Ash

U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis has introduced a bill that would extend the current 2 percent soda ash royalty rate through 2016. The Wyoming Republican says her legislation would keep Wyoming's soda ash industry competitive on the global market. Being the leading producer of soda ash in the United States, most of the production occurs in Sweetwater County. Several t6housand residents are employed because of soda ash. China is also a producer, but Lummis says China undercuts its soda ash prices, giving China an unfair advantage over American soda ash. She says her bill will maintain a level playing field for Wyoming soda ash companies. Soda ash is used in glass, soaps and detergents, as well as in some industrial chemicals