Soda Springs, Idaho-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Monsanto’s South Rasmussen Mine near the Idaho-Wyoming border continues to violate federal and state water quality laws by failing to stop discharges of heavy metal-laden waste dump water into the area’s water ways. EPA says the mine’s problems were first documented in April 2002 ?Çô 15 months after the Bureau of Land Management approved it. The BLM then concluded precautions would not “allow selenium or other contaminants to migrate from the lease.” Meanwhile, BLM anticipates releasing by mid-July a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Monsanto’s proposed nearby Blackfoot Bridge Mine, which would be about eight miles northeast of Soda Springs on 740 acres, with only 10 percent of that acreage being public land. It would not be far from the Blackfoot River, which is listed as selenium impaired under the U.S. Clean Water Act. BLM has been working with Monsanto on the new mine’s plans for four years. Releasing the draft DEIS will start a 45-day public comment period. Monsanto hopes to start developing the mine in the second half of 2010 and transition into full operation in 2011 or 2012, when Rasmussen’s ore is exhausted. Company officials say Blackfoot Bridge would be among the most environmentally-advanced mines in the nation. Part of that mine would be reclaimed as work is completed. Waste rock would be used to backfill mining pits, which would be covered by a cap patterned after the J.R. Simplot Co.’s cap planned for its Smoky Canyon Mine expansion. Monsanto’s cap, however, would include a laminated geosynthetic liner and special clay. Water would be pumped into lined overflow ponds. Trees, shrubs, and flowers would be planted atop it for wildlife habitat and absorbing water. Waste rock piles also would be capped. Monsanto spokesman Trent Clark estimates his company will invest $24 million for the cap, $5 million on the water management ponds, and $6.5 million on the environmental impact statement to ensure selenium is kept out of surrounding water ways. Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) officials have met with Monsanto officials and toured the site. GYC Executive Director Mike Clark of Bozeman, Mont., says his organization appreciates Monsanto’s effort to seek input. Monsanto has consented to a remedial investigation/feasibility study for three of its closed mines to determine if there are cleanup issues. EPA is also administering ongoing cleanup of Monsanto’s South Rasmussen Mine. Monsanto is investigating trial technologies to address selenium issues at South Rasmussen and working to keep selenium out of a nearby wetland without cutting off its water. Past mines required only an environmental assessment, which is much less rigorous than a full environmental impact statement. South Rasmussen does not include an elaborate storage pond system.
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Iowa plant to turn corn cobs into fertilizer
Menlo, Iowa-A small alternative energy company has announced that its first plant for turning corn cobs into anhydrous ammonia will be built in this Iowa community about 45 miles west of Des Moines. SynGest Inc., based in the San Francisco area with an engineering team in the Chicago area, expects to start construction early next year and be in full-scale production by 2011. SynGest president and CEO Jack Oswald told Green Markets that the enclosed gasification process can handle most any type of corn stover, but SynGest is concentrating on the cobs as the ideal raw material, with more density and about the right moisture content. “When we’re ready to actually process, the cobs go through a chopper which cuts them half to an inch in size,” Oswald explained. “If needed they’re dried somewhat to reduce to 10 percent in moisture. It’s fundamentally gasification in a closed encloser. So we’re capturing everything with no emissions from producing synthesis gas or syngas.” He said the result is a different combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which are the two main components of syngas. “With those two we can actually make many different products but the most valuable today is anhydrous ammonia,” he added. Of course, he noted, SynGest picked Iowa because it’s the number one corn-producing region in North America, but also because the state is very proactive in its support of innovative agricultural and renewable energy technologies. He said SynGest hopes to build several of these plants.
Ohio agriculture eyes alternative energy crops
Wooster, Ohio-The Fund for Our Economic Future has awarded a $250,000 grant to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center for research into the potential for farmers in northeast Ohio to grow crops, not just for consumption, but also for producing alternative energy. Chris Thompson, director of marketing and communications for the Fund, explained that the object is to find what can be done to shift commodity agriculture to more specialty or value-added agriculture – or more specifically, locally-grown foods to growing crops for biomass. Thompson said there are several individuals doing research on such crops as Russian dandelions, which produce latex that can be used in natural rubber, and the jatropha plant, which has nuts that produce larger amounts of oils that can be used in ethanol. Part of the grant will be used to tie those efforts together.
TFI criticizes House climate change bill
Washington-The U.S. House of Representatives on June 26 passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454) by a vote of 219 to 212. The climate change bill, sponsored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), was opposed by The Fertilizer Institute (GM June 29, p. 10). “As written, the legislation will render the U.S. nitrogen industry uncompetitive and threatens to force fertilizer production overseas to countries that do not regulate emissions, resulting in a loss both for the economy and for the cause of reducing CO2 emissions,” said TFI President Ford B. West. “We believe that H.R. 2454 will cause fuel switching and drive up the price of natural gas. Every $3 increase in the price of natural gas adds more than $1 billion to the cost of nitrogen production. Additional increases in the domestic price of natural gas caused by fuel switching will lead to an even more severe competitive disadvantage. U.S. producers will face a stark choice of losing market share to imports or moving production overseas ?Çô neither choice is good for the U.S. economy, the environment or U.S. food security.” West also faulted the bill for its “lack of understanding of the science behind the nitrogen cycle and the essential role of plant nutrients in food production,” taking aim at certain agricultural practices the bill cites to avoid or reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “GHG emissions can come from all types of nitrogen sources applied to the soil, regardless of whether these are applied as commercial fertilizer or manure,” West said. “Whether a farmer chooses to use commercial or organic fertilizer sources, they need to adopt best management practices.”
IFA: world fert demand to resume by early 2010
Paris-The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) released its Fertilizer Outlook 2009-2013 report on June 30, suggesting that a rebound in demand is likely for 2009/10 after a sudden fall in demand during 2008/09, and a collapse in fertilizer sales and import demand through the fourth quarter of 2008. World fertilizer consumption is estimated down 5.1 percent, from 168.1 million mt of nutrients in 2007/08 to 159.6 mt in 2008/09. Nitrogen consumption fell 1.6 percent, the report said, while demand for phosphates and potash declined more sharply at 7 percent and 14 percent, respectively. “Because of a lack of confidence and limited access to credit, farmers in a number of countries either deferred their purchases of inputs, including fertilizers, or chose to reduce application rates,” IFA said. Although the beginning of 2009 was dim for the fertilizer industry, IFA said market conditions could be improving steadily for 2009/10 because of the stable growth trends that have been experienced so far in the agricultural sector, including “attractive commodity prices” that should encourage farmers to increase crop production. In its baseline scenario, IFA said the economic crisis can be translated in one to three years of lost growth in fertilizer demand, although a gradual rebound might be felt as early as in the next six months. IFA estimates growth of 3.6 percent in nutrient demand for 2009/10, along with a growth rate of 2.3 percent per annum in 2013/14. IFA also forecasts a potential fertilizer supply surplus for the years to come. Between 2000 and 2007, the world fertilizer industry increased its overall operating rates for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and by the end of 2007 was running at close to its maximum effective capacity. If such high demand had continued through the second half of 2008, IFA said, a shortage of potash, phosphate, and urea might have occurred. However, following the financial and economic crisis, a number of companies slashed their operating rates by temporarily closing down facilities. IFA added that in the short term, the depressed demand for fertilizer and, in the long run, new projects coming into production in several countries, are the main factors supporting the potential surplus argument, in particular in the potash and phosphate sectors.
San Jose biogas plan includes fertilizer
San Jose, Calif.-San Jose has taken the first step toward becoming the location of the first organics-to-energy biogas facility in the U.S. that would produce electricity to operate the city’s water treatment facility or for other uses, along with a high-quality fertilizer. The city council already has authorized a memorandum of understanding with a number of participants, including Zanker Road Biogas, which would develop and operate the facility, capable of processing up to 150,000 tons of organic waste per year that normally goes to a landfill. “This project not only demonstrates San Jose’s leadership in the production of renewable energy, but will help us meet the economic development, zero waste and energy goals of our city’s Green Vision,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. The technology, which is common in Europe, uses a process known as dry anaerobic fermentation to generate renewable biogas and high-quality fertilizer. The proposed project would be developed in three phases, with each designed to increase capacity by 50,000 tons per year of organic materials – a combination of primarily food waste and the organic portion of the municipal solid waste stream – and produce two products: a renewable biogas containing methane, and high-quality fertilizer. In contrast to the wet process in use in all of the existing anaerobic digestion systems in the U.S., this biogas system would use the dry fermentation technology specifically designed to process the relatively dry organic portion of the municipal solid waste stream, which is difficult to recycle without extensive pre-processing, and currently ends up in a landfill.
Fertilizer from power generation gets boost
Columbus, Ohio-American Municipal Power (AMP-Ohio) is getting a $30 million bridge loan from the state’s economic stimulus fund to begin construction on a 1,000-megawatt generating station that will produce a fertilizer byproduct using advanced emissions control technology. “The bridge loan that Ohio’s Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program is providing AMP-Ohio assures that we can launch the construction phase of this important project on schedule later this year. We believe the project underscores our commitment to the environmentally sound use of clean coal and advanced energy technologies,” reported Jolene Thompson, the utility’s Senior Vice President of External Affairs. The new plant will use a variety of pollution-control technologies, including the Powerspan ammonia-based scrubber system, which successfully removes the great majority of sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter, and mercury produced during combustion. Additionally, Powerspan technology shows the promise of affordable carbon dioxide (CO2) capture in the future and also yields what is described as a highly-marketable ammonium sulfate fertilizer byproduct. AMP-Ohio is working with Ohio-based The Andersons on the fertilizer portion of the planned power plant facilities. The Powerspan technology previously received $4.5 million in funding from the Ohio Coal Development Office, a program of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority. When built, the new plant will provide power for 300,000 electricity customers of AMP-Ohio in 69 Ohio communities.
Organic calculator figures fertilizer savings
Boulder, Colo.-The Colorado-based Organic Center has developed a special calculator that allows users to measure the benefits of organic management of dairy cows. For example, calculations show some 40 million pounds of fertilizer, along with 758,000 pounds of pesticides, being saved by shifting dairy cows from conventional to organic management. According to Dr. Charles Benbrook, the center’s chief scientist and the study author, the calculator was developed to help consumers, dairy farmers, and food companies estimate the avoided environmental, public health, and animal welfare impacts associated with changing dairy cows over to organic management. “It gives us the means to uniformly measure the extent to which organic dairy operations prevent toxic materials from entering our air, water, soil, and in some cases, our food and drinking water.” He points out that some of the animal drugs and pesticides used to support milk production have been linked to health problems in cows, as well as human disorders such as developmental problems, miscarriages, the onset of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, allergic asthma, and more. According to USDA organic standards, no artificial hormones or antibiotics are allowed for use on organic dairy farms. Organic regulations also prohibit the use of toxic and persistent chemicals for growing and maintaining pasture and in the production of grain and forage-based feeds. Chemical nitrogen fertilizer is also prohibited. The tool is available free of charge in the form of a Microsoft Excel-based calculator at www.organic-center.org.
UC-Davis gets $2.8 M in grants to study N impacts
Davis, Calif.-University of California Davis researchers will receive $2.8 million in new grants to study the use and impacts of nitrogen. “This is one of the most important and least publicized environmental issues we face,” declared Tom Tomich, director of UC Davis’ Agricultural Sustainability Institute. “Escaped nitrogen from agricultural production affects not only the quality of our air, water and soil, but has huge potential to contribute to climate change. Many members of the public and politicians are unaware of the scope of this challenge. And many farmers are unaware that nitrogen management can save them money.” Among the grants are $1.5 million from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for a statewide assessment of existing scientific evidence on nitrogen use in conventional and alternative farming systems, including a program to improve communication about nitrogen concerns among agriculture interests; $500,000 from the California Energy Commission and $350,000 from the Packard Foundation for new research on nitrous oxide emissions in various farming systems; $300,000 from the California Air Resources Board for research on practical ways to reduce nitrous oxide emissions in California agriculture; and $150,000 from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Fertilizer Research and Education Program to measure nitrous oxide emissions from cotton, corn, and vegetable cropping systems. The new studies should improve data-collection methods, said Agricultural Sustainability Institute researcher Johan Six, a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and one of the grant recipients. “It’s urgent that we know how much nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases are released during irrigation and fertilization of farm lands in California,” Six said. “The good news is we know that it is economically feasible to reduce these emissions. The first step is quantifying the necessary reductions.”
Idaho industrial power rates to go up
Boise-The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) on May 29 approved a 10.2 percent rate hike for this year, as well as three other rate adjustments, increasing overall rates by an average of 13.5 percent. The other three adjustments include an increase in an Energy Efficiency Rider (2.25 percent), money for the installation of automated meters (1.8 percent), and an annual Fixed Cost Adjustment (1.3 percent). The Industrial Users of Idaho Power, including the J.R. Simplot Co., earlier asked IPUC to defer or spread out a 10.2 percent increase in a Power Cost Adjustment over three years in equal annual installments. The commission said collecting the full amount in one year assures the financial community that Idaho Power is able to recover reasonably incurred power supply costs. The PCA increase is from 0.7864 cents per kWh to 1.4 cents per kWh. IPUC commissioners said that while they are reluctant to approve rate increases beyond what is needed, especially during tough economic times, they are convinced reduced energy use will result from the Energy Efficiency Rider, Fixed Cost Adjustment, and installation of automated meters, keeping customer rates lower than they otherwise would be in future years. In its order, the IPUC stated: “The commission must also keep an eye toward the future and maintain a proactive approach that will best serve long-term ratepayer interests.” Meanwhile, the IPUC also recently approved a five-year agreement between Idaho Power and Boston-based EnerNOC to reduce demand from commercial and industrial customers by at least two megawatts this year and by at least 50 megawatts in both 2012 and 2013. Commercial and industrial customers who volunteer to participate would be asked to reduce their energy loads for two to four hours during summer days when demand on Idaho Power’s generation system is at its peak. Participants would be compensated in exchange for reduced loads.