LaFarge North America should review its hiring policy for the LaCrosse area. Current practices have allowed the hiring of an employee who is either ignorant of current debates in the sand and aggregate mining industry or willingly faking ignorance.
Or perhaps either passes as clever for the aggregate mining and concret company.
In the opinion pages of today's Winona Daily News, Mike Stolpa shares his Guest view: Frac sand offers rare opportunity by confessing a former state of ignorance:
What exactly is frac sand?
I tried looking it up in the dictionary without any luck, as there is not a specific definition. It is simply sand used for a certain purpose called hydraulic fracturing.
This is a good one, given that it's unlikely that Stolpa had to look up "frac sand" in a dictionary. According to his Linked In page, he works as the "Territory Sales Manager at Lafarge North America, La Crosse, Wisconsin Area" in the construction industry.
He possesses:
Extensive knowledge of concrete construction and concrete the material. Experienced teacher and public speaker.
Before joining LaFarge, Stolpa worked for Croell Redimix.
Not that Stolpa shares his personal financial interest in the pit mining industry he touts after claiming he had to look the definition up for "frac sand."
And then he states:
Sand is everywhere and has been mined as long as there has been civilization and building, even here. Mining is already one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. To suggest that we don’t know or understand the sand mining process is to ignore reality.
And anyone who disagrees that the results of that process aren't totally wonderful? Ignorant peasants with pitchforks and torches, standing on principle:
All of the tools are in place for us to greatly benefit from a natural resource we have in abundance. So what do we do? We can remain on either side of our political fence, throwing bricks or mud or whatever because we stand on principle and refuse to listen or bend, whatever the cost.
Or we can communicate and talk and take advantage of opportunity we have not seen in a very long time and may not see again for an even longer time.
The choice is ours. Let’s make it wisely.
But first, let's pretend we don't know what "frac sand" is, while not disclosing our employer's financial interest in not having people concerned about the aggregate and sand mining industry.
The Winona City Council approved a one-year moratorium Tuesday on new or expanding businesses that handle frac sand.
The council approved the moratorium unanimously at a sparsely attended three-minute emergency meeting.
“I’m glad council was all together on this,” said council member Debbie White. “It’s a balanced approach for everybody. I think we’re doing the right thing.”
“We live here too, and our goal is the same as the people,” said Winona Mayor Jerry Miller. “We want the same things.”
Interim city manager Judy Bodway said the council called the emergency meeting so the council could approve a moratorium before any new sand-related applications were filed.
Governmental bodies are allowed to call emergency meetings only in cases when a majority of members decide that a municipality’s peace, health, safety or other core standards are threatened. Bodies are not required to formally publicize the meeting, but must make efforts to announce it to local media.
Image: In mid-February, protesters linked arms to stop a dump truck carrying fracking sand (silica sand) in Winona. Read more at
the Pioneer Press.
Strikingly similar to ALEC members Laura Brod and Steve Drazkowski pretending not to know about what ALEC is and what it does: http://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2012/03/laura-brods-fractured-fairytales-alec-edition-.html
So is willful ignorance really desirable among the servants of the 1%, or are these folks all lying when they put on their Sergeant Schultz "I know nothing" acts?
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Mar 17, 2012 at 12:11 PM