18G Saturday, March 21, 2015 rocketminer.com

MATT NABERreporter1@rocketminer.com

SWEETWATER COUNTY —

Record production last year and

a new parent company at the

start of this year has the future

looking very bright for FMC.

Production went up by 4 per-

cent in 2014, FMC

manufacturing direc-

tor Fred von Ahrens

said.

This trend will

continue now that

FMC completed the

solution mining pilot

for the first time.

This new approach

to mining will ensure

trona production re-

mains strong for

decades in southwestern

Wyoming. Solution mining is

when trona is dissolved with wa-

ter so that even the pillars and

walls of the mines are being used

for extraction.

In 2014 workers made nearly

4 million tons of soda ash.

FMC’s Green River site, Alka-

li Chemicals, provides jobs for

more than 900 employees.

FMC, which was the first soda

ash plant in the world, is an in-

novator in the industry for build-

ing a sesqui carbonate plant,

Ahrens said. That is the chemi-

cal process where trona is

processed for glass production,

chemical manufacturing, bath

beads, detergents and water

softening agents.

It went on to invent the mono-

hydrate process which lowers

the melting point of sand when

manufacturing glass. It also

means 40 percent less green-

house gas is produced when

soda ash is used in making glass,

Ahrens said.

In addition to soda ash, italso

produces caustic soda, which is

a base chemical for creating

soap, detergents, cleaning com-

pounds and chemical process-

ing. It also works with sodium

bicarbonate, which is used for

dental and baking

products, deter-

gents, food products

and animal feed.

GIVING BACK

Between FMC and

the employees, they

generate about

$300,000 in dona-

tions to the United

Way of Southwest

Wyoming, nearly 20

percent of its total received do-

nations.

FMC also made a $25,000 do-

nation to the Memorial Hospital

of Sweetwater County Founda-

tion, $5,000 to the Sweetwater

County Library Foundation and

are major sponsors of Cowboys

Against Cancer, the Wyoming

Community Foundation,

Wyoming Art Museum, Ducks

Unlimited and Trout Unlimited,

Ahrens said.

FMC is also involved in the

Wyoming Mining Association,

Ahrens said. He also serves as a

board member for the Wyoming

Business Alliance, Leadership

Wyoming, Wyoming Art Muse-

um for the University of

Wyoming and the Memorial

Hospital of Sweetwater County

Foundation, he said.

Ahrens also serves on Gov.

Matt Mead’s sage grouse team.

It applied for a conservation

agreement, Ahrens said.

FMC set up several sections

of wildlife-friendly fencing with

the Wyoming Wildlife Founda-

tion, re-seeded sage brush and

planted it to increase the amount

of suitable habitat in core areas

for sage grouse.

“We do a lot of conservation

activities,” Ahrens said.

Its solution mining pilot is

done at the Granger facility,

which was built with minimal

disruption to the land with

buried power lines and solar

power, said David Caplan, FMC

site communications and public

affairs manager.

“We got people up on the lat-

est techniques,” Caplan said.

SAFETY IS THE TOP PRIORITY

A lot can go wrong when min-

ing for trona, particularly in a

mine as big as FMC’s that cov-

ers 10 miles and goes down

1,500 feet, so safety is the top

priority at FMC.

FMC won the Industrial Min-

erals Association of North

America’s large mine safety

awards in 2012 and 2013. As of

press time the results for 2014

weren’t in yet, but Ahrens said

he was confident they would win

again.

“We are proud of the whole

trona industry,” Ahrens said.

“We work together on the safe-

ty of employees to share the best

practices and what we call mutu-

al aid for if anyone needs help.

We compete, but when it comes

to safety, we work together.”

Workers also participate in the

“safetons” program where they

focus on working daily without

injury while improving the relia-

bility of the equipment and in-

creasing output, Ahrens said.

Basically, they are constantly

looking for opportunities to pro-

duce more and to do it safely.

“If we can’t do it safely, we

don’t do it,” Caplan said. “We

have to keep those two things

linked.”

NEW OWNER

In early February it was an-

nounced that FMC’s Green Riv-

er site, Alkali Chemicals, was to

be sold to international mining

company Tronox Limited for

$1.64 billion.

The sale will not be final until

about the end of the first quarter,

Caplan said.

Tronox plans on operating Al-

kali Chemicals as a separate

business unit and reporting seg-

ment, according to a Tronox

press release.

Once the acquisition is com-

plete around April 1, Tronox will

have about 4,600 employees at

18 locations in the United States,

Australia, South Africa and the

Netherlands for a total value of

about $2.6 billion. Joining this

team means the Green River site

will have more “strength and

stability” for potential future

growth, Caplan said.

Looking ahead, FMC plans to

continue focusing on reliability

with no injuries while managing

their costs to improve its com-

petitiveness and leverage new

technology in solution mining,

Ahrens said.

ROCK SPRINGS — The

Rock Springs Urban Renewal

Agency was established in

2005 by the city of Rock

Springs in order to revitalize,

redevelop and conserve the

slum and blighted areas of the

Urban Renewal District. This

area encompasses the down-

town central business district

and the east entrance of Rock

Springs.

The URA, considered a de-

partment within the city, is

headed by a manager, who also

facilitates the Rock Springs

Main Street program with the

assistance of staff. The agency

depends on countless volun-

teer hours of service on four

standing committees: Promo-

tions, Design, Economic Re-

structuring and Organization.

Along with volunteers, the

URA partners with the city of

Rock Springs, the downtown

merchants, Rock Springs

Chamber of Commerce,

Wyoming Business Council,

Sweetwater School District No.

1, Community Fine Arts Cen-

ter, Rock Springs Historical

Museum Board, Rock Springs

Recreation Board, Rock

Springs Parks and Recreation

Department, Rock Springs Li-

brary Board, Sweetwater Trav-

el and Tourism, professional

individuals, property owners

and all appropriate stakehold-

ers in the Rock Springs com-

munity.

“Every one of these partner-

ships plays a vital role in help-

ing accomplish projects within

the URA plan,” URA/Main

Street Manager Chad Banks

said.

URA is responsibility for en-

suring the Urban Renewal Dis-

trict is strengthened and re-

mains a vital part of the com-

munity, according to Banks.

Public consensus and involve-

ment remains a key ingredient

for the success of this imple-

mentation, and Rock Springs

has demonstrated an excellent

track record in volunteerism

and community spirit, he said.

“The URA will continue to

carry out the renewal plan to

improve the overall aesthetics

and life of the Urban Renewal

District area as well as the city

of Rock Springs,” Banks said.

FOUR-POINT APPROACH

Working within the Main

Street Four-Point Approach,

the URA created and coordi-

nate with the following volun-

teer driven committees:

Organization Committee:This committee is charged

with bringing resources, both

manpower and financial, into

the program.

Through fundraising initia-

tives, outreach, communica-

tion and events, this commit-

tee acts as the human re-

sources arm of Main Street.

Design Committee: This

committee works to make visu-

al improvements to downtown

through good design compati-

ble with historic features. The

Design Committee reviews all

Façade Assistance and Paint

Assistance Grant applications,

making recommendations to

the Main Street board for fund-

ing approval.

Economic RestructuringCommittee: URA’s newest

committee helps existing busi-

nesses grow and expand, re-

cruits new businesses into the

district and revitalizes under-

used properties.

Promotions Committee:This committee is charged

with enhancing the image and

prospects of the downtown’s

unique social, economic and

cultural character through spe-

cial events and marketing cam-

paigns.

OUR SERVICES

The URA offers a variety of

services free of charge to any

building or business owner in

the Urban Renewal area, Banks

said.

These include business

coaching and advice, market-

ing coaching, assistance host-

ing a special event or promo-

tion, grant assistance, website

directory listing, business

workshops and seminars, a

point of contact and cheer-

leader for all of downtown and

more.

REINVESTMENTSTATISTICS

• Eighteen renovations proj-

ects were completed in down-

town Rock Springs during

2014, totaling more than $4

million.

• Eleven new businesses

opened downtown creating 14

full-time jobs and eight part-

time jobs.

• Volunteers contributed

more than 2,500 hours, valued

at more than $56,000.

• During 2014, Wyoming

Main Street reported that for

every dollar spent by the Rock

Springs Main Street/URA, an-

other $3.60 was reinvested

downtown by businesses,

building owners, nonprofits

and the city of Rock Springs.

2014 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Some of URA’s accomplish-

ments during 2014 were:• Released a new downtown

Rock Springs logo,

• Developed a new website forDowntown Rock Springs includ-ing a calendar of events, busi-ness directory, resource listingand inventory of available prop-erties in the district,

• Created an extensive down-town merchant database andlandlord/owner database,

• Implemented Volgistics soft-ware for volunteer managementand scheduling,

• Implemented a “Feature Fri-day” program on Facebook tohighlight downtown businesses,

• Received the quarterly "Awe-some Main Street ProgramAward" for the Downtown Danand Feature Friday promotionsfrom Wyoming Main Street (Jan-uary 2014),

• Hosted the first annual Ken-tucky Derby Party, netting nearly$20,000 to continue URA’s pro-grams and projects,

• Hosted the first annualDowntown Chocolate Stroll,

• Started a “Volunteer of theMonth” recognition and awardprogram as well as a “Volunteerof Year” award and hosted a vol-unteer reception,

• Completed the Bunning Parkand 1st Security Bank feasibilitystudies,

• Awarded the contract for theJohn Bunning Transfer Stationbuilding with work nearly com-pleted,

• Received a $20,000 grantfrom the Wyoming Main Streetprogram to make improvementsto bank court,

• Hosted a “Downtown BurgerChallenge” during May to boostdining in Downtown RockSprings — (more than 125 partic-ipants completed the challenge),

• Partnered with the owners ofthe former Sweet Briars buildingand CJ Signs to cover the win-dows on the building and en-hance the appearance of thatarea,

• Rods and Rails Car Showtopped 100 entries for the firsttime,

• Sweetwater Blues n’ Brewsreceived sponsor contributionsof $14,500 and grossed over$40,000 with attendance topping1,300,

• Conducted the WyomingMain Street biannual review,

• Worked with the RockSprings Community Connectionsprogram and Boys and Girls Clubof Sweetwater County to instill asense of volunteerism in localyouth.

What is the Rock SpringsURA/Main Street?

WANT TO KNOW

MORE?

MISSIONFostering the economicand social vitality of down-town while preserving ourheritage.

VISIONDowntown will be an at-tractive, vibrant destina-tion for residents and visi-tors.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS• Andrew K. Varley, CPA,board chairman• Stacy Jones, vice chair-man• Brent Williams• Gloria Hutton• Cheryl Confer• Kevin Harper• Maria Mortensen• Glennise Wendorf, CityCouncil liaison

ADDRESS: 501 S. Main St.,Rock Springs

WEBSITE: www.downtownrs.com

PHONE: 1-307-352-1434

GREEN RIVER — Tata

Chemicals North America has

enjoyed a wealth of good news

recently.

First, Tata extended its con-

tract with Westmoreland Kem-

merer through 2026.

Then it made a generous do-

nation to the Lyman Library to

celebrate International Literacy

Month and employees, including

members of the United Steel

Workers Union, participated in a

reading session attended by

more than 200 people.

Tata employees, including nu-

merous members of the United

Steel Workers, combined with

Tata to contribute $224,000 to

the United Way campaign.

Now the company will observe

perhaps the most significant

event in its recent history — the

opening of a new ventilation

shaft. The shaft is the culmina-

tion of four years of work that

will effectively open up a new

phase in the life of Tata’s Green

River mine.

Tata has been mining and pro-

cessing trona ore, a mineral that

contains soda ash, in Green Riv-

er since 1968. With an under-

ground trona mine that spans 55

square miles, TCNA's Green

River facility is one of the largest

soda ash facilities in North

America.

This Spring, TCNA will cele-

brate the grand opening of Shaft

7, a ventilation shaft that will

open up almost 1,000 miles of

new rock face and support the

mine’s expansion through to the

middle of the next decade.

Shaft 7 is a massive $26 mil-

lion investment. As a gauge of

the scope of the project, nearly

10,000 yards of concrete was re-

quired for the shaft liner and

surface construction. Weather

and geography presented chal-

lenges, but now the project is

close to reaching fruition.

Success was due in part to the

involvement of regulatory agen-

cies such as the Bureau of Land

Management, the Department

of Environmental Quality,

Wyoming Game and Fish, Mine

Safety and Health Administra-

tion and Sweetwater County

Planning and Zoning.

“It’s a complex piece of engi-

neering and the largest capital

expenditure in the past 20

years,” said McRae ‘Mac’

Richardson, Tata’s engineering

superintendent at Green River.

“Coordination is key, whether

it’s from my engineering col-

leagues such as Steve Finley and

Robert Parker, plant manager

Paul Peterson who’s been com-

municating progress to the busi-

ness leaders or mine operations’

manager John Fackrell, mine

production superintendent Lar-

ry Brown and mine utility super-

intendent Jon Peterson who are

responsible for allocating re-

sources. All have made a mas-

sive contribution.”

The scale of the investment is

unprecedented in Tata. Manag-

ing director Martin Keighley

stresses the importance of this

strategic venture.

“It’s a massive vote of confi-

dence on the part of Tata Chem-

icals on Green River and the fu-

ture of our natural soda ash op-

erations,” Keighley said.

The shaft, which is scheduled

to become operational around

spring 2015, will extend the

mine’s life until at least 2025.

From an economic perspective,

the new shaft solidifies current

jobs and has benefitted many lo-

cal businesses through purchas-

es and construction contracts.

With the grand opening of the

shaft only months away, excite-

ment continues to build among

Tata executives and employees

alike. Around 80 percent of the

miners Tata employs in Green

River, many of whom are second

and third generation employees,

have already traveled to the site

to see the shaft.

Tata’s new shaft breathesfresh life into Green River

Progress continues at Tata Chemicals on 7 Shaft with the Raise Borerig in place at the bottom of the subcollar.

WANT TO KNOW

MORE?

Learn more about TataChemicals:

WEBSITE: www.tatachemicals.com

Record production, new ownerhas FMC’s future looking bright

FRED VON AHRENS

WANT TO KNOW

MORE?

Learn more about FMC:

WEBSITE: fmc.com

EMAIL: davidcaplan@fmc.com

PHONE: 1-307-872-2273

FMC planted sage brush in crucial habitat areas for sage grouse tohelp the species flourish near its underground mines.

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