This week, three conservation groups who were suing Bayer’s subsidiary P4 announced they have gone through mediation and found resolution.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the Caldwell Canyon Mine located in Idaho in 2019. This mine expansion would be the source of materials for the Soda Springs elemental phosphorus plant, which Bayer uses the phosphorus to produce glyphosate. Bayer the new mine’s capacity would expand the operational timeframe for the site by 35 to 40 years, and the facility has been in operation for more than 65 years.
In 2021, The Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit against P4 citing effects of the mine’s activity (indirect and direct) on the sage grouse.
As announced this week, to resolve the lawsuit, P4 will contribute:
· $5.1 million to a trust fund for greater sage-grouse habitat restoration or conservation
· more than $2.4 million to acquire land to protect wildlife habitat connectivity
· $300,000 for sage-grouse presence or population surveys administered by a third party in consultation with conservation groups
Additionally, there are rail time frame limits and noise limits to prevent disturbing the grouse species.
The Caldwell Canyon Mine has brought additional scrutiny of its permitting processes. In 2023, a federal judge vacated the Bureau of Land Management’s authorization of the mine. The project is now currently being re-reviewed by the Bureau of Land Management as P4 submitted a newly proposed mine and reclamation plan. Their decision will be forthcoming.
