A tanker truck carrying ammonium nitrate exploded in southern Arkansas on the morning of March 27, killing the driver and injuring three firefighters, according to local media reports. The explosion occurred at 7:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 287 west of Camden, according to KATV News. A statement from the Arkansas State Police confirmed the victim as Randall McDougal, 63, of El Dorado, who was employed by Blann Trucking Company of Hampton. Police said the truck was carrying ammonium nitrate from El Dorado to Texarkana.

The police statement said area fire department personnel were notified at about 6:40 a.m. that the truck’s brakes were on fire and the driver was attempting to extinguish the blaze. The first fire department personnel on the scene had begun to evacuate residents who live in the area and reportedly witnessed McDougal return to the truck when it exploded. The blast produced a large mushroom cloud and left a crater that spans the width of the highway, which remains closed until further notice. Nearby Highway 57 and Highway 24 were also closed, but Highway 24 has since been re-opened.

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) announced on Feb. 4 that they have formed an alliance with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enhance workplace and community safety. The associations said the alliance will build upon the stewardship efforts of ResponsibleAg, a voluntary program created in 2014 by TFI and ARA to improve safety and security at agricultural retail facilities.

“Safety is a key priority for the fertilizer industry,” said TFI President and CEO Chris Jahn. “Through this alliance we will provide partner members and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect the health, safety, and security of workers, emergency responders, and the communities surrounding agricultural retail and supply facilities, with a particular focus on the safe storage and handling of fertilizers.”

The alliance will remain in effect for two years, with representatives from each organization meeting periodically to discuss the responsibilities of the participants, share information on activities, and track results in achieving goals. The alliance said it has already completed its first project with the launch of a training video showing a mock agricultural retail facility inspection. The video was filmed at the ResponsibleAg training facility in Owensboro, Ken.

Additional objectives include the sharing of information on OSHA’s National Initiatives, and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process; sharing information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers; speaking, exhibiting, and/or appearing at OSHA, TFI, and ARA conferences, local meetings, or other events, including the OSHA Alliance Program Forum; sharing information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding TFI and ARA good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures; and encouraging TFI local sections and ARA members to build relationships with OSHA regional and area offices to address health and safety issues, including the safe storage and handling of fertilizers.

“Safety is much larger than one person or one company,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock. “Safety also means being a good steward – a good steward of the land, business, employees, and the communities in which we operate. This alliance is a positive step for ARA, TFI, and OSHA to work together on an issue that is top of mind for ag retailers.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers on Dec. 11 unveiled a new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule that more narrowly defines the types of waterways that fall under Clean Water Act jurisdiction. The new definition would replace a 2015 rule that has seen multiple legal challenges and strong opposition from the Trump administration.

“The fertilizer industry is encouraged by EPA’s and the Department of the Army’s new WOTUS definition, a great first step towards a sustainable national water policy that both protects the environment and facilitates smart economic development,” said Chris Jahn, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). “We believe the new plan more clearly defines which waters are subject to federal jurisdiction, which waters are subject to state protection, and how the rule will be implemented, clarity that was not found in the 2015 rule.”

The new definition lays out six specific water categories that would remain under Clean Water Act jurisdiction, but excludes any water bodies outside of these categories. Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the new definition provides a “clearer and easier to understand” definition that will result in “significant cost savings, protect the nation’s navigable waterways, and reduce barriers to important economic and environmental projects.”

EPA said it plans to publish the proposed rule immediately for a 60-day public comment period. For more details on the new WOTUS definition, see the Dec. 14 issue of Green Markets.

Saskatoon-based Nutrien Ltd. announced on Oct. 24 that it has completed the sale of its minority equity investment in Arab Potash Company (APC) to China’s state-owned SDIC Mining Investment Co. Ltd., Beijing, for gross proceeds of $502 million.

Completion of the APC sale was required by the Competition Commission of India and Ministry of Commerce in China in providing their clearance for the merger of Agrium and PotashCorp to form Nutrien. APC is a traditional supplier of potash to China, agreeing to sell about 700,000 mt/y in a contract inked last year (GM Aug. 3, 2017).

Nutrien announced in July (GM July 27, p. 1) that it had entered into a definitive agreement with SDIC to sell its 23,294,614 common shares of APC, which represents the entirety of Nutrien’s 28 percent holdings in APC. Nutrien was the largest APC shareholder, according to Bloomberg. Other majors include the Government of Jordan at 26 percent, Arab Metals Co. at 20 percent, Social Security Corp. at 10.4 percent, and the Government of Iraq at 4.7 percent.

APC said it is the eighth largest potash producer worldwide. Capacity is put at approximately 2.5 million mt/y, according to the Green Markets Global Potash Quarterly.

Oslo-based Yara announced on Oct. 5 that it has reached an agreement to acquire the minority interest in Galvani Indústria, Comércio e Serviços S.A. from the Galvani family. As part of the deal, certain assets will be transferred to the Galvani family, who will also receive a payment in cash and a contingent amount. Yara will thereby own 100 percent of the shares in Galvani Indústria, Comércio e Serviços S.A.

This deal streamlines our production footprint in Brazil, securing full ownership of key Yara Brazil production assets, complementing its extensive distribution capabilities and achieving a more integrated position in the Brazilian market,” said Lair Hanzen, executive vice president, Yara Brazil.

Yara Brazil will own 100 percent of the industrial unit in Paulínia with integrated Single Super Phosphate (SSP) production and a fertilizer bulk blend facility, and the Serra do Salitre project with an annual production capacity of approximately 1.2 million mt of phosphate ore and 1.5 million mt of SSP equivalent finished fertilizers.

Yara said the agreement includes a cash payment of US$70 million over a three-year period from closing, and a conditional future payment related to project success. The production unit in Luis Eduardo Magalhães and the mining units in Angico dos Dias and Irecê, as well as the Santa Quitéria greenfield phosphate project, will be separated out from Galvani Indústria, Comércio e Serviços S.A and will be fully controlled by a new company managed by the Galvani family. The carved-out assets transferred to the Galvani family have a book value equivalent to US$95 million as of Aug. 31, 2018.

Yara said the transaction is subject to conditions precedent that still need to be met, as well as the approval of the Brazilian antitrust authorities (CADE) and other common approvals.