruill. The matter is expected to be put on the board’s agenda again in October so that a more strongly worded resolution can be considered. PCS told Green Markets that its schedule to receive the permit is by the end of the year, which is consistent with its mining plans. If that timeline is not met, PCS said it would have to look at its mining plans and make adjustments.
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