Judge recommends approval of Mosaic’s Ona Mine

Tallahassee, Fla.-A Florida Division of Administrative Hearings judge recommended the state Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) approve the Mosaic Co.’s request for a permit for its 10,000-plus acre Ona Mine. Despite objections filed by environmentalists and two counties, Lee and Sarasota, Judge Donald Alexander ruled the company’s mining plan would not significantly affect waters flowing into the Peace River, a major source of drinking water for Southwest Florida. He decided 641 acres of wetlands and 11 streams met FDEP’s restoration requirements. Earlier, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the project would be a violation of the federal Clean Waters Act. The Army Corps of Engineers must still rule on the permit request before mining can begin.