1. 18G Saturday, March 21, 2015 rocketminer.com
MATT NABER
reporter1@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 Restructuring
Committee: 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.
REINVESTMENT
STATISTICS
• 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 for
Downtown Rock Springs includ-
ing a calendar of events, busi-
ness directory, resource listing
and inventory of available prop-
erties in the district,
• Created an extensive down-
town merchant database and
landlord/owner database,
• Implemented Volgistics soft-
ware for volunteer management
and scheduling,
• Implemented a “Feature Fri-
day” program on Facebook to
highlight downtown businesses,
• Received the quarterly "Awe-
some Main Street Program
Award" for the Downtown Dan
and Feature Friday promotions
from 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 annual
Downtown Chocolate Stroll,
• Started a “Volunteer of the
Month” recognition and award
program as well as a “Volunteer
of Year” award and hosted a vol-
unteer reception,
• Completed the Bunning Park
and 1st Security Bank feasibility
studies,
• Awarded the contract for the
John Bunning Transfer Station
building with work nearly com-
pleted,
• Received a $20,000 grant
from the Wyoming Main Street
program to make improvements
to bank court,
• Hosted a “Downtown Burger
Challenge” during May to boost
dining in Downtown Rock
Springs — (more than 125 partic-
ipants completed the challenge),
• Partnered with the owners of
the former Sweet Briars building
and CJ Signs to cover the win-
dows on the building and en-
hance the appearance of that
area,
• Rods and Rails Car Show
topped 100 entries for the first
time,
• Sweetwater Blues n’ Brews
received sponsor contributions
of $14,500 and grossed over
$40,000 with attendance topping
1,300,
• Conducted the Wyoming
Main Street biannual review,
• Worked with the Rock
Springs Community Connections
program and Boys and Girls Club
of Sweetwater County to instill a
sense of volunteerism in local
youth.
What is the Rock Springs
URA/Main Street?
WANT TO KNOW
MORE?
MISSION
Fostering the economic
and social vitality of down-
town while preserving our
heritage.
VISION
Downtown 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, City
Council liaison
ADDRESS: 501 S. Main St.,
Rock Springs
WEBSITE: www.down
townrs.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 breathes
fresh life into Green River
Progress continues at Tata Chemicals on 7 Shaft with the Raise Bore
rig in place at the bottom of the subcollar.
WANT TO KNOW
MORE?
Learn more about Tata
Chemicals:
WEBSITE: www.tata
chemicals.com
Record production, new owner
has 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 to
help the species flourish near its underground mines.
Progress Sec. G.qxp 3/16/2015 5:14 PM Page 18