The Advocate staff photo by Travis Spradling
MOSAIC UNCLE SAM - GYPSTACK
In a state as flat as Louisiana, the 200 foot tall “hill” at Mosaic Uncle Sam stands out. Even more so because this “gypstack”- a mound of radioactive phosphorus-based waste material surrounding a lake of toxic water- has already proven to be a danger to the community. Beginning in 2019, subsidence and earthquakes caused the toxic water inside the gypstack to begin leaking. But gypstacks are hazardous at the best of times. The rock making up the stack, phosphogypsum, emits radioactive radon gas. Long term exposure to radium is linked to lung cancer The phosphogypsum and the water contain heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium, which cause brain damage. The issues from the 2019 leak are not completely resolved. If the gypstack ruptures, up to 280 Olympic-sized pools worth toxic water would enter the nearby Blind River, causing a total kill of the fish there. The heavy metals, phosphorus, and other pollutants would then enter Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, causing further damage to fish and wildlife.
Mosaic is now seeking a permit to build another gypstack, using the same unsafe methods, at its Uncle Sam facility. Phosphate processors like Mosaic need to develop a new, safe method of waste disposal, not build new gypstacks. Mosaic has not said that this expansion will result in any new jobs, just more toxic waste. LDEQ (Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality) is holding a hearing on the proposed gypstack expansion on Thursday, March 7th, 6 PM, at the St. James Parish Courthouse. At this hearing, LDEQ will accept spoken comments from the public. If you want to speak out against a toxic waste dump in your community, here are some tips for your comment:
Keep it at 3 minutes or under. You can submit longer, written comments at a later date.
Check Google Maps to determine if you live or work within 2 miles of the Mosaic facility. LDEQ will sometimes let people who live close by speak first, although don’t let living farther away stop you from commenting.
Be specific why you oppose the project and how it would affect you. Do you fish in the Blind River? Do you own land nearby?
If you want to come to the microphone with a friend for support, or have someone give a comment on your behalf, both are allowed.
LDEQ can’t answer any questions during the hearing. They may ask for clarification on something you said, but they are mostly there to listen.
If you’d like help getting started with a comment, please see the template below.
Yours in Service,
Sharon Cayette Lavigne, RISE St. James, Founder & Director
What is the best way to leave public comment through April 8, 2024?
The best way to send LDEQ a comment is to email DEQ.PUBLICNOTICES@LA.GOV and put the permit number P-0103-R1-M12 in the subject line. If you email a comment, it can be in the body of the email, or as a Word or PDF attachment. You can add photos to your comment as well. The deadline for written comments is 4:30PM on Monday, April 8.
If you wish to submit an anonymous written comment, email chunter@risestjames.org with the subject line Mosaic Comment. I will compile the comments and not use your name so that you can speak out to LDEQ without fear of retaliation.
Or you can mail a letter to LDEQ, P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313
MOSAIC COMMENT TEMPLATE
My name is ________________
I live (or work) at ________________
This is ________________ miles from Mosaic Uncle Sam
(You can find your home, workplace, school, or church’s distance from the facility by going to https://www.gps-coordinates.net/distance and entering 7250 LA-44, Convent, LA 70723 as Mosaic’s location)
I OPPOSE this project because (choose all that apply to you):
I do not want radioactive waste in my neighborhood. Phosphogypsum emits radon gas, which causes cancer, especially lung cancer. This is unacceptable to me because ________________
I fish in Blind River/Lake Maurepas/Lake Pontchartrain and this project presents a danger to fish and wildlife. The toxic process water that this gypstack would store would cause fish kills throughout the entire waterway if there was an accident, which would harm me because ______________
The gypstack and water contain heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium. These metals get into the soil, water, and fish for decades. Heavy metals are especially dangerous to young children, and my children are ______________ years old and go to school ______________ miles away.
My enjoyment of my land and property would be affected if a 300 foot waste dump was built nearby. If I had to look at, hear, and smell this new gypstack all day, I would feel ____________. My property value would also go down if this gypstack were built.
Gypstacks are an unsafe method of waste disposal. Just look at the Piney Point gypstack in Florida. When that gypstack leaked, it caused a red tide and the deaths of millions of fish. Dealing with that gypstack is costing Florida taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. I don’t want my tax dollars going towards propping up a technology that is so likely to fail.
I already deal with enough pollution in my community. There are ____________ plants near my home. Some of the health effects my family and I already suffer are ____________. The noise, pollution, and smells already make us feel ____________. The air quality in the 2 mile radius around Mosaic is some of the worst in the country and the state, and this project would only make it worse.
OTHER: Why do you not want this project in your community?
Mosaic Fertilizer LLC - Uncle Sam Plant Public Hearing
Thursday, March 07, 2024 at 6:00 PM
St. James Parish Courthouse, Council Chambers, 5800 Louisiana Highway 44, Convent, LA 70723
Mosaic Fertilizer LLC - Uncle Sam Plant - Gypsum Management Area and Appurtenances
AI 2532
Activity PER20210017
Permit Number P-0103-R1-M12