According to page 58 of the North Branch City Council agenda for July 14, 2014--posted online at the city's website in pdf form here(see screenshot above)--Superior Silica Sands LLC informed the city on Wednesday that the frac sand mining and processing corporation intends to "move forward with their facility in in North Branch."
While the mayor of North Branch has remained hot for this project, other public officials in the area are not as certain about the fit for their communities, the East Central Minnesota Post Review reports in Commissioners raise concern about pursuit of silica sand project:
The North Branch mayor’s announcement last month that the city would continue to try to persuade Superior Silica Sand to build a trans-loading station in the city’s ESSBY Business Park led to county commissioners weighing in on the issue at the Chisago County Board meeting July 2.
Commissioner Lora Walker asked Nancy Hoffman, County HRA and EDA director, to give the board an update about any correspondence the Economic Development Authority had with Superior Silica Sand during the past few weeks.
She said there wasn’t much movement on that front, but she is aware that North Branch is still looking to bring the business to the city.
County Administrator Bruce Messelt said he wanted to make it clear that the county has been fielding questions about the potential business, but it has not taken a stance on the issue.
“We are resisting taking a lead in this project,” he said. “This is not our project. But we are asking that we be invited to meetings. As of this time, the ball is in the city of North Branch’s hands.”
He added: “To say that we are helping is not accurate. To say that we are opposing or supporting is not accurate. We are responding to requests for information, and we are asking to be a part of those conversations.”
Even though the county hasn’t taken an official position on the possible trans-loading station, commissioners expressed their concerns about the impact it could have countywide.
“I think there’s an inherent danger in having so many vehicles driving through your community,” Commissioner Ben Montzka said.
Montzka added that although the city of North Branch’s tax base could benefit from the business, other areas the trucks would drive through wouldn’t be seeing any of that positive tax impact. . . .
The article does not mention the July 14 agenda and July 9 notice from the company. Read the entriely article at the ECM Post Review.
There was a question on the proposed frac sand trans-loading facility in North Branch. Rep. Barrett said it is a local decision; but there is no way he’d support hundreds of trucks negatively impacting the small town of Taylors Falls, hauling sand between North Branch and mines in Wisconsin. Barrett added, he does support “economic development” and has yet to see the actual sand plant project proposal.
Barrett's assertion is about to be tested. Bluestem will have more as this story unfolds.
Screenshot: From the North Branch City Council agenda for July 14, 2014.
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In Minnesota, it is not suprising that the Twin Cities has the highest percentage of foreign-born. And though it is not wholly accurate to categorize a county in this way, it does give an interesting view into the state
Curiously, the county with the largest concentration of foreign-born residents isn't Ramsey or Hennepin County, but rather Nobles County, on the Iowa border in the decidedly non-Twin Cities Southwestern Minnesota; the fourth and fifth ranked counties (Watonwan and Olmsted, respectively) are also located in Greater Minnesota.
My town is different than your town. You might go many places and travel far and wide. I have an interesting community that allows me to enjoy the far flung reaches of the world right in my own back yard.
Recently the news is all about “immigration” and our national concerns for security. I find “security” in my own back yard and in my community. Before you respond to the hype and fear about immigration (legal or undocumented) let me tell you about my community.
I am a small business man who has modestly prospered in this curious setting. I have come to embrace the fine people that are immigrating to my community. They have become the life blood that has allowed our community to continue to prosper in a time when the demographics are completely against us.
Our community is located just south of the mythical “Lake Wobegon,” but we've begun to defy those demographic characteristics.
Our accommodation of the newest immigrants started about 25 years ago with Vietnamese and Laotian peoples. It has continued throughout the decades and has been of great benefit to this community, a community that would have demographically drifted off the chart because of an aging population.
Many of my Lao and Vietnamese friends are here because they stood up for American ideals, risking both their lives and the lives of their families, much to their credit. In quiet moments, I have heard their stories; they have have brought tears to my eyes, and I have a profound respect for them.
American Idealism? I have not sacrificed like they have sacrificed. If they would tell you their stories, you would have a new found respect for the immigrant experience. Immigration doesn’t happen because things are dandy. Immigration happens because people are at the limits of their own (moral) tolerance.
Today , I can take my three-block walk to work and say “Hello” to my neighbors in many different languages: Sai Bai Dee (Lao), Buenos Dias (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador ), De Tu Jot (Sudanese) Djow Go (Vietnamese), Ka May La ha (Ethiopian), Mengalaba (Karen). These are perhaps crude renditions of their words, but speaking the greetings allows me a comfort zone with my new neighbors. I have them sign an atlas in my store, which allows me the ability to understand where they have come from, and oftentimes, it allows me to understand some of their travails.
They all enjoy and appreciate my attempt to speak in their native tongues (they laugh at me), as they continue to become assimilated into our community. We are a small community and we strive to make sure that no one is anonymous.
Assimilate: they have! I am convinced that these new immigrants have saved my community. They have purchased homes, they have purchased cars, they have kept our grocery stores busy. They have created their own grocery stores. Many have started their own businesses, some try and some fail--for that I think more of them, not less.
They are the new graduates at the local community college. They have become the New Worthington. There might be a few people that consider this immigration a threat--those folks are prone to fear a loss of their standing within their perceived place within our community. The good news is that the majority of folks around these parts recognize that this “immigration thing” is of great value to our community.
If you are looking for the latest trendy shopping mall or strip mall (filled with brand named stores), Worthington might not be the place for you. We do have many standardized big box stores; however, if you are looking for a real “WORLD MARKET” experience, I encourage you to come and visit Worthington.
It won’t be completely standardized with all the generic brand name stores, but if you have a truly adventuresome spirit, you can enjoy a real World Market experience. Ma and Pa stores are sprouting up as we speak, and they embody the new entrepreneurial spirit of Worthington.
Immigration has never been clean and tidy; it has a learning curve. My community, Worthington has stepped up to the plate and embraced that spirit of accommodation. We learn from our friends, we learn from our new found immigrants, we learn from being able to say, "I don’t understand you, explain to me, again." That is what it means to be accommodating. We aren’t afraid to understand our new neighbors. We recognize that “They” are "Our" new beginnings. We have been re-invented and though we do make mistakes, we recover and strive to learn from them. We have every reason to stand tall and be proud.
Worthington has benefited from its new found immigrants and I suspect history will eventually write a new chapter about this community and its accommodating spirit.
About the author: Owner of the Buffalo Billfold Company, a purveyor of exquisite handmade leather goods, Bill Keitel is a force of nature in the civic life of his community. Read his Forum Communications' Area Voices Blog, UnVarnished Essays-Road Notes, for more of his essays and notes.
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Superior Silica Sands LLC has decided to discontinue any additional effort towards developing a frac sand trans-loading facility in North Branch's industrial park.
In a letter dated May 30, SSS told the city, "It has been a pleasure to work with you. We are truly sorry that this business partnership did not work out."
. . . No reason given by SSS as to why they dropped the proposal, however public opposition to the company's plan, which called for nonstop traffic of large frac sand hauling trucks through North Branch, Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls while going back and forth to the company's frac sand site near Barron, Wis., had grown in recent weeks.
The letter was copied to the City of St. Croix Falls and shared with members of a grass roots group which gathered a petition with more than 1,400 signatures in opposition to the plan. The petition was presented it to the City of North Branch City Council nearly two weeks ago. The week prior to the presentation of the petition, the City of Taylors Falls sent a letter to the City of North Branch, asking they reconsider selling nearly 40 acres of land to SSS for the trans-loading facility and at least express concerns of the citizens of Taylors Falls, many who pointed to traffic safety, health concerns from potential dispersing of sand and how such traffic would hurt the tourism-based economy in Taylors Falls. . . .
Located in Chisago County on I-35 noth of the Twin Cities, North Branch is home to just over 10,000 people.
Photo: Anti-frac sand mining banner, via Chisago County Press.
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The agreement would also blend nearly $5 million from the General Fund and the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund to create the Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center at the University of Minnesota.
“This is amongst the most important legislation that has been enacted to support agriculture and Minnesota’s farmers,” said Rep. Andrew Falk (DFL-Murdock). “Invasive species pose hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars of threats to our agricultural, forestry and tourism industries in addition to causing irreparable harm to our state’s ecosystems and our quality of life.”
There's only so much buckthorn Minnesota's goat herd can devour after all.
State Representative Andrew Falk (DFL-Murdock) chief-authored and spearheaded the effort to establish the Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center. “We know the immense threat invasive species and herbicide-resistant agriculture weeds pose to our state and our economy. Instead of playing catch-up and attempting to reactively deal with invasive species, we will be taking a proactive approach to contain and address the threats before they become a crisis.”
If you're wondering why it's a sound spending decision to create the Center, just watch the expert testimony from weed scientists in the post at the second link.
Photo: Herbicide resistant waterhemp smoking some soybeans in a field. Via Seeds Today.
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We often joke to friends that as part of outcrop restoration in the upper Minnesota River Valley, we'd like to see buffalo--as bison are called in the vernacular--returned to the ecosystem. where once they kept the cedars in check.
In the Mankato Free Press, Tim Krohn reports that bison may be making something of a come on a tiny slice of the prairie river. In Bison may soon roam on Minneopa prairie, Krohn writes:
Minneopa State Park's expansive prairie could become home to a bison herd if approved by the Department of Natural Resources following a public comment period.
"If we get bison, it would increase our prairie management efforts (at Minneopa)," said Molly Tranel Nelson, regional resource specialist for parks and trails. "And we want to increase opportunities for visitors. It would allow visitors to have that experience and interpretation, to see a little of what the area looked like prior to settlement." Most importantly, the effort would help expand and protect genetically pure bison.
The bison would come from Blue Mounds State Park in southwestern Minnesota, which has a unique herd that is among the most genetically pure in the nation. If the bison come to Minneopa, it would be a homecoming of sorts. Sibley Park in Mankato once had a zoo that was home to bison. When the zoo was destroyed in the 1965 flood, those bison were moved to Blue Mounds, meaning their genes are among those at Blue Mounds today.
Under the plan, the 350 acres of prairie would be fenced. The size of herd that could be supported won't be determined until grass clippings and other surveying can be done to see how many bison could be sustained from the grasslands.
. . .Nelson said bison also will have a major benefit in ongoing, but often stymied, efforts to restore the Minneopa prairie to its natural state. The prairie is filled with cedar and especially invasive sumac that the DNR has cut or burned in a largely losing battle. Nelson said they suspect the bison will help keep sumac in check as they rub on it and walk over it with their massive hooves.
Read the rest at the Mankato Free Press.
When the DNR posts the plan for public comment--most likely in early or mid April, Krohn reports--we'll let readers know so that they can comment.
Photo: Bison in Blue Mounds State Park. Via CNN. There's a bipartisan effort to make these bad boys our nation mammal, and they do belong more on the prairie than the back of a nickel.
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A Houston County News story by Lee Newpapers staffer Mary Juhl, State looks to regulate sand, discloses some of the reasons why:
The recommendations also appear to conflict with other new regulations the state has pursued.
One example in particular is trout stream setbacks. The state
Legislature this spring passed a measure requiring that any mine
proposed within a mile of a trout stream will need a new permit. A mile,
at 5,280 feet, is more than five times longer than the 900-foot setback
the EQB has proposed.
The protest invite focuses on corporate interests like George Soros' beloved Halliburton and other such entities in the post "gold rush" frac sand era. But Bluestem was much more interested in the flacks leading two presentations Wednesday in Session VI: Regulation and reputation:
Hydraulic fracturing: Adjusting to regulatory demands and public pressure • How is the regulatory and political environment influencing the industry and public opinion? • Even if regulations are met, how can the public be brought onside? • How to communicate and right message and generate grassroots support John Davies, CEO, Davies Public Affairs
Reputation transformation: How to manage a misunderstood industry • How can the industry reputation be better communicated? • What to do about misinformation already in the public eye? • How to ensure that regulators and the public have the correct information Amy Malerba Hemingway, SVP and Group Head, Energy Sector, Edelman
Because of course the citizens of Southeast Minnesota are so dumb that they've got to be simply misinformed about what the impact of wrecking their landscape, endangering restored trout streams, storm spills, blasting bluffs, heavy traffic, particulates, and all the rest.
Who are John Davies and Amy Malerba Hemingway?
John Davies: astroturf aristocracy with a believer's edge
"Davies Communications is another specialist in astroturf support.
Mailing lists and computer databases put the firm in touch with
receptive citizens, who are asked to write letters to their
representatives. And if they don’t have the time, Davies Communications
offers to write the letter for them, adding their signature under their
consent. “We hand write it out on ‘little kitty cat stationery’ if it’s a
little old lady,” says John Davies. “If it’s a business we take it over
to be photocopied on someone’s letterhead. [We] use different stamps,
different envelopes... Getting a pile of personalized letters that have a
different look to them is what you want to strive for."[4]
Pacifica
In 2006, CoastSider reported "A couple of participants in the
Pacifica-L Internet mailing list claiming to be Pacifica residents who
support the Pacifica Quarry development appear to be employees of the
developer’s public relations firm [Davies Communications] in Santa
Barbara."[5]
Profile from World of Coal Ash 2009
"DAVIES Public Affairs assists firms in the coal ash industry prepare
for and respond to a crisis with: crisis planning, media and
spokesperson training, situational first response, crisis and issues
management, media relations, grassroots supporter activation, and
regulatory response. DAVIES was named Public Affairs Agency of the Year
by The Holmes Report. The firm has served clients in 46 states." [6]
Another expert in creating grassroots support for corporations is John Davies who features a picture of an old lady carrying a sign "Not in my backyard" in his advertisements. The picture is captioned Don't leave your future in her hands.
Traditional lobbying is no longer enough. Today numbers count. To win in the hearing room, you must reach out to create grassroots support. To outnumber your opponents, call the leading grassroots public affairs communications specialists.(Stauber and Rampton 199, p. 18)
In his promotion, Davies explains that he will use mailing lists and computer databases to identify potential supporters and telemarketers to persuade them to agree to have letters written on their behalf. In this way he is able to create the impression of a "spontaneous explosion of community support for needy corporations." (Stauber and Rampton 199, pp. 23-4)
The practical objective of letter-writing campaigns is not actually to get a majority of the people behind a position and to express themselves on it—for it would be virtually impossible to whip up that much enthusiasm—but to get such a heavy, sudden outpouring of sentiment that lawmakers feel they are being besieged by a majority. The true situation may be quite the contrary.(Sherrill 1990, p. 376)
Astroturf. Lovely.
Since 2010, Davies has stood up not only for the coal ash industry, but for the entire coal industry. In a 2011 article in American Coal magazine, Davies wrote in American Coal is Under Attack:
. . .Over the last 40 years new technology and innovation has led to
substantial reductions in emissions. Likewise, recent stringent new
environmental regulations are being met and surpassed by power
generators across the country. Yet opponents of coal are more aggressive
then ever and are increasing their attacks on coal. Clearly, opponents
are not concerned with improving coal – they want it gone.
In 2009, a Sierra Club lawyer announced the environmental community
would eventually shut down all of the existing fleet of coal-fueled
plants, replacing them with energy efficiency measures or renewable
power. His plan was of course to fight every new plant, but also
according to this lawyer, the plan by which they will achieve their goal
is an indirect attack, an attack on the cost of energy from coal-fueled
plants.
The total effect has been plans for dozens of new coal-fueled plants
have been scrapped in the last two years; probably a mercy killing
because chances of getting them successfully through the regulatory
approval process were slim to none.
None of this should be a surprise as there has been an all out
assault on coal for decades. Now that the anti-coal activists are
entrenched in a number of federal agencies, they are acting quickly. The
Sierra Club’s anti-coal campaign is really a political campaign and has
effectively portrayed coal as the environmental public enemy number
one.
Ok that was the bad news. Here’s the good news.
Our research and experience shows there is an approach that the public understands and will move them to assist us.
Lining up coal miners and employees at public hearings, is helpful, and can show the real face of the industry.
But much more powerful is activating people with absolutely no vested
interest in coal. Individuals, who were moved by a compelling message
to take action, can help us better tell the story with passion and
credibility. . . .
Oilsands companies are "at war" with militant environmental groups and
need to appeal to emotion as much as fact to win the public's hearts and
minds, says the head of an influential public affairs company in the
United States.
"Reason without emotion is impotent," John Davies, CEO of
Davies Public Affairs based in Santa Barbara, California, told the Oil
Sands Heavy Oil Conference & Exhibition in Calgary, July 19-21,
2011. "Thing is, we're at war and we've been at war for a couple of
decades, and the war is being fought at various fronts," including
legislative, regulatory and in the courts, Davies said. The other side
is tapping emotion to muster strength for its cause, and using fear to
change regulations and the economics of natural resources extraction, he
told conference delegates. "What would you do if someone attacked your
family the way they're doing this industry? You would defend them. So
why aren't you defending your industry in the same way?"
. . . Davies told the oilsands and heavy oil conference about a Sierra Club
lawyer's comments about coal, which he said were made to an American Bar
Association meeting about two years ago. The lawyer said that the
Sierra Club's opposition to coal-fired power was "going to change the
regulations so that we increase the cost to a level that is unfeasible,"
said Davies, who maintained that environmental groups are using the
same tactic to undermine oilsands production.
The game is being played
in both the U.S. and Canada, although from the American perspective, the
game is all about pipelines, Davies said. "So all of a sudden, your
pipelines become the worst thing for the environment."
Both the proposed
Keystone XL pipeline (a TransCanada Corp. project to carry crude from
Hardisty, Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma, and eventually to Texas), and
the Gateway Pipeline (an Enbridge Inc. venture involving a twinned
pipeline system running from near Edmonton, Alberta, to a new marine
terminal in Kitimat), have faced opposition from environmental groups
and First Nations.
Davies said that with any resource-based project,
companies face opposition from three groups of individuals: those who
are 1) responsible; 2) persuadable; and 3) irrational. Companies need to
understand what motivates each group, he said. The attitude of the
"responsibles" represents a good thing, such as Neighbourhood Watch,
gone bad and turned into NIBMY, he said. "It's stepping up and doing
something in your neighborhood and your community . . . Who doesn't want
to move into a neighborhood that has pride of ownership . . . NIMBY's
pretty good on that side."
Bluestem suspects that Davies will say very much the same thing--right down to the Sierra Club anecdote--on Wednesday.
What better way to defeat a
grassroots movement than to create an astroturf campaign? That’s what
residents of Carmel Valley believe Kilroy Realty is doing to gain
approval for its massive mixed-use project, One Paseo.
Residents say that
in order to pass what will be the largest development project ever in
Carmel Valley the developer has hired a Santa Barbara–based public
relations firm that specializes in creating fake grassroots campaigns to
make “NIMBYs and naysayers irrelevant.” . . .
Those residents believe that
executives at Kilroy Realty have taken steps to quell the opposition by
hiring a former director of development services for the City of San
Diego, Marcela Escobar-Eck, to serve as a project consultant. Kilroy has
also hired Davies, a public relations firm in Santa Barbara. O’Dwyer’s
public-relations news organization ranks Davies as the third top PR firm
in the country dealing with environmental projects.
. . . Last summer, Carmel Valley residents believe they saw Davies’s strategy unfold.
“We got this elaborate
brochure in the mail, and we wondered why they were sending it to us.
Something just felt weird about it,” says Carmel Valley resident Carolyn
Keen.
“And then we started seeing these letters printed in the Carmel Valley News in support of the project. I knew this wasn’t grassroots, it just pretended to be.”
Will this be the future media environment facing citizens in Southeastern Minnesota?
Those who need to win the highest stakes matters, the toughest crises, and the most
difficult regulatory problems increasingly turn to Davies Public Affairs.
Since 1983, Davies has grown to become the nation’s third largest dedicated public affairs firm. This success is based on results across multiple industries,for clients includin Fortune 100 companies and top names in 47 states.
From traditional outreach to highly structured online cam campaigns, Davies builds and implements integrated grassroots programs to shape public opinion and build genuine support.
For Davies, nothing is too complicated, too political, too controversial, or too tough. Starting with a research-based approach, Davies crafts strategies designed not just to move the public opinion needle, but to win. This drive to win is what many clients say sets Davies apart.
Impeccable tactical execution is the starting point, but is not sufficient. Success requires the ability to articulate why. That is, from the standpoint of the public, why should a client succeed? Most public affairs fights are lost because that question is never answered.
Davies not only knows how to answer the all-important why, the firm knows how to use that message to motivate individuals to stand up, speak out, and take action.
"You will discover practical teaching for men in the 'Market Place',
helping them to influence the culture of Government, Business, Arts,
Media, and Education within our communities."
Amy joined Edelman’s Washington office in April 2006. She currently
serves as strategic counselor to the world’s largest independent E&P
company, and advises a variety of energy clients on corporate
positioning/reputation, message and content development, stakeholder
engagement, crisis and issues management, research, executive
engagement, media partnerships, and event strategy. For six years Amy
managed multiple aspects of a national public affairs campaign for the
American Petroleum Institute (API), which focused on educating and
engaging important audiences on key energy and policy issues including
hydraulic fracturing, oil sands/Keystone XL pipeline, access and taxes.
Her work included support for the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010. [emphasis added]
Keynote Day 1: Keynote Day 1: “From License to Operate to License to Lead: Building Trust Around Hydraulic Fracturing”
ABSTRACT:
The state of play on hydraulic fracturing
The current state of trust in the oil and natural gas industry
The changing landscape and the implications for the industry
The path forward for industry action on hydraulic fracturing
Amy Malerba Hemingway, SVP and Group Head, Energy Sector, Edelman
Edelman is the world’s largest public relations firm, with 66 offices
and more than 4,500 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more
than 30 cities.
Across the vast Edelman network, she works to globalize,
dimensionalize and operationalize Edelman’s energy experience to
intensify the company’s position as a leader in the fast-growing energy
sector. She serves diverse energy client interests including natural
resources, power and clean tech. She works across various disciplines
including corporate positioning and reputation, public affairs, message
and content development, research, stakeholder engagement, digital
integration, crisis and issues management, executive engagement, media
partnerships and event strategy.
Prior to Edelman, Amy served as the government relations director for
U.S. participation in the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan. She is
an active member of the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment
and Washington Women in Public Relations.
Amy has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and a Master of Public
Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Well then. The Women's Council on Energy and the Environment's mission is "to provide nonpartisan, policy neutral forums on energy and
environmental issues and to foster the professional development of our
members." It does this with the help of "Angel Sponsors" like Exelon, while BP and other firms settle for being Sustaining Sponsors.
As for Edelman, energy clients include API, GE, Shell, Chevron, MASDAR, Solar Frontier, Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
PR Industry as Targets
The work of public relations and public affairs firms hasn't escaped scrutiny by activists elsewhere. Another Edelman executive writes in PR Firms as Targets:
The NGO, Reclaim the Power, [link added] put a sign over the entrance describing
Bell Pottinger as “Fracking Liars.” They also released an undercover
recording of an employee of the firm speaking at a public meeting near a
proposed drilling site, with excerpting comments to maximum negative
effect. The NGO contended further that the Bell Pottinger employee also
said that the net effect of “fracking” would amount to an insignificant
reduction of bills to consumers, though there was no recording of that
claim.
. . .Edelman was in this exact situation when we began our work with Walmart
seven years ago. We work around the world with real estate developers
seeking to build new properties, biotechnology companies wanting to
introduce new forms of genetically modified seeds and technology
companies challenged on privacy standards. We encourage our clients to
practice radical transparency on production methods and sustainability
practices. We engage critics, from community activists to NGOs, in
constructive discussions and consultations. We offer the opportunity for
a public debate where the facts are aired and challenged. We make sure
that our communications are factually sound, checked by client experts.
We are aggressive in telling our story, quick to correct inaccuracies,
relying on third-party commentary from academic experts.
Fact checks by "client experts." Lovely. Why would anyone ever target public relations firms, for cat's sakes?
Images: The banner for Industrial Minerals' Frac Sand Conference, beginning today in Minneapolis (top); there's nothing to fear but giant sand mining with John Davies, a Goliath of the PR industry (second); Amy Malerba Hemingway (third); Fractivists targeting a British firm, via the Guardian (bottom).
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During last session's fractious frac sand debate in the Minnesota legislature, Bluestem was told that pro-industrial sand mining advocates worried that the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board wasn't friendly to silica sand mining. Some of the proposed bills to regulate the industry included the board.
Outside of the sand debate, some conservatives questioned the purpose of the board entirely, suggesting that any expansion of its duties would only be part of an evil takever of state government by job-killing environmentalists secretly directed by Governor Dayton's ex-wife.
It is vital for the frac sand industry to understand
how regulatory changes will impact the supply chain from mine to
wellhead. With negative public perceptions, the recent rail incident in
Canada and infrastructure presenting a major bottleneck for industry
growth, understanding how the regulatory landscape is likely to evolve
across key regions will be vital.
This pre-conference workshop is designed to support the
industry with these challenges as an informative and interactive
discussion forum. Bringing together regulators and industry experts,
this workshop will deliver key information regarding the current
landscape and future direction of regulatory control.
9.00 Part 1: Regulatory Developments And Future Direction: State-By-State And National Analysis
Local Government, State And National Analysis On
Regulation Of Frac Sand Mining, Infrastructure Capacity Expansion,
Transportation & Handling
Insights into local cases impacting permits for infrastructure development and lessons learned
Assessing State involvement in regulating sand operations and transportation- is this role likely to increase?
Understanding whether the regulatory authorities view frac sand
as a hazardous substance, and what this will mean for regulation on the
national and local level
Investigating the impact of the recent crude by rail accident
on frac sand rail regulation - will new regulation be implemented on a
national level?
Jeff Smyser, Principal Planner, Minnesota Environmental Quality Board
10.00 Questions & Answer Interactive Discussion Session, Followed By Comfort Break
10.45 Part 2: Handling Safety, Management Of Public
Perception And The Impact On Infrastructure Development Supporting Frac
Sand Industry Growth
Examining Handling Safety Of Proppants
Discussing the facts on safe handling of frac sand and necessary steps to protect workers and local communities
Evaluating measures and best practices to minimize risk when handling proppants
Managing Public Perception And Assessing Wider Implications On The Build-Up Of Take-Away Capacity Across Key Regions
Reviewing public perceptions against frac sand industry
developments, and the impact on development of loading and unloading
infrastructure
Looking at what is being done on a national and state level to address the public's environmental concerns
Revealing best practice on public education and communication
Jeff Plale, Commissioner, Railroad Commission of Wisconsin
11.30 Question and Answer Session, Followed By Workshop Wrap Up
12.00 Workshop Close
The member of the Railroad Commission of Wisconsin talking about the management of perception is a nice touch, too.
We certainly hope that Mr. Smyser has time in his busy schedule to meet with Minnesota citizens who have questions about the regulatory process here at home as well. The board meets in about a half hour, according to the agenda online; perhaps someone might ask about that this afternoon.
Screenshot: From the pdf of the conference brochure.
If
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In February, the Star Tribune's Tony Kennedy reported two government agencies recommended that the Minnesota Sands LLC proposal to develop 11 mine sites in Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties conduct an EIS for the 615+ total acre project.
In July 2013, 100 local residents participated in the People’s EIS Kickoff Meeting that the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) held in Rushford.
LSP released a report on their findings today. From the press release:
An upcoming environmental review of the biggest frac sand mining project ever proposed in southeast Minnesota must not only examine impacts on air, water and economics, but should also require full disclosure of the proposers' business ties and track record, says a new report released today by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP). Such a review must also be conducted by independent experts with no ties to the proposers or the frac sand industry in general, concludes The People's EIS Scoping Report. This report was compiled by LSP from the comments of the 100 participants in the People’s EIS Kickoff Meeting held in Rushford, Minn., in July 2013.
"Southeast Minnesotans understand that the frac sand industry ultimately benefits oil and gas corporations, not our local communities," said Bonita Underbakke, an LSP member who lives in rural Fillmore County near Lanesboro. "We're concerned about the impacts on our existing economic drivers like agriculture and tourism."
The report addresses the necessary scope and depth of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) soon to be underway on the frac sand mining project proposed by Minnesota Sands, LLC. This proposal calls for the development of 11 mine sites in Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties. Under Minnesota law, an EIS must consider not only the environmental impacts of a project, but also its economic, employment and sociological effects. This level of review is mandatory for the Minnesota Sands project, since it includes the proposed mining of 615.31 total acres, well over the threshold of 160 acres for which an EIS is required. The EIS must be completed before any unit of government may make a decision on whether to issue a permit for any part of the proposed project.
The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) is the state agency responsible for carrying out the EIS on the Minnesota Sands project. The EQB is made up of the commissioners of nine state departments or agencies (from Administration to Transportation) along with five citizen members. The EQB has not yet released any draft scoping document detailing the particular impacts it proposes to study within the EIS.
The citizens' report released today serves as the people's scoping document, describing the specific impacts of the proposed project which must, at minimum, be studied if the EIS is to serve the public interest, according to Johanna Rupprecht, an LSP organizer who compiled the report. Its categories include impacts on air, water, land, transportation, economics and quality of life. In the People's EIS Scoping Report, southeast Minnesotans also call for Minnesota Sands to fully disclose information about its identity and track record, and for the EIS to be rigorously carried out by experts with no industry ties.
The report expresses local people's deep concerns about the impacts of the proposed frac sand mining project on their lives, homes and communities. Local residents' environmental and health concerns are closely connected to the economic and social issues they have also raised. As expressed in the report, area citizens recognize that the destruction and pollution of land, air and water threatened by potential frac sand mining would also severely damage existing local economies and the fabric of communities.
"I worry about my health, my family's welfare, the health of my animals, our food supply," said LSP member Vince Ready, who lives on a small farm in Saratoga Township, Winona County, a few miles away from the proposed mine sites. "I need the EQB, as public officials, to be looking out for the best interests of me and my community when they are studying the impacts of this proposal."
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, LSP members from southeast Minnesota will present copies of the People’s EIS Scoping Report to the members and staff of the EQB at its monthly meeting in St. Paul. Copies will also be given to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton as well as other state and local officials.
The People’s EIS Scoping Report: Citizen Comments on the Necessary Scope and Depth of the Environmental Impact Statement on the Minnesota Sands Frac Sand Proposal is available on LSP’s website:www.landstewardshipproject.org/repository/1/959/the_people_s_eis_scoping.pdf.
At the Minnesota State Fair yesterday, Governor Mark Dayton made it
clear that he supports a ban on frac sand mining and processing in
southeast Minnesota. During an appearance at Minnesota Public Radio’s
fair booth, the Governor brought the issue up in response to a question
about fracking and energy policy.
During his State Fair interview, Gov. Dayton also said that the
regulations passed during the recent Legislative session are going to be
vigilantly enforced. That’s critical because, based on what we've seen
in Wisconsin, the industry does not have a good track record of
voluntary compliance. Knowing Gov. Dayton wants state agencies strictly
interpreting them is important.
Here's exactly what the Governor said:
“The fracking frankly I would keep out of
Minnesota entirely. I wanted to ban further silica sand mining and any
processing of that in southeast Minnesota. I would allow the existing
operations that are more in the Mankato area and Minnesota River and a
little bit north of the Twin Cities. These areas are not so ecologically
fragile. But I couldn’t get the Legislature to go along with the ban in
southeastern Minnesota. But we did get some very, very tight
regulations, very tight restrictions, that the DNR and Pollution Control
Agency are going to enforce vigilantly and we’ll see how it goes. But
I’m prepared to try again next year to get the Legislature to say that
area is off limits."
After he made these comments, I called Gov. Dayton (800-657-3717) and thanked him for his leadership and encouraged him to push for a ban in southeast Minnesota.
The Governor’s leadership could make all the difference to us living
in southeast Minnesota who have been fighting for over two years now to
keep the frac sand industry from destroying our communities.
Thank you, Governor Dayton for prioritizing the health, safety and welfare of Minnesota citizens above corporate profits!
Land Stewardship Project member Kelley Stanage lives in southeast Minnesota's Houston County.
Photo: Kelley Stanage raising concerns about silica sand mining during the Houston County commissioners' meeting on Feb. 28, 2012, via the Spring Grove Herald The commissioners "voted 4-1 to also enact a one-year moratorium on new mining permits to study the issues raised by frac sand mines," the paper reported. Read an article about the difficulties Houston County is having enforcing conditions even on a non-frac sand mine, and it's easy to understand her concerns about larger-scale mining. The Houston County board voted to extend its sand mining moratorium back in March, and the Herald reports that the county "will be allowed to extend its moratorium on new frac sand mining permits through March of 2015, according to state officials."
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Norwegian-American author Ole Edvart Rølvaag--oh, let's call him what he was, a St. Olaf professor--set Giants in the Earth on the windswept Dakota prairies, but the book resonates for Minnesotans too.
Paul Bunyan and Hermann the German have dominated the North Star state's gargantuan feed. A marketing campaign for MnSure, the state's health insurance exchange mandated by the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) trotted out Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox as accident-prone mascots.
Should Bunyan get the axe?
As a means of raising awareness among uninsured 11-year-old boys who own boats, homes and gym memberships, the new campaign is brilliant marketing, but some in Northern Minnesota, which so had the giant lumberjack first, have launched spirited opposition to the use of the axe-swinging avatar. The Brainerd Dispatch reports that state senator Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point) is the latest conscientious objector in the marketing war to insure all Minnesotans.
. . . “The advertising campaign portrays Paul Bunyan as an accident-prone
insurance nightmare and not the symbol of strength he has come to
represent for Greater Minnesota,” she said in the letter. “This
portrayal does not reflect kindly on our communities who respect this
treasured symbol as part of our great tradition and heritage.”
She wrote that MNsure advertising decisions have already been made
and money has been allocated and it may be too late to correct these
mistakes. She noted that Dayton has admitted to other mistakes during
the legislative session that he was looking to rectify.
“This is an opportunity for you to show leadership by remedying this
mistake as well,” she wrote. “Paul Bunyan is a Minnesota icon and should
not be used as an actor to sell insurance by the government. He’s a
symbol of pride for Greater Minnesota residents and I fear he has been
made into a punch line.” . . .
. . .In addition to her letter to the governor, she released a similar letter published in today’s Brainerd Dispatch (Page 6A),
and called both the governor and April Todd-Malmlov, executive director
of MNsure. Ruud said Thursday she had not received any response from
the governor’s office and received a message from Todd-Malmlov’s office
that she was out of the office on a school shopping excursion with her
daughter.
“They don’t think it’s an important issue,” Ruud said. “I think, for greater Minnesota it’s a big issue.”
She's not alone in thinking it's a big deal. More on that in a bit.
New Ulm's magical footprint of fun
The statute of Hermann the German on top of the Minnesota River Valley wall in New Ulm was also at the center of a marketing plan under siege. Kevin Sweeney reports in the New Ulm Journal article, Hermann footprint ‘legend’ gets stubbed toe:
Creating a legend can be a lot harder to do than it first appears.
The
New Ulm Convention-Visitors Bureau found that out this week with the
legend of the giant Hermann's footprint now hanging on the side of the
Chamber of Commerce. . . .
To drum up interest, the marketing firm came up with the story that the
footprint was an artifact discovered in a dusty corner of the Chamber of
Commerce's basement, with an old handwritten note that said "all who
touched the footprint would have more fun for a day," and intimating the
artifact might have been made in Germany. The CVB has been asking
people to submit their ideas about how the footprint came to be. . . .
To drum up interest, the marketing firm came up with the story that the
footprint was an artifact discovered in a dusty corner of the Chamber of
Commerce's basement, with an old handwritten note that said "all who
touched the footprint would have more fun for a day," and intimating the
artifact might have been made in Germany. The CVB has been asking
people to submit their ideas about how the footprint came to be. . . .
Another good civic icon breaking bad--or something more sinister?
The Sleeping Giant Part of Minnesota's iron ore range
in the north eastern part of the state is called the Mesabi Range which
includes Giants Ridge. The Ojibway Indians called Mesabi, the sleeping
giant. . . . Copper was also mined
from the North Shore and Great Lakes area. According to the
International World History Project, Ancient Phoenicians (descendants
from the Canaanites) used copper from this area of Minnesota in the
building of Solomon's Temple. It is believed that the giants in this
land came over with these Phoenician traders and miners.
Perhaps that's something Mining Truth could touch on. But we digress. There's more:
Minnesota holds the legends of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox and
also The Jolly Green Giant, both products of advertising campaigns.
Other 'giant' legends are Big Ole, St. Urho, The Giant Voyageur and
Hermann the German.
Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan is a mythological lumber jack
who is said to have dug the Grand Canyon by dragging his axe behind him.
The legend claimed Paul Bunyan made Mt. Hood by piling rocks on top of
his campfire to put it out. Part of the myth told how the Great Lakes
were formed to be used as a watering hole for his giant blue ox, Babe.
Another story said that when a tank of water Babe was hauling broke
open, it formed the Mississippi River. "We declare that Paul Bunyan is
not the Creator!"
If only those who object to Obamacare knew that Paul Bunyan wasn't sacred, perhaps his assist to MnSure wouldn't be so scary. As for Hermann, those wishing have more fun for a day should watch it:
Hermann the German Hermann the German is a 27' statue of a
German warrior with his sword raised and stands on a hill in New Ulm.
The statue is made of iron covered with copper standing on a 70' column
of iron and supported by 16 columns of iron. This statue is said to be
the symbol of all citizens of German heritage, the main immigrant people
group in Minnesota. It was given to the city of New Ulm in 1897 and
paid for by the Sons of Hermann, a fraternal organization formed in New
York City in 1840 for the protection of German immigrants. The Sons of
Hermann are an offshoot of the Odd Fellows and German Jews participated
fully in the Sons of Hermann. There is a matching statue in North
Rhine Westphalia in Germany. "We declare that Hermann the German is not
our defender!"
That should settle it. No Paul Bunyan or Hermann the German worship allowed. It's okay--nah, a matter of the soul's survival--to take them off their pedestals, even to promote Obamacare.
Photo: Giants just don't get worshipped like they once did, so those 2010 prayers must have worked. A screenshot from a MnSure (above); A phony footprint, photo by Josh Moniz (below).
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1. Grain Belt Premium. I always think of Minnesota as a
secretly sexy place, and not just because of Kent Hrbek and Al Franken.
Maybe it's all the trout and music and Lutherans. Toss in a smooth,
creamy, and dreamy local budget brew like Grain Belt and it's a wonder
Minnesota hasn't seceded to form its own naked blond utopia. Grain Belt
Premium is America's finest cheap beer.
Then in August, 2002, August Schell
Brewing Company of New Ulm came forward to reclaim
the Grain Belt heritage and keep the brand produced
in Minnesota. Schell began brewing Premium as
soon as it was able to, but the transfer was made
official at a “moving party” on the
grounds of the still-standing Grain Belt Brewery
in Minneapolis, on October 25, 2002. With a few
hundred people looking on, the original recipe
was inserted into a keg that had been signed by
party attendees, sealed up and transferred to
New Ulm. The keg now resides at the Schell Brewery
Museum.
While original Golden Grain Belt
has been phased out, Premium has been a major
success for Schell, enabling the classic Southern
Minnesota brewer to expand considerably. Grain
Belt Premium continues to be a Beer of Exceptional
Quality, a true Local Legend.
However, since many of Bluestem's neighbors are Norwegian, we skipped the naked part when we achieved our stoic secession. A formal declaration of independence by the upper valley might have made it difficult to get the beer to market.
Photo: Schells Brewery in a different century.
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Two developments in Wisconsin illustrate a responses to the state's growing silica sand mining industry, while news from Minnesota painted a third picture.
Stockholm Township is just a whistle stop kind of place, population 66, nestled along the bluffs in Pepin County.
"People have been coming down here for hundreds of years and they
know about the beauty," County Board member Bill Mavity said Thursday
night.
Mavity says it was his duty to protect that beauty from the prospect
of a massive silica sand processing plant proposed to set up shop in
that township.
That is why he and eight other board members issued a 9-3 vote
Wednesday banning a company from setting up the plant along the river in
Pepin County between the townships of Pepin and Stockholm.
"It's quiet. It's clean, and it's beautiful. Frac sand mining, no
matter how you look at it is dirty, noisy and ugly and once you lose the
beauty it can't come back. You can't reclaim it," Mavity said. . . .
Four landowners in Buffalo County’s town of Dover have applied for
permits to mine and process frac sand on 359 acres over the next 20 to
30 years.
River Valley Sands LCC would mine 226 acres off State
Hwy. 121 and use conveyors to move sand to a 133-acre sand washing
plant. It plans to haul 1.44 million tons of sand a year, using 50
trucks to haul 200 loads a day on a planned primary route of State Hwy.
121 to State Hwy. 93 to State Hwy. 54/35 to Winona. A secondary route
would send the sand to Wabasha. . . .
The rail-sand symbiosis works both ways, however, as seen less than
40 miles down the tracks in Winona, Minn. There, a rail loading terminal
has temporarily closed its doors and officials report stagnant frac
sand traffic in part due to infrastructure restraints.
"We're basically on a sand bar in the Mississippi River valley, so
land is limited," said Carlos Espinosa, assistant city planner for
Winona. "So the ability to create unit trains in the city is limited as
well."
Winona sits at the confluence of several major rail lines, including
a Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. route. In addition to operating the Soo
Line along the Mississippi River, in 2008 Canadian Pacific acquired the
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) railroad that runs west from
Winona to South Dakota. The railway company did not respond to requests
for comment about its Minnesota operations.
"We do have capacity to send out frac sand via rail," Espinosa said,
"but the real room for growth is in western Wisconsin, where they have a
lot more land, a lot more area."
Regulatory advantages
The regulatory environment in Wisconsin is also seen as friendlier
toward frac sand miners. The Minnesota Legislature recently allowed
local governments to extend moratoria on mining for up to two years, and
companies hoping to mine on more than 20 acres of land must now
complete a costly environmental impact assessment (EnergyWire,
May 24). Critics of the frac sand industry often take issue with
increased traffic near mining sites and point to the health hazards
posed by silica dust.
Local pushback, infrastructure and regulatory constraints have
combined to keep Minnesota's frac sand industry relatively small.
Wisconsin has roughly 105 active frac sand mines, according to the state
DNR, while Minnesota can claim eight or nine.
"Everything's working against [frac sand] in Minnesota right now,"
said Dave Christianson, senior planner for freight and rail at the
Minnesota Department of Transportation. "And the industrial development
in Wisconsin is pretty much picking up all the slack."
Christianson said many of the richest sand deposits in southeastern
Minnesota fall too far away from existing rail lines to be readily
developed. While frac sand companies in Wisconsin sometimes truck their
product as far as 60 miles to reach rail or barge terminals, shipping
directly by rail can save frac sand producers as much as $10 per ton,
according to a Sept. 14, 2012, Raymond James report.
After almost two years of debate, the
Goodhue County Board of Commissioners approved two ordinances to
regulate the frac sand mining industry.
The new rules in Goodhue County limit mineral extraction facility
operation sites to 40 acres of exposed or uncovered ground at any one
time; mining operations are limited to the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday; the county is given authority to require air
quality monitoring; and mining must be 1,000 feet from any existing
dwelling or platted residential subdivision.
The rules also allow the county to add additional conditions to mitigate noise, dust, hours of operation or blasting.
About 80 people filled a room in Red Wing for a public hearing that
included comments from 25 people, including Red Wing resident Michelle
Meyer.
Like most people at the meeting, Meyer asked
county commissioners to extend an existing countywide moratorium on sand
mining operations.
“It’s painfully obvious to me that the risks of
frac sand mining outweigh any conceived benefits,” Meyer said. “Nearly
everyone here is pointing those risks out to you, one by one, person by
person, and we are not alarmists. We are not fear-mongerers. We are
informed people.” . . .
Check it out at the Kenyon Leader.
Photo: A silica sand mine in Wisconsin. Photo by Jim Tittle.
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River watershed district board members and Minnesota River
enthusiasts attending a resources tour got a real time look at fishing
Thursday at the Riverside Park boat landing.
Scott Sparlin,
Executive Director for a Clean Minnesota River (CCMR) talked about the
fishing on the river to several dozen people while a night crawler and
spinner dangled on the end of a fishing line. Sparlin got a strike and
reeled in a small catfish halfway into his talk. . . .
. . . Sparlin said the story of the American eel itself should be reason
enough to feel strongly about improving the water quality of the
Minnesota River and its big watershed.
"When they're (eels) ready
to propagate, some American eel will swim the length of the Minnesota
River to the Mississippi River at St. Paul, then swim south through St.
Louis, past New Orleans, into the Gulf of Mexico, around the tip of
Florida, far offshore to the Sargasso Sea to deposit their eggs,"
Sparlin said.
From there, young eels may take years riding ocean
currents and migrating inland to rivers, lakes and streams where they
feed and mature for 10 to 25 years, then migrating back to the Sargasso
Sea.
"If that story isn't enough to make you believe its
important to preserve the river, I don't know what it will take,"
Sparlin added.
Read the whole story at the Journal. Bluestem's editor is an unabashed Minnesota River Valley nationalist, so we hardly need any prompting, much less eel tales.
The
news is good. The two temporarily stunned large numbers of blue suckers,
evidence that this fish is migrating upstream. It seeks out riffles and
areas where water tumbles over rocks, which is the habitat now restored
to a three-mile run of the river thanks to the dam’s removal. Gizzard
shad, river suckers, highfin carpsuckers and smallmouth buffalo were
also shocked and counted by the two. Their presence is further evidence
of that native fish species are returning to this section of river.
Aadland, a river ecologist, believes lake sturgeon and paddlefish
from as far as the Mississippi River will be seen here soon too. This is
ideal spawning habitat for them.
The ban is touted as a way to protect the tourism industry from heavy industrial truck traffic.
Pepin
County only has one operating frac sand mine but people in the towns of
Pepin and Stockholm are worried more will spring up along the bluffs
that line the Mississippi River. Pepin County Board Supervisor Bill
Mavity represents the area and has co-authored an ordinance that would
create a mine-free zone the shore from Pierce County to the mouth of the
Chippewa River.
“It’s a narrow strip of land that
houses a great deal of the tourism business in Pepin County. It’s about
10 percent of the land mass. It produces or provides about 30 percent of
the tax base for the whole county.”
At The Price of Sand, documentary filmmaker Jim Tittle has released seven short YouTube clips drawn from an interview with Dr. Thomas Power, an economist from Montana State University, where he served as Chairman of the Economics Department and taught for 40 years. Power is the author of The Economic Benefits and Costs of Frac-Sand Mining in West Central Wisconsin, a study recently released by the Wisconsin Town Association, the Wisconsin Farmers Union, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. We've embedded a copy of the study below the seven videos.
The Free Lunch Approach: Public Relations "Economic" Studies by Industry:
Multiplier Liars: Flawed assumptions and analysis in sand happy job talk
Frac Sand industry spokesters claim that every dollar of their payroll is multiplied in local communities. Some claim the value of these dollars is seven, or even sixteen times the amount paid. Here's what Power says about that (and he's not the only one questioning large multipliers):
Who Holds the Dollars? Will the frac sand industry make small town economies stronger?
Double Whammy: Extracting a mineral to extract oil and gas somewhere else?
Smell the Dirt: When a frac sand mine moves in, will it affect property values?
Buy A Truck, Make a Buck: When a new frac sand mine opens, some people borrow money, buy a truck, and go into business hauling frac sand. What's the risk?
Frac Sand See Saw: Powers answers the question, "How long will the frac sand jobs last?"
St. Paul documentary filmmaker Jim Tittle was one of the first to take a close look at "The Price of Sand" when he learned in 2011 that energy production company Windsor Permian bought land near his parents' home in Goodhue County's Hay Creek Township, but isn't the last person asking that question.
A pair of stories in the LaCrosse Tribune extricate some of the price of sand in Wisconsin. In Natural gas boom fuels frac sand mining, political spending, staff writer Chris Hubbach reports that political spending by industry interests increased 21 times since 2007:
Just as frac sand mines have popped up across western Wisconsin in
the past half decade, so too has political spending from the sand and
natural gas industries.
Since 2007, contributions from industry
interests ballooned more than 21 times, from just $18,762 to more than
$413,000 last year, according to analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy
Campaign. . . .
A total of 100 Republican candidates and committees received
$710,790, while 44 Democratic candidates and committees received just
$47,104. Nearly 70 percent of the contributions — totaling $520,266 —
went to Gov. Scott Walker during the past two elections.
With
$8,525 in contributions, former Sen. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse was among
the state’s top five recipients in the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
analysis. The others included Sen. Alberta Darling, Lt. Gov. Rebecca
Kleefisch and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, all Republicans.
In
addition to oil and gas companies, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
based its findings on contributions from 17 companies — or their
employees — with interests in sand mining. . . .
However, it excluded some large donors — such as Wisconsin Manufacturers
and Commerce — that support frac sand mining but also lobby for other
interests, said Mike McCabe, director of the nonpartisan campaign
finance watchdog group. . . .
Read the whole thing at the Tribune. Bluestem will be curious to see if the flow of contributions and lobbying spills across the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers.
The paper also ran a story from the Associated Press, Wisconsin budget committee approves frac sand mining plan, which details how nearly $447,000 is being pulled from the state's state’s environmental management fund to inspect frac sand mines:
Money in the environmental management fund comes from a number of
sources, including fees landfills pay the state, vehicle environmental
impact fees and pesticide fees. The money goes toward recycling,
cleaning up contaminated land and fighting pollution run-off from farm
fields.
It's curious that not only is money being pulled from the environmental funds, other industry is paying for the frac sand interests. That's Walker's Wisconsin.
A scenic 10-mile stretch of Wisconsin bluff land would be off-limits to frac-sand mining under a proposed ordinance that has strong local support but must overcome a pro-business climate that has made the Badger State the nation’s hottest silica sand-mining range.
If the proposed no-frac-sand zone succeeds in the eclectic Lake Pepin shoreline corridor anchored by the villages of Stockholm and Pepin, it will be rare, if not unprecedented. Wisconsin has approved about 100 frac-sand projects in the past four years — more than any other state — and no Minnesota or Wisconsin county has flatly banned frac-sand mining in an area that covers multiple local jurisdictions.
Unlike the environmental concerns expressed in many failed frac-sand fights, the argument in the Stockholm-Pepin area is economic.
A study commissioned from two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors by Lake Pepin Partners in Preservation found that frac-sand operations “have the potential to significantly impair property values and tourist activity in Stockholm and Pepin districts.”
Mavity said the study’s details should matter to the 12 elected supervisors who will decide the issue in the coming months. That’s because the area outlined in the proposed ban is a prime economic engine for Wisconsin’s smallest county, population 7,390. . . .
But the Stockholm-Pepin study quoted a real estate agent who said that the mere possibility of frac-sand mining already has damaged the local housing market, where values and unit growth were the highest of any sector in the county from 2000 to 2010. . . .
“For these particular communities, the costs of local frac-sand activity may exceed the benefits in both the short and long run,” the study said.
The study comes on the heels of a report issued last week by the Institute for Trade and Agriculture Policy, the Wisconsin Farmers Union and the Wisconsin Towns Association that challenged conventional wisdom about the economic benefits of the sand industry.
Bluestem suspects that industrial-scale sand mining is great for large corporations, lobbyists, legislators' campaign committees and flacks, but not so much for many of the rest of people in the Driftless region.
Bluestem's world headquarters recently relocated to sunny Maynard in order to be closer to the upper Minnesota River, loveliest of prairie rivers.
The local watershed protectors, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), will be hosting the Minnesota River History Weekend and Minnesota State Water Trails 50th Anniversary on Friday through Sunday. If you're a reader who wonders why the dirty hippies out here make such a fuss about threats to the upper valley's tranquility, consider checking this out:
Friday evening:
Grab some popcorn at Granite Falls' famous local Popcorn Stand and head over to watch a film and listen to great speakers!
with producers John Hickman and Jon Carlson (7 PM). This film tells
the story of people from all walks of life - academics, farmers,
natural resource professionals, anglers, homeowners, students, paddlers,
politicians, and citizen activists - who are working together to solve
the problems facing the Minnesota River. Read more about the film and speakers here.
with Erik Wrede, MN DNR Water Trails Coordinator and special guest Paul Ryberg (8 PM). Minnesota has the first and largest Water Trails system in the nation. Come
learn about the early years of the system, and the trip planning
resources and paddling opportunities that are now available. Plus, special guest Paul Ryberg will tell stories about growing up on the Minnesota River with his
family that will be honored for their efforts to "unleash the
recreational giant of canoeing." Read more about the presentation and
speakers here. Read more about the presentation and speakers here.
PRESENTATION. Reconnecting the Minnesota River by Luther Aadland, River Scientist, MN DNR (9:30 PM). His
work, research, and publications have included a wide variety of topics
that integrate physical and biological processes of rivers and the
design of river restoration, nature-like fish passage, dam removal,
erosion control, and flood damage reduction projects. Read more about Luther here.
Saturday's events include Paddling Theater, with options for riding on large fur-trading style canoes or on your own craft. Sunday is a self-organized paddling on the Chippewa River, Hawk Creek, Minnesota River and Yellow Medicine River meet at Memorial Park.
Meanwhile, Schmit lanuched an air war, the Red Wing Republican Eagle's Michael Brun reports in A bird’s-eye view of mining:
While debate over mining policy continues in St. Paul, Sen. Matt
Schmit chartered flights out of Red Wing Regional Airport Friday for
reporters to get a bird’s-eye view of the impact frac sand mines are
having across the river in Wisconsin.
The roughly hourlong flight,
piloted by Jim McIlrath from Frontenac in his homemade, single-engine
plane, toured more than a dozen mines dotting the Wisconsin countryside
around Menomonie and Eau Claire. . . .
. . .The Red Wing Democrat has been an active proponent in the Senate for increased regulation for frac sand mining in Minnesota.
He
has been involved with a number of mining-related bills in his
inaugural legislative session, including sponsoring an amendment to an
environmental bill that would prohibit frac sand mining within a mile of
state trout streams in southeastern Minnesota.
Read the rest at the Red Wing Republican Eagle. Meanwhile, in the Fillmore County, rural Houston resident Joan Redig noted in a Letter about Senator Miller and sand mining:
Sen. Matt Schmit of Red Wing, working with Trout Unlimited, has proposed provisions to protect trout streams in Southeast Minnesota from damage resulting from frac sand mining. He wanted these provisions included in the Game and Fish Policy Bill, Senate File 796. Pristine cold water springs in our karst area create some of the best trout streams in the United States. Frac sand mining threatens to pollute this water, and disrupt the flow of springs in ways that would raise the water temperature. Death for our trout. Our state has invested millions in stocking and protecting these streams. Trout fishing has provided over a billion dollars in economic activity in the Driftless Area. These special provisions in SF 796 only apply to the Paleozoic Plateau, which is our part of the Driftless Area.
We live within a mile of an old quarry being considered for frac sand mining. It is at the head of a drainage system which feeds our springs and a stream which flows into Money Creek, a tributary of Root River. All of this is threatened because we have no state level standards to protect our region’s trout streams. Sen. Schmit proposed: a mile setback from trout streams; a limit on how much groundwater frac sand facilities could use; and limiting mining to within 25 feet of the water table. DNR Commissioner Landwehr testified we need all of these provisions to protect the trout streams and groundwater. Despite this knowledge, Sen. Miller cast the deciding vote to kill these provisions. . . .
Finish reading the letter at the Journal. Bluestem understands that there's been discussion in the environment, natural resources and ag bill conference committee, but audio archives have yet to be posted. We'll listen to see what of interest was said and report back as they become available.
Photo: A silica sand mine near Menomonie, Wis. Aerial photo by Michael
Brun/Republican Eagle.
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The DFL legislature is prepared to sell out Southeastern Minnesota to industrial sand mining interests, despite widespread grassroots appeals for relief.
Environmental activists who pushed ambitious legislation to slow the advance of frac sand mining in Minnesota have been soundly defeated on their central proposals and, with less than two weeks left in the 2013 legislative session, are clinging to a fragile game and fish amendment as their last hope for a substantial breakthrough.
The amendment, which would block excavation within a mile of any trout stream in southeastern Minnesota, is strongly backed by Gov. Mark Dayton as a way to prevent an explosion of sand mining in a region where the state has invested millions of dollars over decades to nurture a blue-ribbon fishery.
But as the session winds down, even that idea is meeting resistance in a Legislature that has been largely receptive to the industry’s message that more regulation is unnecessary and will only kill jobs and economic growth.
“It’s the only substantial [frac sand] standard left this session,’’ said John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited.
“Everything else is just fluff,’’ said Amy Nelson, a frac sand opponent from the Red Wing area. The trout stream language, which could face a critical vote on the Senate floor as early as Thursday, has been painted by opponents as a de-facto mining ban in southeastern Minnesota. Industry supporters also say the measure is a “slippery slope’’ that could potentially hurt taconite mining on the Iron Range and even the construction aggregate business.
Another factor that the article doesn't take up is that few of the state's major environmental groups issued public
policy statements or provided testimony on the proposed legislation.
With the exception of Trout Unlimited and Land Stewardship Project, the
citizens were largely on their own. (It will be curious to see which groups that stood silent will use this issue for fundraising--we'll let you know).
Kennedy reports that the governor will meet with industry reps today to push for the pro-trout legislation:
But Dayton told reporters Wednesday that he is cautiously optimistic the legislation will move forward.
“I strongly support that position and will do everything I can in conference committee to get it enacted,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the governor scheduled a private meeting for Thursday with industry representatives, labor leaders and the commissioners of the Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency and Department of Health.
Bluestem hopes that he'll succeed in swaying the legislature where thousands of concerned citizens have failed. Praise goes to freshman senator Matt Schmit for listening to his constituents, unlike Winona area senator Jeremy Miller, who cast a deciding committee vote to kill Schmit's trout stream protection.
Photo: On Tuesday, St. Mary's prof Jane Cowgill, who favors Schmit's bill, held up a "fishstick." The legislature favors Mrs. Paul's over Southeastern Minnesota's trout. Photo by John Kaul.
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Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Caitlin Pawlowski came to Detroit Lakes to vacation at Fair Hills Resort every summer. After graduating from Ohio State University in 2007 with a degree in finance, Pawlowski spent a year working in New Jersey.
Then, in 2009, she was offered a job at Fair Hills.
"I jumped at the chance to move to Minnesota," Pawlowski, the resort'sHuman Resources/Front Desk Manager, wrote in an email interview. "I love the lakes country and
moving here was a dream come true. The life we have built in Detroit
Lakes is a dream come true."
"Minnesota is my home," she added, noting that she appreciates Minnesota values like "family, love, acceptance and freedom."
She lives with her fiance and two dogs in Detroit Lakes. In many ways, the couple represents the "talented individuals who will be coming here and sharing their gifts in the workforce," that Norwegian bachelor farmer and fellow House District 4B voter Daniel Anderson believes will find marriage equality a draw for the state.
One cloud darkens the sunny skies of her good life in Minnesota: the inability to marry the love of her life, her fiance. "Why can I not commit my life to another woman and enjoy the same
marriage benefits that my fellow heterosexual citizens enjoy?" she asks. "I didn't
choose to love my fiancé, my love for her developed without a choice."
Pawlowski believes that the freedom to marry the person she loves is a basic human right. "Marriage and the benefits of marriage is a basic human right that should
not be denied to anyone. Marriage is a commitment that should be not
withheld from anyone. Love and commitment between any two people at its
basis is the same among all couples regardless of gender," she said. "Marriage equality is important because love is blind and cannot be stopped."
The 27-year-old transplant thinks that her state representative, Paul Marquart (DFL-Dilworth) should vote to move HF1054,the Clark marriage equality bill, forward when it is heard in the House Ways and Means Committee today, and to vote yes when the bill is brought to the floor of the Minnesota House.
"Passing this bill will strengthen Minnesota's right to be called a great
state," she wrote. "It will show the nation that Minnesota is on the front line of
changing history. It will show that Minnesota is not afraid to do the
right thing. Minnesota will be a state filled with free, happy and
open-minded citizens."
"Our nation was built upon freedom for all," she added. "By not passing the bill,
only some have marriage freedom while others do not. To vote no is to
deny freedom for all. Why not? I cannot come up with a negative
outcome to passing this bill."
If Pawlowski had a chance to sit down with opponents of the bill, she'd start by listening to their explanations for their resistance to allowing her to marry the woman she loves. "I would be respectful and listen," she wrote. "I would share my story. I would
ask how love between two people can be discriminated against. I would
ask how marriage equality could be threatening."
"We lead a normal, common, boring, non-threatening life," she notes. "Why can I not
legally marry her and call her my wife and share all the benefits?"
Photo: Caitlin Pawlowski, her fiance G., and one of their two dogs, enjoying the good life in Minnesota's lake country.
This original story is underwritten by a sponsorship by Minnesotans United for All Families.
All of the statements, opinions, and views expressed on this site by Sally Jo Sorensen are solely her own, save when she attributes them to other sources.
The opinions, statements, and views of contributing writers are their own.
Sorensen, editor and proprietor of Bluestem Prairie, serves clients in the business and nonprofit sectors. While progressive in outlook, she does not caucus with any political party.
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