Port Holy – The Base Grove islanders came out in protest over new plans to expand the phosphate mining industry on the island, which would involve the eviction of much of the local community. The workers planned to walk out in protest should the plans go ahead.
Last week, Iscu’s main phosphate company EsPhos announced plans to expand the storage area for phosphogypsum, a byproduct of the processing of phosphate. The plans would encroach into the developments of the town, deeply impacting the livelihoods of locals in the area.
“If these plans were to go ahead, where do we move?” said one concerned resident. “Do we even get compensation? I don’t trust these corporations.”
Other concerns raised include the health risks of storing phosphogypsum, due to its radioactivity arising from the natural contamination of Iscu’s soil. It has been prohibited from use by environmental regulations.
The Mayor of Base Grove said he was opposed to the plans, saying that the island was already overcrowded with various developments “no thanks to foreign intervention”.
“This plan is bunk,” Base Grove’s mayor, John St Paul said, with a very thick local accent. “We do not want further infringement on our community. We’re already boxed in by those horrible settling ponds, the military base, and now this? It’s wrong, is what it is. We’ve been stomped on by the FSA, the AN, and now EsPhos – will it ever end?”
While he hoped to appeal to the AN administration, it is likely expected that the plans will go ahead. The commissioner of the AN administration had openly stated support for these plans, saying it will achieve economic growth goals set for the decade.
EsPhos has nevertheless been ramping up lobbying efforts in an attempt to sway public opinion. According to a spokesperson, this expansion is not “too big of a fuss” and the company instead intends to improve people’s livelihoods on the island.
“We’ve clearly communicated that this expansion will last until the end of the mine’s lifespan. We provide work for all the people who live here, and we are fully within our rights to make use of land that we own.”
Base Grove, located next to the Federal States’ J. Hillard Military Base, has a history inextricably tied to phosphate production, one of Iscu’s main industries. The Base Grove mine has produced thousands of tons of phosphoric acid per year since its establishment in 1982. The majority of Base Grove’s population works in the associated beneficiation and processing plants, the latter of which is located in central Base Grove. Most of the products go to Suvuman and Plurinesian farmers.
