All Posts from May 24, 2010

Navistar, EPA resolve SCR dispute

News Briefs

Warrenville, Ill.-Navistar International Corp. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reached an agreement resolving Navistar’s appeal in federal courts over the agency allowing SCR-equipped diesel trucks to operate for extended periods without NOx emissions control and certifying SCR engines as meeting NOx emission requirements when they do not. According to Navistar, EPA has promised to hold a public workshop or hearing on those policies, which the agency was accused of adopting without the required public process in reliance on input from SCR engine makers. The agreement provides that EPA will “engage in a public process to reexamine its policies for future 2011 and later model year engines,” during which it will “provide a thorough review of EPA’s policies regarding operation of SCR-equipped engines.” EPA also has promised to “ensure, among other things, that SCR-equipped heavy duty diesel engines are designed to properly control emissions as required under applicable regulations.” Navistar had asked the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to void those polices because of the irregularities in their adoption.

Viterra recognizes employee safety achievements

News Briefs

Regina-Viterra Inc. reports that it has reached two significant safety milestones in its western Canadian operations. In Viterra’s Agri-products division, employees have successfully accumulated over one million hours with no lost time incidents. This represents 190 consecutive working days from September 22, 2009, to March 31, 2010, and includes over 1,400 employees working at Viterra’s 269 agri-products sites across Western Canada. Employees at Viterra’s oat milling facility in Barrhead, Alberta, celebrated a safety accomplishment of their own, reaching 3,000 consecutive working days with no lost time incidents, which equates to eight years – or over 400,000 working hours. “These accomplishments illustrate the teamwork and dedication of our employees, keeping safety top of mind as they provide our customers with quality service and products. Viterra is committed to the highest standards of safety, and it is our employees who prove this through their daily work. It is a significant component of our reputation as a safe and reliable provider of food ingredients, and as a responsible corporate citizen,” said Mayo Schmidt, Viterra president and CEO.

KOVA marks 75 years, gives back to communities

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Greenburg, Ind.-KOVA, an Indiana-based, family-owned-and-operated business, is proudly celebrating its 75th anniversary. It started as KOVA Fertilizer Corp. in the spring of 1935, when Francis Reed sold his first bag of fertilizer from North Anderson Street in Greensburg, Indiana. Now, 75 years later, the company still operates on Anderson Street, but has expanded to include retail and wholesale locations throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. KOVA has also expanded with a family of ten allied businesses operating under the KOVA Agri-Team (KAT) brand, which includes AgriBusiness Finance, Crop Fertility Specialists, Next Gene Seeds, American Grower Insurance, LLC, KOVA Fertilizer, Inc., KOVA Fertilizer Retail, KOVA of Ohio, Heartland, Fields of Vision, and Next Generation. Today the company is headed by the second and third generation of Reeds. Francis’ son Dick works alongside his three sons, Todd, Brad, and Brian. “We’re very proud of our industry, our agriculture focus, the producers and communities we serve. There really are only a handful of businesses that share this important diamond anniversary status,” said Dick Reed, KOVA president. “Our business is and always has been firmly rooted in trust. We are anxious to celebrate our past while we grow the future of the communities that have helped us grow.” The “Community Gift Back” program will take place at KOVA Fertilizer and retail stores in Greensburg, Seymour, and Westport, Ind., and eight Crop Fertility Specialists locations in Winimac, LaCrosse, Kewanna, Milford, Rossville, Bourbon, Burnettsville, and Urbana, Ind. At each location, $1,075 will be awarded to a local non-profit organization to help them with community projects. A random drawing will be held at each of the 11 locations later in the summer, with their efforts showcased at a celebration in Greensburg in August. During its 75 years, KOVA says it has given support to several organizations, including the 4-H, FFA, Indiana Plant Food Association, Purdue University, and local hospitals, among several others.

SNC-Lavalin awarded Jordan acid complex contract

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Montreal-SNC-Lavalin said May 18 that SNC-Lavalin in Europe has been awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract to build a grassroots sulfuric/phosphoric acid complex, including utilities and a power plant in Eshidya, Jordan. The contract was awarded by JIFCO, a joint venture owned by Jordanian Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO). JPMC is a leading phosphate rock, phosphoric acid, and fertilizer producer in Jordan, while IFFCO is the largest fertilizer producer and distributor cooperative in India. The total estimated investment value of the project is about US$625 million. SNC-Lavalin will provide overall project management, detailed design, proprietary equipment items, and construction management for the facilities. This world-class complex will have a capacity of 500,000 mt/y of phosphoric acid. It includes a single-line sulfuric acid plant with a capacity of 4,500 mt/d, making it the largest single stream unit in the world. Work will begin immediately, with production start-up expected before the end of 2012.

Allana reports progress in Ethiopia

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Toronto-Allana Potash Corp. reports progress in the drilling of two holes at its Ethiopian Potash Project in the Danakhil Depression. “We are very pleased that the initial two holes seem to confirm the shallow depth of the potash beds and, in the case of the second hole, provides us with preliminary evidence of a potentially increased resource,” said Farhad Abasov, Allana president and CEO. “We intend to report the assay results from the first two holes immediately after they are received, and we also intend on accelerating the drill program by bringing in another drill rig. Allana is getting quotes on a seismic program that is planned to be launched as soon as seismic equipment can be mobilized.” In addition, Allana notes that the Ethiopian government has announced positive news regarding new infrastructure projects in the country. It says the Chinese government has granted Ethiopia a multi-billion Birr loan towards the construction of railway lines, expected to stretch some 5,000 kilometers from Addis Ababa into the various regions of the country. Government officials have commented that it is economically viable to transport minerals by rail from the country’s major mineral resource regions, including the Afar region which hosts Allana’s potash project. Allana notes that government officials have stated that the project is one of the main strategic projects of the country over the next five years.

Outotec completes Edmeston acquisition

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Espoo, Finland-Outotec Oyj said May 17 that it has completed the acquisition of Edmeston AB, a Gothenburg, Sweden-based company specializing in the engineering and supply of process equipment used primarily in sulfuric acid plants. It said Edmeston has unique know-how of special stainless steel grades suitable for use in highly corrosive environments. Edmeston’s annual revenues are approximately US$12.4 million, and it employs around a dozen professionals. “The acquisition of Edmeston strengthens Outotec’s position as the leading provider of sulfuric acid production technology,” said Pertti Korhonen, Outotec president and CEO. “Edmeston complements our offerings to the sulfuric acid plant operators, enabling us to raise our service level in particular in equipment refurbishments and upgrades.” Outotec, a leading supplier of advanced sulfuric acid plants, says it has delivered over 600 facilities globally. The parties did not disclose the transaction price.

Story blames ferts for California’s nitrate problem

News Briefs

Sacramento-California Watch, a nonprofit and independent investigative reporting team, published on May 13 on its website a lengthy story alleging that nitrate contamination of groundwater is spreading in California due to “lax regulatory efforts.” The story cites nitrogen fertilizer use on farmland, animal manure, wastewater treatment plants, and leaky septic systems as the causes, claiming that the number of wells that exceeded the health limit for nitrates jumped from nine in 1980 to 648 in 2007. “Nothing is being done to regulate the use of the leading source of nitrate pollution in many regions of the state – nitrogen fertilizer,” the story states, claiming nitrate levels in groundwater are at their highest in the southern Central Valley, eastern San Joaquin Valley, Imperial Valley, and Salinas Valley. “Farmers and companies are urged not to degrade groundwater but are mostly left to employ voluntary strategies to comply.” The story says a number of strategies have been considered to combat the nitrate problem, including installing mandatory groundwater-monitoring wells on farms or establishing stricter regulations for fertilizer use, but regulators instead are focused on other more pressing water quality issues in the state. “On the scale of things we deal with, while nitrates is certainly a concern and we’re managing for it, I don’t rank it high up there as something that makes me stay awake at night,” Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the State Water Resources Control Board’s division of water quality, is quoted as saying. That sentiment was echoed by Rich Cornett, director of communications for the Western Plant Health Association (WPHA). “There is no regulation being considered,” Cornett told Green Markets. “Yeah it’s a problem, but nothing is being done at the present time, and there are so many other problems that California is tackling right now. Nitrates in groundwater isn’t topping the list at this point.” Cornett said WPHA is focusing on the problem, however, noting that WPHA President and CEO Renee Pinel will be attending a meeting on the issue in early June. “We will have an official industry response within the next three weeks,” Cornett said.

N.Y. puts up $500K for runoff control

News Briefs

Albany, N.Y.-New York state is committing $500,000 to a new grant program aimed at helping farmers control runoff of phosphorus and other nutrients and prevent them from entering the southern end of Lake Champlain. The funds Attorney General Andrew Cuomo secured in a court-ordered settlement with American Electric Power will assist farmers in the Southern Champlain Valley to further improve operations and reduce stormwater discharges from their land. “This important investment in New York’s future will help sustain the Champlain Valley’s agricultural economy while preserving one of the state’s most majestic natural resources,” said Cuomo. “By dedicating these funds, we will help support local farmers who are working to improve their operations while being responsible stewards of the environment.” The funding is expected to be used by farmers to better control stormwater runoff from plowed fields, milk houses, manure storage areas, and barnyards; develop nutrient management plans that help avoid applying excess fertilizers to farmlands; and preserve buffers of vegetation that serve to intercept and remove nutrients from runoff before they reach the lake. Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau, said, “We are grateful to Attorney General Cuomo for making funds available to our farmers to bolster the efforts they are already taking to protect the precious waters of Lake Champlain. We commend the Attorney General for helping our family farms.”

Prime Lube enters DEF market in east, Canada

News Briefs

Carteret, N.J.-Prime Lube, one of the largest distributors of lubricants and anti-freeze in the Mid-Atlantic, is entering the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) market, partnering with Germany’s Kruse Group to produce and distribute BlueSky DEF in 12 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces. As part of the arrangement, Kruse will provide Prime Lube with the manufacturing equipment and automotive grade urea to produce BlueSky DEF for sale to Prime Lube’s fuel and lubricant distributor network throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Prime Lube will begin production of BlueSky DEF in June. The company is already distributing Kruse-manufactured DEF. A series of 20-minute introductory sessions was presented to the fleet management industry at the energy expo last month in Atlantic City.

Innophos receives ratings upgrade

News Briefs

Cranbury, N.J.-Specialty phosphate producer Innophos Holdings Inc. reported that on May 18, 2010, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services upgraded its corporate family rating to BB- (from B+), with a positive outlook and upgraded ratings on its $190 million 8.875 percent senior subordinated notes due 2014. Earlier this year, Moody’s Investors Service changed the outlook on Innophos ratings to positive from stable and affirmed Innophos’ Ba3 Corporate Family Rating (CFR) and SGL-1 Speculative Grade Liquidity rating.

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