Mesquite, N.M.-Helena Chemical Corp. officials want their neighbors to know that their Mesquite fertilizer plant isn’t a problem for the community, as state regulators are saying. “There has been misinformation out there that has scared some people,” said Louis Rodrigue, vice president of Helena’s southern business unit, which includes Helena’s New Mexico operations in Mesquite, Rincon, Artesia, and Albuquerque. That’s why Helena is holding an open house on Oct. 9 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., during which plant tours will be conducted, followed by a public meeting at a local church. Helena plans to present the results of independent air and water quality studies that cast the plant operations in a more favorable light than what the New Mexico Environment Dept. claims in its July compliance order charging 11 violations of the company’s air quality permit. It is only the latest in a series of environmental complaints against the company since 2004. Helena has denied all of the violations contained in the July order and has requested that all the charges, which carry a penalty of $279,000, be dropped. State Environment Secy. Ron Curry has issued “a simple no” to the request to drop the charges, but has granted Helena a public hearing at a date yet to be set. Spokeswoman Marissa Stone declared, “The department does not intend to dismiss any of the charges against Helena. The Mesquite public drinking water supply system has been satisfactory. However, Helena is still working on an abatement plan for the Ground Water Quality Bureau for the investigation and remediation of Helena’s contamination of shallow groundwater from leaks and spills.” Curry did comment that Helena’s public outreach attempts are an encouraging sign. “Meaningful communication between a company like Helena and a community can be a good way to determine changes necessary to becoming a good neighbor,” Curry said. “We hope Helena is genuinely interested in improving its relationship with Mesquite residents. However, improving that relationship also means taking serious steps to reverse cumulative impacts on the community from the company’s bad environmental record.” Rodrigue disputes claims that Helena has been a bad neighbor and environmentally insensitive, and recently conducted a tour of the Mesquite facility that showed many of the allegations levied by the state had either been corrected or didn’t exist.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain