PCS Phosphate Mine

The Albemarle-Pamlico Sound is one of the most productive North American fisheries, generating thousands of jobs and over $1 billion annually. Unfortunately, this valuable ecosystem has been put at risk by a phosphate mining operation in Beaufort County that would result in the largest single destruction of wetlands in North Carolina’s history, causing irreversible impacts to the region’s tourism and fishing future.

The Mining Operation

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) is seeking to mine 3,500 acres, including 2,400 acres of wetlands and more than seven miles of tidal creeks and streams bordering the Pamlico River. The planned destruction is so massive that PCS has asked the state for permission to relieve it of the legal obligation to offset its impacts by restoring natural buffers, and instead be held to less effective means of mitigation.

What’s at Stake

The area the company seeks to mine will permanently damage primary fishing habitat where both economically important commercial and recreational fish species spend all or part of their life cycle. Destroying these important fisheries will impact this region long after PCS has left the area, and there are no mitigation measures that can reverse this damage. This is to say nothing of the impacts the destruction of wetlands and tidal creeks will have on the region’s tourism and other important parts of the region’s economy.

SELC Takes Action

SELC is opposing PCS’s request for a permit. If a permit is granted, PCS should be required to first mine the extensive upland phosphate reserves the company already owns before it expands its reach to more environmentally vulnerable areas. Furthermore, PCS should be required to mitigate all impacts of its mining operation, and to install buffers between the mine and important local water bodies.