All Posts from July 9, 2020

Feds Settle with Simplot over RCRA, EPCRA

The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 9 announced a settlement with J.R. Simplot Co. and its subsidiary, Simplot Phosphates LLC (Simplot), involving Simplot’s Rock Springs, Wyo., phosphate manufacturing facility.

 This settlement resolves allegations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at the facility, including that Simplot failed to properly identify and manage certain waste streams as hazardous wastes. The settlement requires Simplot to implement process modifications designed to enable greater recovery and reuse of phosphate, a valuable resource. The settlement also requires Simplot to ensure that financial resources will be available when the time comes for environmentally sound closure of the facility. 

This settlement also resolves alleged violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) for Simplot’s failure to report certain quantities of toxic chemicals in accordance with EPCRA standards. 

Under the settlement, Simplot agrees to implement specific waste management measures valued at nearly $20 million. The settlement also requires Simplot to immediately secure and maintain approximately $126 million in dedicated financing to ensure that funding for closure and long-term care will be available when the facility is eventually closed.

Simplot will also pay a $775,000 civil penalty to resolve both the RCRA and EPCRA claims. 

Tampa Sulfur Up $3.50/lt

Third-quarter Tampa sulfur contracts have settled at $57.50/lt, up $3.50/lt from second-quarter pricing. Sources said both major buyers have now concluded business. Early week news had been that some, but not all contracts had been finalized.

MMTC Calls Urea Tender

MMTC shook up the market with a urea call July 9. The tender closes July 17 with shipment by Aug. 20. One trader said the fact MMTC called a tender that closes before shipment deadline for previous tender indicated how much India needs the extra urea. The government had earlier reported increased planting could lead to increased fertilizer demand.

ICL Adds Ukraine Distributor to Long-Term Polysulfate Distribution Deals

ICL Group Ltd. (ICL) today announced it had signed a five-year agreement with Ukraine’s Transkhimtrade, a leading Ukrainian fertilizer distributor, for the distribution of an aggregate of 350,000 mt of polysulfate fertilizers in Ukraine. 

ICL said this latest long-term distribution deal has increased total contracted volumes by 1.1 million mt from its Boulby operation in northeast England. Other long-term distribution deals include: a 12-year agreement for the supply of an aggregate of over 500,000 mt of polysulfate to Poland’s Polcalc Sp z.o.o.; a renewable annual framework agreement with 16 regional distributors in China to sell 100,000 mt of polysulfate and polysulfate-based fertilizers; and a three-year agreement, with an optional one-year extension, to sell polysulfate as raw material for value-added fertilizer production by Spanish fertilizer producer and distributor, Fertiberia SA. 

“…Our sales volumes for polysulfate have grown by 50 percent in each of the last three years and significant progress has been made to reach our production run-rate target of 1 million mt of polysulfate by the end of 2020,” said Eli Amon, ICL’s Innovative Ag Solutions (IAS) EVP.