In mid-March, Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Dunbar published an objective look at How Minnesota and Wisconsin's frac sand mining rules differ.
Certain parts of the comparison were picked up by pro-status quo mining folks as evidence that were Minnesota to enact some of the industrial sand mining regulatory bills moving through the state legislature, potential added costs would cause the sandmen to pick up their dump trucks and leave.
Dunbar noted the difference in permit fees:
Permit Fees: Industry officials say environmental permit fees are generally higher in Minnesota, and sometimes Minnesota bills companies for the time it takes to evaluate a permit request. For example, Mankato-based Unamin Corp. said it paid Minnesota officials $150,000 to evaluate a water use permit, and the water use fees were about 10 times the cost of Wisconsin's.
Well, that's certainly scary.
Dunbar had noted that Minnesota's review is more stringent, but two new reports from Wisconsin Public Radio suggest that even the Badger State's more lax regulation is a burden to counties. Rick Kremer reports in Even With Hikes, Frac Sand Permit Fees Often Don't Cover Public Cost:
Some counties in western Wisconsin are increasing frac sand permit fees to keep taxpayers from subsidizing the industry; however, the additional revenue still is not covering the costs in some cases. . . .
Chase Cummings is the Pepin County land conservationist. He says they only have one frac sand mine operating, but their permit fee has not come close to covering the cost: “We spent probably, over 2011 and 2012, almost 800 hours just on one mine site in our office on a $900 plan review fee.”
This year, a number of counties in western Wisconsin have changed their permit review fees including Pepin County, which increased it to more than $7,000 for large mines. Barron County’s permit review fee was $750 but now can go as high as $10,000.
Even so, County Zoning Administrator David Gifford says they are not breaking even: “I would say at this time we are not covering 100 percent of the time that is invested into non-metallic mining.”
Also striking is the difference in permit fees between counties. Last week, a frac sand mining company in Trempealeau County paid $25,000 to have its permit reviewed, but just next door in Jackson County, companies need only pay $350. A 2008 Department of Natural Resources report showed that 13 Wisconsin Counties were operating their reclamation programs at a deficit. . . .
That's just for the reclamation permit. In another story, County Regulators' Time Nearly Monopolized By Frac Sand Mining, Kremer reported:
County conservation officials say keeping tabs on frac sand mining is taking up nearly all of their time, leaving issues of manure runoff and farmland preservation on the back burner.
Chippewa County land conservationist Dan Masterpole says since 2008, his office has been hammered with permit applications for 10 frac sand mines and at least three processing facilities.He says even with extra temporary help, other responsibilities like grant-writing and helping farmers enroll in land conservation programs have taken a back seat.
Even more serious, Masterpole says the sand mining rush has taken away from efforts to manage farm runoff.
“We curtailed response to public complaints, principally feedlot discharges and manure runoff. We simply have not been able to work on some of the worst barnyards in the county, whereas traditionally we always had one or two of the most serious dischargers putting in best management practices.”
In Barron County, 13 frac sand operations have been permitted with other applications pending. . . .
It's not just frac sand mining activists and Minnesota local government officials' imagination. Local government in Western Wisconsin is being overwhelmed by the sand rush. The demand for legislative relief before the industry digs up Southeastern Minnesota was triggered by the experience of local citizens sounding an alarm and local government asking for help as the industry eyes Minnesota's silicia sand.
Photo: We don't really want a Wisconsin-style sand train wreck here. A recent sand train wreck near Hatfield, Wisconsin.
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