Tampa-The Mosaic Co. was seeking last week to overcome objections to the expansion of two of its projects, one at the Four Corners Mine in Hillsborough County, Fla., and the other at Manatee County to the south. In Hillsborough, a zoning master will hold a hearing on the company’s request to extend its Four Corners Mine about 1,600 acres on Jan. 14. Some residents there have signed a petition to stop the expansion out of fear of noise, dust, and possible well contamination, according to Mosaic spokesman David Townsend. In Manatee, the county’s planning and zoning commission voted to approve a staff recommendation to reject the plan to mine the 2,000-plus-acre Altman tract. Townsend said that recommendation was based on a report by a county-hired consultant, who said reclamation does not restore the quality of wetlands. However, Townsend said many of the wetlands in question have been ditched since the 1940s, and would be improved after the mining activity. The Manatee County Commission will vote on the plan on Feb. 5.
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