While the issue of frac sand mining has slipped from the statewide stage, it's still an area of concern for people living in Southeastern Minnesota and their neighbors in Wisconsin and Iowa.
Winona County frac sand ban
On April 26, the Winona Daily News' Glen Olson reported in Winona County board moves forward on frac sand ban, seeks more info:
A frac sand ban in Winona County will get further study, but a final decision isn’t guaranteed.
That was the decision from the Winona County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night, which engaged in an extended discussion prior to the decision that was long and varied, with different solutions presented and a large crowd and vocal public comments.
The board approved a motion by Commissioner Greg Olson to have planning department staff and the county attorney’s office study and prepare language for a frac sand ban, which would include frac sand and frac sand operations, but not other uses of the sand that while common in the area has in recent years become a prized commodity for fracking operations elsewhere in the country.
The motion passed 3-2, with commissioners Greg Olson, Marie Kovecsi and Jim Pomeroy voting in support and commissioners Steve Jacob and Marcia Ward dissenting. The vote kicks off a rigorous review process at the county level that could take months. . . .
Read the rest at the Winona Daily News. The paper has been peppered with letters supporting the ban. In neighboring Houston County, rancor continues over its board's behavior. Michael Fields of Winnebago Township writes the editor of the Caledonia Argus with the recommendation to Throw them out:
Houston County Commissioners Steve Schuldt (Caledonia) and Judy Storlie (La Crescent) are up for re-election in November. Over the years, these two commissioners have demonstrated extremely poor judgement, an apparent inability to balance a checkbook and a dismissive attitude toward the concerns of their constituents.
One infamously notable example was their refusal to ban industrial-scale frac sand mining when they had the chance early last year. An unprecedented 300 people showed up on a Tuesday morning begging them to keep Houston County from looking like the frac sand wastelands of Western Wisconsin. No such luck. Frac sand mining is still not prohibited and we only have to wait for the price of oil to go up before the bluffs start coming down. . . .
Protest in Wisconsin
Chris Hubbach reports in the Houston County News article, Anti-frac coalition calls for mining ban:
Calling silica sand a direct and indirect threat to health, community and the environment, representatives from more than a dozen organizations called for a ban on frac sand mining Monday, the eve of an industry conference in La Crosse.
“Frac sand is a dangerous business on many levels,” said Pat Wilson, chairman of the Coulee Region Sierra Club chapter. . . .
“We think the frac sand industry is destroying the Midwest,” said Ken Tschumper, a member of the Houston County Protectors and an organizer of Monday’s news conference. “We’re going to fight the frac sand industry every step of the way. We’re no longer going to accept regulation.”
Representatives of Minnesota’s Land Stewardship Project cited their 2014 report that found half of the frac sand companies operating in Wisconsin “violated DNR regulations, manipulated local governments, or engage in influence peddling and conflicts of interest.”
“We know regulations do not work in practice,” Winona County resident Lynnea Pfohl said.
Eighteen organizations — ranging from local anti-mining groups to the Ho-Chunk Nation — have formed an alliance supporting silica mining bans at the local and state level across the Driftless region.
The paper's coverage from inside the conference wasn't especially cheery either. Hubbach reported Frac industry experts: Not all Wisconsin mines will survive market shift.
Eric Lindquist reported in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram article, Silent sandbox: Once booming frac sand industry continues major downturn:
This should be the time of year when the frac sand mines that dot western Wisconsin are buzzing with activity after a seasonal winter slowdown.
Instead, most of the facilities in the once-booming sand mining sector sit dormant, with skeleton crews occasionally stopping by to ensure the lights are still working and groundwater runoff is properly contained. . . .
The industry slump that led to significant layoffs last year has prompted even more job losses in 2016. Among the publicly reported cutbacks:
• Fairmount Santrol filed documents with the state Department of Workforce Development last month indicating it would eliminate 55 workers at facilities in Menomonie, Maiden Rock and Hagar City.
• Superior Silica, a subsidiary of Emerge Energy Services, notified DWD in March it was permanently laying off 69 employees, including some who already had been laid off temporarily. The layoffs affected sites in New Auburn, Prairie Farm, Chetek, Barron and three in Clayton.
• Unimin Corp. told DWD in March it would shut down its frac sand mining operation in Tunnel City and lay off 65 workers.
In reality, the cutbacks run deeper because of the impact on other companies that supply goods and services to regional frac sand operations.
Wisconsin employment through Superior Silica, for instance, peaked at 420 people, including subcontractors, but has now plummeted to about 70 as the company rides out the industry slowdown, said Sharon Masek, manager of mine planning and industrial relations for Superior Silica in the state.
While some of those jobs will return as the boom-and-bust cycle of the oil industry starts to boom again, frac sand mining opponents suggest that a future of renewable energy would provide a more sustainable and stable future for area workers while also preserving the region's farming, water quality and natural beauty.
In the Winona Daily News, Donna Buckabee points out that We're all part of the frac sand problem:
When people go to rallies and hearings to speak up for our beautiful planet and against frac sand mining, inevitably some smug fool will ask, “How did you get here?”
We are all part of the problem, and we all need to change. But the question “How did we get here?” really needs to be about something more profound than our mode of transportation to a rally. Instead, we need to start asking, “How did we as a people get so dependent on fossil fuels that we are willing to destroy the planet for future generations?”
Surely, in the early days of fossil fuel extraction no one intentionally set out to destroy Earth. But early on, even a fool had to see that oil ruins water. Knowing that one simple fact forced us to choose: find a clean, sustainable way to live on Earth or learn to love lies and live in denial. . . .
Read the rest at the Daily News.
Photo: A frac sand mine
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