Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

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Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

We have included information about legal and environmental proceedings in Note 20 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. This information is incorporated herein by reference.

We are also subject to the following legal and environmental proceeding in addition to those described in Note 20 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements:


•	Nutrient Discharges into the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River Basin. On March 13, 2012, the Gulf Restoration Network, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, the Iowa Environmental Council, the Tennessee Clean Water Network, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Sierra Club, the Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc., the Prairie Rivers Network, the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. brought a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (the "Louisiana District Court") against EPA, seeking to require it to establish numeric nutrient criteria for nitrogen and phosphorous in the Mississippi River basin. In July 2011, EPA had denied the plaintiffs’ July 2008 petition seeking such standards. On May 30, 2012, the Louisiana District Court granted our motion to intervene in this lawsuit.

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Nutrient Discharges into the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River Basin. On March 13, 2012, the Gulf Restoration Network, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, the Iowa Environmental Council, the Tennessee Clean Water Network, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Sierra Club, the Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc., the Prairie Rivers Network, the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. brought a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (the "Louisiana District Court") against EPA, seeking to require it to establish numeric nutrient criteria for nitrogen and phosphorous in the Mississippi River basin. In July 2011, EPA had denied the plaintiffs’ July 2008 petition seeking such standards. On May 30, 2012, the Louisiana District Court granted our motion to intervene in this lawsuit.

On September 20, 2013, the Louisiana District Court issued a decision in this matter, holding that while EPA was required to respond directly to the petition and find that numeric nutrient criteria either were or were not necessary for the Mississippi River watershed, EPA had the discretion to decide this issue based on non-technical factors, including cost, policy considerations, administrative complexity and other issues. EPA appealed this decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (the "Court of Appeals") in November 2013. The Court of Appeals issued a decision on April 7, 2015, holding in substantial part that EPA was not obligated to make a determination that numeric nutrient criteria are or are not necessary, provided EPA gives a reasonable explanation for its conclusion. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the Louisiana District Court to decide whether EPA can meet that burden. On November 20, 2015 EPA filed a motion with the Louisiana District Court seeking summary judgment and on January 14, 2016, non-state intervenors including Mosaic filed a brief supporting EPA's motion.

We intend to defend vigorously EPA’s decision. In the event that EPA were to establish numeric nutrient criteria for nitrogen and phosphorous in the Mississippi River basin and the Gulf of Mexico, we cannot predict what its requirements would be or the effects it would have on us or our customers.

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