Bayer’s Proposed Caldwell Canyon Mine

Our Commitment to the Southeast Idaho Community

For over 65 years, Bayer’s P4 business, which does phosphate mining and phosphorus manufacturing, has been a central part of the Soda Springs community. Today it is a major pillar of the Southeast Idaho economy.

As with any local industry, phosphorus manufacturing contributes millions of dollars in taxes to support local schools, emergency services, and critical infrastructure like roads and hospitals. Additionally, the industry’s high wages and benefits elevate the remote and very rural Caribou County to the third highest wage rate among Idaho's 44 counties. But what most distinguishes the impact of Bayer's operations in Soda Springs is the long-standing commitment to community the company and its employees have shown for decades.

The Caldwell Canyon mine will provide the raw materials to continue Bayer’s Soda Springs operations for decades to come. Click here for details about Bayer’s commitment to the Southeast Idaho community.

Our Approach to Environmental Sustainability

Helping to preserve our environment for people, plants, wildlife, and communities is a key focus of our work at Bayer. When it comes to phosphate mining, our aim is simple: To leave as few traces of mining as possible, ensuring the important ecological functions before mining are restored and working after mining.

Bayer employees have expertise in a wide range of scientific fields, including biology, entomology, botany, and plant genetics, which is unique in the mining business and enables the company to craft innovative solutions to mine sustainability. Furthermore, Bayer hires additional engineers and geologists to ensure the phosphate ore (and the phosphorus derived from it) is obtained in the most ecologically responsible manner possible.

In terms of sustainability, the Caldwell Canyon mine has the potential to be the most advanced and innovative mine in the nation. Click here for details about our approach to “ecological restoration.”

The Societal Value of the Proposed Mine

Our modern society uses phosphorus in thousands of ways, some essential, others for our convenience and enjoyment. Bayer uses phosphorus to develop crop protection products for farmers. Phosphorus is also the key component of the brightener in toothpaste, it provides the tangy fizz to most soda pop, and, when added to baking soda, it becomes the common bread and cake ingredient of baking powder.

The proposed Caldwell Canyon mine will be the world’s most environmentally-advanced and sustainable source of phosphorus, capable of keeping the current Soda Springs elemental phosphorus plant running at full capacity for 35 to 40 years. Click here for details about the value of the proposed mine.