Mile 173.5 - RBD CF Industries

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

173.5 RBD CF Industries

CF Industries sprawling 1,400 acre Nitrogen Complex is touted as the largest nitrogen operation in North America. The facility produces anhydrous ammonia, granular urea and urea ammonium nitrate solution for agricultural and industrial use. In 2000 the facility had an explosion that killed 3 and injured 14. In June 2013 an explosion killed 1 and injured 7. In December 2015 a contract worker was found dead in a vessel that was under construction (investigation ongoing).

According to Toxic Releases (TRI) for 2013 CF Industries released a whopping 6,924,957 pounds of toxins into the air and 1,127,771 pounds into the river, which is the highest reported releases for any industry along the Lower Miss. This is not the most horrible stuff, but ammonia can irritate the nose and lungs and cause asthma-like effects. The nitrates in the water contribute to hypoxia in the gulf (dead zone). (Paul Orr)

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