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FAST-41 Postings by Agencies for South Fort Meade – South of SR 64 Parcels

US Army Corps of Engineers - Regulatory (Posted on: )

FAST-41 Initiation Notice

FAST-41 Initiation Notice
Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC
South Fort Meade – South of SR 64 Parcels
Project Information
Title: South Fort Meade – South of SR 64 Parcels (SFM-S64)
Sector: Mining
Project Location
Project Location Address
South Fort Meade Beneficiation Plant:
Country: United States
Street Address: 5880 Manley Road
City: Fort Meade State: Florida Zip: 33841
County: Polk
Project Coordinates Coordinates
Latitude: 27.58291 North
Longitude: -81.60441 West
Project Sponsor Contact Information Company Name/Agency: Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC Project Sponsor: 
Russell Schweiss
Street Address: 13830 Circa Crossing Drive
City: Lithia
State: Florida
Zip: 33547


POC Name: Russell Schweiss
POC Title: Senior Director, Land and Resource Management
POC Work Phone: 1-813-500-6891
POC Email Address: Russell.Schweiss@mosaicco.com


Alternative Point of Contact (Optional) Company Name/Agency: Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC Project 
Sponsor: Russell Schweiss
Street Address: 13830 Circa Crossing Drive
City: Lithia State: Florida Zip: 33547
POC Name: Shelley Thornton
POC Title: Director, Land Use Permitting
POC Work Phone: 1-813-500-6958
POC Email Address: Shelley.Thornton@mosaicco.com


Project Purpose
Please provide a concise overview of the purpose and objective of the proposed project:

The phosphate rock produced at Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC’s (Mosaic) Florida mines is used to produce phosphate crop nutrients. Those nutrients are critical to achieving the crop yields necessary to meet national and global food needs. Mosaic is the United States’ largest domestic supplier of phosphate crop nutrients, supplying over half of the country’s annual requirements.

Outside of the U.S., available phosphate rock supplies are concentrated in relatively few parts of the world, where political security is tenuous and supply disruptions are a common occurrence.

The purpose of the project is to extend an existing mine to extract phosphate ore from known mineable reserves near the South Fort Meade (SFM) beneficiation plant, providing an uninterrupted supply of rock at historical production rates for an additional four years. The project is critical to Mosaic’s comprehensive ore reserve development plan to recover mineable phosphate rock reserves within the phosphate ore deposit located in central Florida.


Project Description
Please provide a concise description, including the general location of the proposed project and a summary of geospatial information, if available, illustrating the project area and the locations, if any, of environmental, cultural, and historic resources.

Project Description:
Mosaic is seeking to conduct mining on portions of an approximately 1,966-acre tract of land in Hardee County, Florida, that abuts the South Fort Meade Mine - Eastern Extension to the south of State Road 64 (SR 64), and is referred to as the South Fort Meade - South of SR 64 Parcels (SFM-S64) project. SFM-S64 is an extension of mine operations from Mosaic’s existing SFM Mine.

Mining SFM-S64 involves a number of steps. After land clearing and site preparation, the phosphate ore is extracted, and the land is reclaimed to state standards.

The phosphate ore will be beneficiated at Mosaic’s existing SFM beneficiation plant.

Location and Environmental Features:
The project area is located northeast of Wauchula, Florida and east of the Peace River in Hardee County. SFM-S64 is comprised of approximately 1,966 acres wholly within the Charlie Creek watershed. The principal land uses are citrus groves and dairies, which occupy over 72% of the site. Approximately 133 acres of wetlands and 92 acres of other surface waters are present onsite.

An Approved Jurisdictional Determination (AJD) submission is pending before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to determine which wetlands and waters are Waters of the United States (WOTUS). Based on Mosaic’s AJD submittal, it is estimated the project would impact approximately 13.6 acres of WOTUS. Mosaic is proposing to avoid impacts to approximately 118 acres of WOTUS. Impacts to WOTUS will be fully offset through compensatory mitigation (in the form of permittee-responsible mitigation projects).

Cultural/Historic Resources:
SFM-S64 has been surveyed by cultural resource management/archeological experts. The Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) concurred that the project is unlikely to affect historic properties or other cultural resources, based on the results of the survey.


Technical and Financial Ability
Please provide a description regarding the technical and financial ability of the project sponsor 
to construct the proposed project

Mosaic’s corporate parent, The Mosaic Company (MosaicCo), is the world’s leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. MosaicCo is a single source supplier of phosphate- and potash-based crop nutrients and animal feed ingredients and serves customers in approximately 40 countries. It is the second largest integrated phosphate producer in the world and one of the largest producers and marketers of phosphate-based animal feed ingredients in North 
America and Brazil. MosaicCo subsidiaries mine phosphate rock in Florida, Brazil and Peru and processes rock into finished phosphate products at facilities in Florida, Louisiana and Brazil.

Summary of Financing, Reviews and Authorizations
Please provide a description of any Federal financing, environmental reviews, and authorizations to be required to complete the proposed project.

No Federal financing is required for this project.

CWA 404 Permit - An individual permit will be required from the USACE for discharges of dredged or fill material to waters of the United States pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

NEPA Review - Issuance of an individual CWA 404 permit triggers environmental review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It is expected that an Environmental Assessment will be appropriate under NEPA because the impacts are limited to a previously degraded site and will be 
fully offset by the proposed mitigation. The USACE will be the lead agency coordinating the NEPA review.

ESA Section 7 Consultation - The project constitutes a major construction activity for which a Biological Assessment (BA) is required pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and the USACE must initiate consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) concerning the application to assess potential impacts to threated and endangered fish and wildlife species and critical habitat. The Federally listed species associated with this project are Alligator, Caracara, Eastern Indigo Snake, and Wood stork. Although the BA has not yet been completed, formal consultation with a Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement may be needed for one or more of these species. Coordination between the USACE and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is also required to determine potential effects on Essential Fish Habitat.

NHPA Section 106 - The SHPO has already provided a concurrence that the project is not likely to affect historic properties or other cultural resources, based on the results of the survey.

In addition to the above, Mosaic will obtain all required state and county approvals.


Project Assessment
Assessment that the project meets the definition of a covered project as defined in 42 U.S.C. §4370m(6)(A) of the FAST Act and a statement of reasons supporting the assessment.

1. Sector Applicability: The SFM-S64 project falls within the mining sector.

2. NEPA Applicability: The SFM-S64 project is subject to NEPA.

3. Financial Investment: The project will require a total investment of more than $200,000,000.

4. Abbreviated Review Exclusion: To our knowledge, the SFM-S64 project does not qualify for abbreviated authorization or environmental review processes under any applicable law.


Form Submitter Contact Information Submitter Contact Information
Name: Shelley Thornton
Title: Director, Land Use Permitting
Work Phone: 1-813-500-6958
Email: Shelley.Thornton@mosaicco.com
Agreement
By submitting this application, I affirm that I am an authorized representative of the Sponsor indicated above and that the facts set forth in this form are true and complete.
 

Application and Supporting Documents

Not available at this time.

Information on the status of mitigation measures

No decisions on mitigation requirements made at this time.

Description of the status of any litigation

N/A

Information about project-related public meetings, public hearings, and public comment periods

N/A at this time.

Description of any Federal agency action taken or decision made that materially affects the status of the project

No final action/decision taken at this time.