BRADENTON — On Thursday, the Manatee County Planning Commission issued three recommendations for application denials, two for residential development and one for an amendment to the master mining plan at the four corners site by phosphate giant Mosaic.
Mosaic sought an amendment to it existing Master Mining Plan for the Four Corners Mine, amending the following: 1) extending the mining termination date to December 31, 2044 and reclamation termination date to December 31, 2055; 2) updating the Four Corners Mine boundary to include 84 acres of the Southeast Tract Master Mine Plan and 1,162 acres of the Wingate East Master Mining Plan to be known as the “East Duette Tract” and allowing material mined there to be processed through the Four Corners Beneficiation Plant (FCBP); 3) allowing continued processing of Hardee County reserves from south pasture extension and Ona Mine through the FCBP; and 4) updating the following four plans applicable to the Four Corners Mine: life of Mine Waste Disposal Plan, Transportation Plan, Reclamation Plan, and Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP).
Commissioners were clearly uncomfortable with such a lengthy blanket extension, which they did not find compatible with county regulations or in the best interest of the community. Commissioners recommended the approval of a request for a Local Development Agreement, acknowledging the applicants’ vested rights relating to mining activities within the Four Corners Mine, and the rescission of the Development of Regional Impact 6-0…