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Fertilizer industry continues push for phosphate to be added to Critical Minerals List
The vice president of government affairs for The Fertilizer Institute says adding phosphate to the Critical Minerals List could help improve its availability.
Ed Thomas says the distinction could help bolster domestic production and reduce fertilizer costs.
“It takes time, but this will be very helpful in the longer term, if we face similar supply shocks to what we have had over the last three to five years,” he says. “We want to be prepared and have a better solution for long-term viability of domestic fertilizer production here in the US.”
He tells Brownfield, “We rely on China and Russia for almost 60 percent of our phosphate production. They can impact the supply market on these products. There is a recognition that it is a real potential problem that we could be facing in the future.”
A bipartisan bicameral group of lawmakers recently sent a letter to the Secretary of the Interior asking for a resolution. Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin led the letter with Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, which also included more than 60 other congressional colleagues.
Earlier this month, potash was added to the U.S. Critical Minerals List.
AUDIO: Ed Thomas, The Fertilizer Institute
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