Environmental Products Seeks Mining Contract

Environmental Products & Technologies Corp. in Westlake Village is negotiating a mining contract with Terra Minerals Corp. of Salt Lake City.

Mining and sales operations at the 640-acre Tiger Deposit owned by Environmental Products in Harper Valley, Ore., are expected to begin soon. The site has an estimated 350,000 tons of high-quality, 95% pure diatomaceous earth.

Diatomaceous earth is a lightweight, powdered form of sedimentary rock composed of the remains of microscopic one-cell aquatic plants called diatoms.

Environmental Products expects to sell earth from the Tiger Deposit at prices ranging from $300 to $1,000 per ton. The earth, which is nearly free from impurities, can be used as a filtration material in food and beverage processing and as the main component in a number of environmentally safe insecticide products.

“This arrangement will allow [Environmental Products] to exploit its vast reserves of diatomaceous earth without incurring the expenses related to operating a mining venture,” said Marvin Mears, company president.

Environmental Products sells waste management systems for agriculture and focuses on solving environmental problems while enhancing the productivity of farming and large livestock raising operations in the United States.