The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given approval, with specific conditions, for a small-scale road pilot project using phosphogypsum, which is a byproduct of phosphate production, on private land in Florida. This approval was given after a thorough risk assessment to ensure the project is as protective of public health as keeping phosphogypsum in a safe storage stack. The project, proposed by Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC, involves building a test road to study the potential use of phosphogypsum in road construction. Public comments raised several concerns, but the EPA maintained its decision based on the risk assessments, confirming it meets current health safety standards.
Simple Explanation
The EPA said it's okay for a company called Mosaic to try out using a special material called phosphogypsum to build a test road in Florida, but they have to be really careful to make sure it's safe for people and the environment. People had some worries, but after checking everything out, the EPA decided it's still okay to go ahead with the project.