PotashCorp Will Not Proceed With Sulfur Project
July 29, 2011 PotashCorp of Saskatchewan (PCS) has decided to abandon its project to build a sulfur plant in Morehead City, NC. North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue announced Wednesday afternoon at the port that the Canadian company planning the project had voluntarily dropped the idea of building it there.
Public concern over plans to build a sulfur-melting plant on state port land near Morehead City’s waterfront helped to kill the project.
PCS issued a statement after the governor’s announcement:
“PotashCorp makes it a priority to be a good corporate neighbor,” the company said. “Part of being a good neighbor is listening. We believe this is a good project that would bring jobs and benefits to the region, but have heard the concerns of local residents.”
The company said it would work with the Perdue administration on an alternative to locating the sulfur-melting plant at the state port. Michelle Vaught, a PCS spokeswoman based in Aurora, NC, said it would make sense to build a melting operation close to its Aurora mine, but she said that it would seek sites in North Carolina and elsewhere.
“At this point, we’re exploring all of our options,” Vaught said. “We’re just going to have to go back to the drawing board. We obviously hoped to break ground soon, but it’s important to listen to the community’s concerns, and we did.”
The project, which would have included two 125-foot smokestacks and storage facilities, would have brought 18 new jobs to the area and about $300,000 a year in property taxes for Morehead City and the county, said company officials.
(Source: NewsObserver.com)
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