The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced P4 Production LLC, a Monsanto subsidiary that mines and processes phosphate in Southeast Idaho, has reached an agreement with five federal and state agencies, plus the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, to develop a comprehensive cleanup plan for three inactive phosphate mines near Soda Springs, Idaho.
The agreement requires P4 to complete remedial investigations and feasibility studies for the Ballard, Henry, and Enoch Valley mines. Ballard was operated from 1951 to 1969; Henry ran from 1969 to 1989, and Enoch Valley was in operation from 1989 until recently.
“This new agreement will build on work already completed by the company and give us a clearer picture of the health risks posed to the area’s people, livestock and wildlife,” said Lori Cohen, acting director of EPA’s Superfund cleanup office in Seattle.
“After years of hard work, we’ve gotten everyone signed on to create a comprehensive, in-depth look at the risks these mines pose.”
Besides EPA and the Shoshone-Bannocks, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ), the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also signed the agreement.
EPA said P4 data shows selenium and other pollutants are being released from waste rock dumps and contaminating soil, water, and vegetation. It will seek formal comment on proposed cleanup plans from interested parties before making final decisions. The first proposed cleanup plan is expected to be completed in the next two to three years.
The region’s phosphate mines have been under scrutiny since cattle and sheep died from selenium poisoning in the 1990s. Though no sheep, cattle, or horses have died at the Monsanto sites, EPA says the agreement should paint a more vivid picture of risks.
Monsanto signed an initial cleanup agreement for the sites in 2004. The latest pact does not cover work the company is doing to remedy heavy metal and selenium releases from the South Rasmussen Ridge Mine, which EPA says is violating the federal Clean Water Act.
Meanwhile, nearly 7,000 parties have submitted comments to EPA about Monsanto’s proposed Blackfoot Bridge phosphate mine, which would supply a million tons of phosphate ore annually to Monsanto’s Soda Springs elemental phosphorus plant, replacing South Rasmussen Ridge’s rock, which is expected to run out by 2013.
Cecil Andrus, former Interior secretary and Idaho governor, endorsed the Blackfoot Bridge mine, while EPA expressed concerns about how successful the mine’s $25 million liner would be in preventing selenium from reaching the nearby Blackfoot River.
The Idaho Conservation League suggested the liner be expanded to cover more of the 739-acre mine’s disturbed areas, saying the liner was a move in the right direction, but The Greater Yellowstone Coalition said the mine fails to ensure adequate environmental protections on many fronts.