Public opposition – obviously strong by the protests voiced at what turned into a community meeting last week, Jan. 17 – has caused Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. to eliminate the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth, Va., from consideration for a sulfur melting plant.
“They spoke out loud and clear at the hearing,” Port of Virginia spokesman Joe Harris commented.
PotashCorp followed up the next day, Jan. 18, with a letter from Steve Beckel, general manager of PotashCorp Aurora, to Portsmouth Mayor Kenneth Wright saying Portsmouth was being eliminated as one of the options being considered, and that discussions were being terminated with the Port Authority in Portsmouth. The meeting apparently was a regular city council session, but quickly turned into a public hearing considering the potential PotashCorp plant. One unidentified resident offered that the “meeting was not being held specifically in reference to the project. It was a regularly scheduled city council meeting for the first quarter of the year.”
The announcement came amid growing opposition to the plant, which was proposed in an area close to several neighborhoods along the Elizabeth River. The proposal become public a week earlier (GM Jan. 16, 2012), and according to the local press caused a growing amount of anger over the idea. It reached the point that about 350 residents appeared at the meeting, where the City Council was urged kill the project.
PotashCorp had said that the project would bring a $100 million investment, create about 65 construction jobs, employ as many as 10 people, and generate an undisclosed amount of tax revenue for the city. The company also had promised to use special scrubbers to make the plant odorless, and said it would comply with environmental regulations.
According to Beckel’s letter, Portsmouth was only one of several sites PotashCorp was considering for what he described as a state-of-the-art facility that is safe, clean, and fully compliant with all relevant environmental standards.
“As you know, we had folks from our company at that meeting to listen to the viewpoints of local citizens and address them to the extent that we could,” Beckel wrote. “That’s how we do business at PotashCorp. We’re open. We’re transparent and we value communication and input from everyone around our business. There are many considerations in a site evaluation process, of which public consultation is an important component. For a variety of reasons, including the initial feedback from the community, we have decided to eliminate Portsmouth as one of the options we are considering, and to conclude our discussions with the Port Authority in Portsmouth.”
Portsmouth became a repeat of the sulfur plant proposed for Morehead City, N.C., last year, which was also dropped due to strong community opposition (GM Aug. 1, 2010).