The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch today welcomed the introduction of legislation that will speed up a burdensome, costly, and time-consuming permitting process that needlessly delays critical projects, including phosphate and potash mining. H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act sponsored by Majority Leader Steve Scalise and co-sponsored by the Chairs of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Committee on Natural Resources, and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, will provide a streamlined and simplified permitting process for hard rock mining and other critical projects.
“Mining and permitting reform are vital to the fertilizer industry as potash and phosphate are two of the three essential crop nutrients critical to crop production,” Rosenbusch said. “Delays are measured in years and in the millions of dollars, with those paying the price being consumers who are already struggling with the rising costs of everyday goods.”
The delays Rosenbusch referenced include a permit to mine phosphate in Florida that took nearly 10 years and tens of millions of dollars in expert fees, studies, legal analysis, and legal fees; and a mining expansion permit for an existing mine that has been in limbo for over 12 years at a cost of over $25 million that has yet to be approved.
The fertilizer industry is asking Congress for a reliable and predictable permitting process to ensure that mining projects critical to the needs of US industry and consumers have a clear path forward towards compliance and approval.
“Farmers need an affordable and abundant supply of fertilizer,” Rosenbusch concluded. “We strongly support legislation that can make environmental reviews more efficient, reduce duplicative regulatory burdens, provide clear paths to approval, and put timelines in place to ensure our farmers have the fertilizers they need to grow the food on which we all depend.”