en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 7, 2025, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) officially added potash to the 2025 Federal Critical Minerals List. This decision was based on supply data showing that the United States relies on imports for 92% to 94% of its potash needs. Canada supplies 79% of imports, while Russia accounts for 12%. Belarus, within Russia's political and economic orbit, is one of the world's largest potash producers. As a key component of fertilizers, potash is essential for maintaining agricultural and economic vitality, yet the U.S. is currently highly dependent on overseas supply.
New Mexico, Utah, and Michigan are the three major potash-producing regions in the United States. The Paradox Basin in southeastern Utah is one of the most significant production areas, with approximately 2 billion tons of potash contained in multiple formations. Developing this basin could provide a domestic supply source for western farmers and reduce transportation costs per ton of imported product. RESPEC applies its solution mining expertise and geotechnical engineering capabilities to the most challenging deposits in this region.
Potash deposits in the Paradox Basin lie partly over 7,000 feet underground, precluding conventional mining, making solution mining the only practical method. This process injects hot water into the potash seam to dissolve the target mineral, then pumps the resulting brine to the surface for recovery. In the water-scarce western region, closed-loop mechanical evaporation systems can reuse water instead of losing it through solar evaporation ponds, thereby reducing surface footprint and water withdrawal. However, after cavity formation, salt undergoes creep due to pressure and reshapes over time, potentially causing slow closure or collapse of the cavity, resulting in investment losses. RESPEC's cavity team has specialized in solving this problem for decades, with geomechanical modeling covering solution mining, hydrogen storage, and deep salt cavity design in North America, including projects where cavity depth and salt behavior far exceed industry standards. Simulating this behavior requires geomechanical analysis of cavity stability, subsidence potential, and failure risk.
Susan Patton, Principal Consultant at RESPEC, stated: "Potash knowledge and geotechnical engineering must be combined to achieve this." Camilo Rojas, Project Geologist at RESPEC, noted that extraction from the Paradox Basin directly reduces U.S. dependence on foreign potash imports. Erik Hemstad, Office Manager of RESPEC's Grand Junction office, said the company has led and managed exploration activities, analytical work, and technical reports for potash mining in the basin for two decades. In January 2026, Utah Governor Spencer Cox unveiled the "Mission Critical" strategy, aiming to shorten the permitting timeline for critical mineral extraction on state-owned lands to 18 months or less, with the goal of making Utah the nation's preferred destination for critical mineral extraction and processing [Deseret News, January 20, 2026].
For operators working in the Paradox Basin, the question is not whether the resource exists, but whether the engineering behind the project is robust enough to access it. Founded in 1969, RESPEC is an employee-owned engineering and consulting firm with offices in the United States and Canada. Its Mining and Energy Group provides full lifecycle services for solution mining, underground storage, and critical mineral projects, including exploration, resource estimation, mine design, cavity modeling, and operational support.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
