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U.S.
SUGAR CORPORATION SIGNS LEASE AGREEMENT WITH
STEWART MINING INDUSTRIES,
INC.
CLEWISTON,
FL — May 11, 2006— Sugar Corporation has signed a lease
agreement with Stewart Mining Industries, Inc., of Fort Pierce, to
mine aggregate rock on some of the Company’s land in western
Palm Beach County.
The long-term lease agreement includes 5,400 acres of land (4,000
to be mined) 11 miles west 20-Mile Bend. The initial plan calls for
mining up to 100 acres a year. The excavated property will have long-term
potential for water storage, creating 3,800 acres of reservoirs.
To minimize impact on local highways, all of the aggregate will be
transported by rail.
Stewart Mining currently operates two aggregate mines—one in
Fort Pierce and one in Jasper, Florida. Aggregate rock materials
are primarily used throughout Florida for road building and other
residential and commercial construction projects.
Not all of the property leased will be mined initially, with market
demand determining the mining schedule. As part of the agreement,
U.S. Sugar reserves the right to continue farming leased land not
currently involved in mining operations.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers officials toured the property and determined that no
wetlands would be affected by the mining operations.
“This mining lease is part of U.S. Sugar’s effort to
maximize its land assets. This is a unique opportunity to add value
to our
companies which are dedicated to long-term agriculture,” said
Robert Coker, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs.
“We are in the sugar business and we will continue to be in
the sugar business. The lease of this relatively small acreage should
not be
taken as any type of change in direction. It is our intention to
continue to be a major player in the U.S. sugar industry and to that
end, we are making significant investments in our sugar processing
facilities,” Coker said.
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