BLM approves initial construction for Sevier Playa potash mining project
Jun 11, 2025, 12:00 PM | Updated: 12:18 pm
Sevier Lake is seen in the distance. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved a potash mining project on Sevier Lake on June 10, 2025. (U.S. Bureau of Land Management)
(U.S. Bureau of Land Management)
FILLMORE — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management authorized Peak Minerals to begin the first phase of its Sevier Playa potash mining project on Tuesday, allowing for extraction on 124,000 acres of mineral lease land.
The record of decision document explained that the BLM believes the project complies with resource management law.
According to a press release, the company plans to mine potash and “other minerals” on the land. Additionally, infrastructure development in and outside of the mineral lease areas.
Peak Minerals’ proposal explains that the company hopes to produce an average of 215,000 tons of potash each year.
Potash is a general term for potassium-containing minerals used in agricultural fertilizer. It serves as a source of potassium, which is one of the main nutrients plants need to grow.
Additionally, the project proposal explained that the first phase would last approximately 25 years. It did not include details on future phases, saying their development depends on future mining operations.
Mining for potash is far more complex than simply digging into the ground and pulling it out. Since potash originates in a brine, evaporation ponds are necessary to separate minerals from the water.
Intrepid Potash pumps brine into a canal at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The mining company uses a process called solar evaporation mining, pumping water into the ground to dissolve minerals and then transporting it through canals to ponds where evaporation leaves behind a valuable potassium salt called potash. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press)
BLM cites Trump executive order in Sevier Playa project approval
Upon the announcement of the approval, the BLM said, “Projects like this support President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14241.”
Signed on March 20, 2025, the executive order directs federal agencies to prioritize mineral production on federal lands. The Trump administration believes the country needs the minerals to strengthen national security and American industries.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has long opposed the Sevier Playa potash project. Staff Attorney Hanna Larsen said the impacts of the Sevier Playa potash project will have negative impacts on the surrounding area, its wildlife, and the night skies.
“The impacts of this industrialization will be clear on both the lakebed and the surrounding public lands, significantly impairing important habitat for migratory birds, ruining incredibly dark night skies, and adversely affecting water resources for decades to come.”
In 2023, the environmental advocacy group filed a lawsuit challenging a 2019 BLM decision that approved potash mining on the Sevier Playa. They argued that the approval violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to fully consider the environmental impacts of the project.
That lawsuit is still unresolved.
Sevier Lake is a remote body of water in Utah’s West Desert. Similar to Great Salt Lake, the high-salinity lake serves as a crucial stopover for migratory birds.
Since the lake is fed by the Sevier River, which is often dry during hotter parts of the year, SUWA argued that additional water use on the lake could negatively impact the region.
Although they didn’t make their plans known, SUWA said they “will continue to work to protect this area.”
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