The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) on March 22 announced that three nitrogenous fertilizer manufacturing plants in the U.S. have earned the U.S. EPA’s 2021 Energy Star certification for superior energy performance. These include Koch Fertilizer plants at Beatrice, Neb., and Enid, Okla., and a J.R. Simplot facility in Helm, Calif.
“We congratulate TFI members Koch Fertilizer and the J.R. Simplot Company for their recognition by the EPA for operating highly efficient plants,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “The fertilizer industry is essential to our modern way of life, and our members have made minimizing the environmental impact of crop nutrients a key pillar of how they operate. This certification by the EPA shows that when it comes to environmental stewardship, the fertilizer industry doesn’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk.”
TFI noted that Koch’s Beatrice facility and Simplot’s Helm facility earned Energy Star certification in 2020 as well. “Earning this designation from the EPA two years in a row shows that our industry is serious about the role we play in not only feeding the world but doing so in a sustainable way for the long-haul,” Rosenbush said.
Manufacturing plants that are verified to be among the most energy efficient within their sector are eligible to earn EPA’s Energy Star certification. To measure energy efficiency, EPA worked with the fertilizer industry to develop an Energy Performance Indicator (EPI) for nitrogenous fertilizer plants. Energy Star® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions.
“Environmental issues play a large role in TFI’s recently released 2021 public policy priorities, specifically the important role that the fertilizer supply chain plays in being part of the solution to address the many challenges of a changing climate,” Rosenbusch added. “We are proud of the accomplishments of TFI members Koch and Simplot and will continue pushing for industry innovations that lessen environmental impacts and protect the communities in which we operate as we help to grow the food, fuel and fiber to feed our country and world.”