Santiago-Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) on Sept. 30 reiterated earlier statements that it expects a record third quarter. It made the announcement in light of the high volatility experienced by world stock markets and in SQM share price. “Based on the sales we have accomplished so far, our current projections indicate that we will achieve record results in the third quarter,” said Patricio Contesse, SQM CEO. “Furthermore, we believe this trend will continue into the fourth quarter and next year, considering that market fundamentals are expected to be strong in the medium and long terms. Our expectations for the specialty plant nutrition, iodine and lithium markets have improved in the past 30 days, and in particular, sales volumes of iodine and lithium have exceeded our initial projections.” Back in July, SQM unveiled capital expenditure plans for 2008-2010 totaling US$1 billion. “SQM is in a unique position today, with excellent growth prospects observed across all of its main markets. SQM’s solid financial position will enable the company to face the growth it expects to see during the coming years.”
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Mosaic completes Saskferco sale to Yara
Plymouth, Minn.-The Mosaic Co. announced on Oct. 1 the completion of the sale of Saskferco Products ULC to a subsidiary of Yara International ASA for approximately $1.6 billion, of which Mosaic is entitled to one-half of the proceeds. “The completion of the sale of Saskferco is a key step in our strategic plan and will allow us to focus on our core phosphate and potash businesses,” said Jim Prokopanko, president and CEO. “Working with the government of Saskatchewan and Saskferco has been an excellent experience for Mosaic. We wish Yara much success as Saskferco’s new owner.”
Helena opening plant to Mesquite residents
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.
Industry backs California N2O study
Sacramento-California’s fertilizer industry has pledged $150,000 for research into how much nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer applications contribute to global warming. The outlay was approved Sept. 18 by the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board, which also recommended $150,000 to fund extra staff within the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to proactively address the issue of global warming. Both items will be solely funded by contributions from the fertilizer industry. Renee Pinel, CEO and president of the Western Plant Health Assn., explained that the non-profit trade group representing the fertilizer industry has been working with CDFA and the California Air Resources Board to help answer questions about whether fertilizers are significant contributors to global warming. CARB, which is currently under mandate from the state legislature to develop regulations to reduce greenhouse gases resulting from human activity, is reviewing the effect agriculture may have on greenhouse gas emissions and whether regulations would be appropriate to reduce any impacts. “This funding is a great example of the fertilizer industry’s ongoing commitment to proactive environmental stewardship and represents an important step in agriculture’s ability to accurately determine if any steps need to be taken to mitigate greenhouse gases from fertilizers,” Pinel added. The advisory board, which advises the secretary of agriculture on matters relating to inspection and enforcement, research and education, annual budget, fees, and regulations required to accomplish the purposes of the law. It is comprised of eight members who possess commercial feed licenses and one public member appointed by the secretary for three-year terms.
Two ammonia releases days apart in Illinois
Warrensburg, Ill.-The Van Horn Fertilizer plant near here is blaming a faulty valve for the release of 6,120 gallons of anhydrous ammonia the morning of Sept. 25 that closed a nearby highway and caused the evacuation of more than a dozen residents. Plant Manager Greg Henne told Green Markets that a pump was being changed on the 10,000-gallon tank when the valve “blew on us.” Henne said the employee involved in the changeover escaped without injuries, but the lack of wind allowed the ammonia cloud to build around the area. Warrensburg Fire Chief Keith Hackl said emergency crews had to contend with the dense cloud when they arrived on the scene along with a Hazmat team from Macon County Emergency Management. Henne said the tank, which was 70 percent full at the time, had just about emptied its contents by the time Hazmat crews put on protective suits and moved cautiously through the vapor screen to shut off the ammonia. Another incident occurred two days earlier at Millstadt, Ill., when an aborted theft attempt at Handy Fertilizer Inc. caused the release of 4,000 to 4,500 pounds of anhydrous ammonia and forced as many as 100 nearby residents from their homes. Handy owner Bob Quirin told Green Markets that thieves got the cap off the tank and opened the valve before fleeing the scene. Quirin said calm weather with no wind kept the vapor cloud from dispersing and prevented efforts to shut off the tank before it was emptied. “We couldn’t tell where the tank was or where the fumes were coming from,” Quirin reported. Emergency crews shut down the highway and had homes in three subdivisions and other areas evacuated as a precaution. Two or three individuals were evaluated at a local hospital and released. Fire Chief Kurt Pellmann said the decision was made early the next morning to call off the alert after Hazmat monitors indicated the fumes had subsided and conditions had returned to normal. Highway traffic was also allowed to resume.
Pacific Ridge moves on B.C. phosphate property
Vancouver-Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. has signed a binding letter agreement with Lateegra Gold Corp. in respect of the Wapiti Phosphate Property which agreement now supersedes the letter that was previously reported on July 29, 2008. The Wapiti Property, located south of Tumbler Ridge in east-central British Columbia, is centrally located within Pacific Ridge’s extensive phosphate holdings, which now cover over 500 square kilometers. Pacific Ridge has paid $5,000 and issued 200,000 of its shares to Lateegra, with the option to make exploration expenditures totaling $1.0 million over the ensuing 36 months to earn a 51 percent interest in the property. Upon earning an initial 51 percent interest in the property, Pacific Ridge may elect either to: form a joint venture with Lateegra (51 percent Pacific Ridge and 49 percent Lateegra); or, increase its interest in the property to 65 percent by paying a further $250,000 and issuing a further 1.0 million shares to Lateegra, and incurring an additional $1.0 million in exploration expenditures on the property, over the ensuing 24 months, after which a joint venture would be formed (65 percent Pacific Ridge and 35 percent Lateegra). Pacific Ridge says its phosphate exploration program is underway and work on the Wapiti property has been included in that work plan.
Ringbolt acquires Arizona potash leases
Vancouver-Ringbolt Ventures Ltd. said Sept. 30 that through its 90 percent owned U.S. subsidiary, it applied for and received 15 state exploration leases on lands located in the Holbrook Basin, Apache County, Arizona. Ringbolt says a recently released survey states that the basin is potentially underlain by 3,500 square miles of salt beds, 600 square miles of which are also underlain by a potash bed. The leases cover 9,594 acres of land in what appears, from an initial review of the technical data, to be part of the thickest part of the basin, where the salt has in the past been measured as being 600 feet thick, according to Ringbolt. It is estimated the potash bed may lie at the top of the salt sequence, at depths of 700 to 2,000 feet ?Çô shallow enough to permit possible underground mining rather than solution mining. Ringbolt has not done any work to verify the existence of potash/salt beds on the property, and there is no certainty that potash will be identified on the property. Ringbolt’s subsidiary has also applied for and received nine Utah State Exploration Leases on lands located in the Paradox Basin. Ringbolt says it has $2.9 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand, and is well positioned to continue its uranium and potash exploration plans in the coming months. It is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and potential development of primarily uranium metal and potash properties in Canada, Utah, and Arizona.
Vulcan encouraged by potash samples
St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Labrador-Vulcan Minerals Inc. said Sept. 25 that it has received assay results for potash samples from the Captain Cook core hole in the Bay St. George Basin of Western Newfoundland. The results are considered very encouraging by the company because they identify the potential for potash mineralization as sylvite at grades that may be of economic significance and relatively low insoluble content. The next phase in the program is to interpret and/or acquire more geophysical data to identify evaporite packages that may have thick zones of potash and conduct exploratory drilling in those areas. Vulcan is a diversified junior exploration company focused on petroleum exploration in the under-explored Western Newfoundland and Labrador area, and also holds mineral interests in areas strategic to its operations there.
PotashCorp named to Dow Sustainability Index
Saskatoon-PotashCorp reports that it has been selected to be part of the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. The company says it is the first North American fertilizer manufacturer to be named to the index. Dow Jones Indexes, sustainability investment specialist Sustainable Asset Management (SAM), and index provider Stoxx Ltd. named 18 new companies to the North America Index and deleted nine companies. This year, the North America Index is made up of 125 companies. “PotashCorp is honored to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index,” PotashCorp President and CEO Bill Doyle said. “The economic, environmental and social targets we set for our company reflect our strategies for long-term growth and sustainability. We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts.” The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) are one of the most prestigious measures of publicly traded companies’ sustainability performance. The annual review of companies is based on “analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices,” according to the DJSI. PotashCorp has been recognized in several ways for its sustainability efforts this year, including a listing on the Jantzi Social Index, the Goldman Sachs GS Sustain – Basic Materials list, the Governance Gavel Award by the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, and recognition through a Barron’s investors survey as one of the most respected companies in the world.
Nutrients for Life launches Beltway ad campaign
Washington-The Nutrients for Life Foundation (NFLF) has launched its first ever public information media campaign in the Washington, D.C., market – “Fertilizer is Life’s Main Ingredient.” The idea behind the campaign is to link fertilizer to food in the minds of the general public. The campaign is positive and carries a very consumer-friendly approach. The radio spots began running on WTOP – 103.5 FM last week, and have already generated a buzz. WTOP told NFLF that listeners have called into the station to get more information and have cited the ads as “cool,” “clever,” and “educational.” The ads will appear on the Metro subway the week of Oct. 13. More than 850,000 people ride the metro every day.