Sand to frac with
A discussion on mining for frac sand
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KARE 11: MN town voices opposition to frac sand operation
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is investigating a company that did not have the necessary permits when it started construction on a silica sand processing plant in Harris. -
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MPR News: Red Wing mayor resigns after criticism on lobbying job
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Frac news from around Minnesota from MN Today.
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WPR: Governor Scott Walker is asking the legislature for money to help monitor air quality at frac sand mining operations. But some of his Republican colleagues are skeptical of the request.
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WPR: A western Wisconsin lawmaker wants the state legislature to play a bigger role in regulating frac sand mining. State Senator Kathleen Vinehout will introduce five regulatory bills involving frac sand this session.
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MPR News Primer: Frac sand mining
In hydraulic fracturing, a sand made from quartz rock plentiful in our region is blasted into shale rock to extract oil and natural gas.
Skyrocketing demand for frac sand, a key ingredient in North Dakota's energy boom, is creating a gold rush in the hills of southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. That sand can help make America energy independent.
Can the costs and benefits of frac sand mining be balanced? -
Here's some background on Wisconsin's sand rush - from the summer of 2011 to the summer of 2012 the number of mines and processing plants more than doubled. Now we are up to more than 100 permitted facilities (from less than 10 in 2005) Read more: www.wisconsinwatch.org -
In Wisconsin, the frac sand boom is creating jobs. Our reporting suggests that the industry will create more than 2500 direct jobs if all of the permitted facilities begin active operations. Read more: www.wisconsinwatch.org
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Many residents of Wisconsin's sand country worry about dust pollution from new mining operations. Tiny sand particles can cause lung damage through long-term exposure. Watch Wisconsin Public Television report on dust concerns and different methods for monitoring air pollution here: video.wpt2.org
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Watch New study examines quality of air at mining sites on PBS. See more from Here and Now.
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Join us Tuesday at noon for a live discussion.
As the mining of frac sand in Minnesota is debated at the state capitol MPR News is hosting an online chat that looks at silica sand mining in the upper Midwest.
NPR State Impact reporter Mose Buchele from KUT News in Austin, Texas will provide an overview of what is going on with natural gas nationally. Closer to home we will hear from reporters that have covered sand mining in Wisconsin where the practice is farther along than it is here. Wisconsin Public Radio reporter Rich Kremer and Wisconsin Center for Investigative Reporting reporter Kate Prengaman will take part. We will also hear from Politics in Minnesota reporter Briana Bierschbach who will update us on the latest development from the Minnesota Capitol. -
Greetings from WI. Just testing the comment feature on the live.MPRnews.org chat on frac sand. -
Why did WI center for investigative reporting do an extensive story on the wild-west nature of frac sand mining and then do a long biz-booster story on frac sand jobs? It was an odd turnaround.
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Great discussion! We've heard concerns about how air quality is compromised for livestock on family farms near frac sand mines. Organic dairy farmers who need to keep their cattle healthy and antibiotic-free are concerned that cows will get respiratory illness from the frac sand dust. -
I was unable to join the video chat because of an unfortunate internet connection in the basement of the Minnesota Capitol, but I'll be online here to talk about the status of frac sand mining in St. Paul. -
I would like to see more stories on the quiet abuse of gov't power for the sand industry such as what was discovered with the Red Wing, MN mayor. According to people I've talked to in rural WI this is rampant and is going on unchecked.
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Is the rush for new fracking considered by experts to be a new normal, or merely a boom and bust cycle? Does anyone have a timeline of how long natural gas will be plentiful and profitable? -
The state DNR Secretary also has been quoted as saying the agency is "a permitting agency, not a prohibiting agency." We depend on the DNR to be the enforcement for clean air and water - we question whether or not these additional staff will be on the side of the people or on the side of industry.
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Hi Bluecheddar, thanks for the question. You're right; our coverage has examined the sand rush from many angles. There are serious environmental concerns, and there's excitement about the economic opportunities in some communities. Of course, we wouldn't call it a "biz-booster" story! Please stay tuned for a story on frac sand mines' environmental compliance - coming soon.
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Good to note Vinehout's legislation. However there is zero chance of any of her wise directives to be taken up by the GOP legislature.
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Friendly request for reporters pertinent to the frac sand discussion: when you work on the story of Scott Walker selling off land interests to foreign companies keep your knowledge of the value of frac sand land and mining sites in mind and do not simply frame Wisconsin land as being 'farm land' : from WPR- BUDGET WOULD ALLOW EASIER FOREIGN PURCHASE OF WISCONSIN FARMLAND: A provision in Governor Scott Walker's latest budget is causing concern among some farmers in the state.
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That concludes our video portion of the chat. Now we are joined by Briana Bierschbach from Politics in Minnesota. She is at the capitol in St Paul. Briana, there is a senate hearing underway today on sand mining. Where do things stand with the issue in Minnesota today?
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For those who are curious about the senate hearing that Michael Olson mentioned - - here is the link.... www.theuptake.org
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There is a Senate Environment and Natural Resources hearing today that will take up the first ever piece of legislation in Minnesota actually dealing with the issue of frac sand mining. There was a joint House and Senate informational hearing on the issue last week that drew hundreds of activists -- they like to call themselves "fractivists" -- to the Capitol. The main takeaway from that hearing was how new of an issue this is for everyone in Minnesota: lawmakers, local officials, citizens.
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But now we do have a bill being discussed from first-term DFL Sen. Matt Schmit that will do a couple of things: It will require an Generic Environmental Impact Statement to be conducted, it will set up a southern Minnesota governing board to continue studying the issue, it will allow local governments to continue any moratoriums on frac sand mining and it will impose a sand manufacturing tax to help pay for the environmental review.
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Thanks Briana. Do the proposals by Sen. Schmit seem to have legs?
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Hi Briana - is the proposed EIS for sand mining in general or suggesting that each proposed project would need an EIS? -
Congrats to Minnesota for dealing with the mining in a statewide way for once. There is no hope of that here in WI. Even the frac sand issue itself has been terribly out of sight, out of mind. Very difficult to keep up on it given that the regions the sand mining is occurring in is counties away from urban areas and the local newspapers are owned by conservatives [what the locals tell me]. And the political interests... Another story. In my opinion it is death by a thousand cuts to Wisconsin's beauty and natural world and it is a bigger blow to our aquifers than many understand. It has to be the same for Minnesota.
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Yes and no. There is currently no direct companion bill in the House. There, DFL Rep. Rick Hansen has taken the lead on the issue and prefers more local control on frac sand mining. He has a bill that would set up a scientific board that would be able to give advice to local governments rather than setting minimum standards. However, there does seem to be appetite to get something done.
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To your question, Kate: The EIS would be for sand mining in general, although one company that is proposing projects in Winona, Minnesota, has volunteered to do a review of it's own proposal before moving forward.
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Gov. Dayton has been very quiet on the issue. His spokeswoman has said he is "ready to engage" in a conversation about frac sand mining. However, Dayton's commissioners from the Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Health have been encouraging local governments in some instances (like Winona) to do more review.
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There was a lot of talk on the stream segment about air and water quality concerns, and I agree with those. But there is also concern about truck traffic, noise, emissions and their impact on roads and quality of life.
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The question of statewide regulation is complex here in WI- I've heard people say they would rather have local control over decisions about mining - including what kinds of site-specific conditions they can put on permits, rather than generic statewide rules.
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@Briana who seems to have the upper-hand in St Paul in terms of mobilizing public support? Who is getting the ear of the lawmakers?
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A second point re reaching beyond the mining and processing to transportation. Superior Sands in Wabasha is leasing land from the railroads for a transfer facility. They have claimed that federal RR law exempts them from envl review under state law. This is outrageous and our citizens group is challenging this but I have seen no media discussion of this.
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There were calls from residents in western Wisconsin for the DNR to come up with a statewide standard for silica dust emissions. In response the WI DNR said the current non-metallic regulations were sufficient.
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Briana- I understand there is a newly formed MN Industrial Sand Council. How active have they been in lobbying?
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There is a newer group of activists called Save the Bluffs, Citizens Against Silica Sand Mining that had an impressive presence here during the hearing last week. They have lobbyists at the Capitol and have been storming meetings and events all around the state. Given the number of protesters here last week, I'd say they have a strong voice here in St. Paul with Democratic lawmakers. They were also instrumental in putting pressure on the mayor of Red Wing to resign after it was revealed he had signed on to lobby with sand mining companies in St. Paul.
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The rural activists against frac sand mining here in WI are not collab. across the state. The folks that fight hardest are protecting their own town/county where they live. They would like the sand companies to go to counties in the state where there is less protection [what 1 person told me - certainly not 'the gospel truth']. It is sad but the truth that as Minnesota more tightly regulates against frac sand mining, companies will perhaps just hop over the border to WI if at all possible.
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Rich- I believe California is the only state with silica specific pollution standards so far. Wisconsin just opted to apply the general EPA limits on particle pollution, not create specific silica limits. Is MN considering adopting a limit similar to CA?
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The MN Industrial Sand Council was the group that hired Red Wing mayor Dennis Egan, who has since resigned for that role. They have had a good presence at the Capitol so far. In fact, Peter Larson, a lobbyist representing the group, is testifying on the issue as we speak.
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Representatives from the Industrial Sand Council were also on hand at the joint House and Senate hearing last week, Rich.
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I was intrigued to see that some activists from Winona, MN had blocked a tour bus [some months back now] Are you seeing more radical actions like that in MN? That protest included some Catholic Workers.
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..and I assume that there might be indigenous peoples very much against mining - perhaps in Idle No More. Is that evident in MN?
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Briana, do you think the former Red Wing Mayor will be successful at the capitol? Does he have deep connections in St Paul that you know of?
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Does anyone know when Rick Hanson is going to introduce his bill?
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Activism is becoming more noticeable every day, especially around the Capitol. I'm afraid I'm not aware of any tribes that are currently protesting frac sand mining, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were.
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Dennis Egan is very well connected in St. Paul and has been a lobbyist for a long time. I imagine this ordeal wont get in the way of his work much at the Capitol, but the response from citizens back home in Red Wing was incredible. The city council had ordered an investigation of him his decision to lobby for the group right before he decided to resign.
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I think it's fascinating to see the difference in response to the industry by the two states. I'm wondering if it's a case of different parties controlling the legislatures or because folks in MN have had a chance to assess what has happened in WI.
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Ellen, there are two bills already introduced from Hansen, I believe. Let me see if I grab the file numbers for you.
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I need to duck out of the chat but will keep it open for anyone that wants to keep talking.
As the rest of you sign off, please share a location where you post information on frac sand.
You can keep tabs on frac sand coverage on MN Today.
Thanks! -
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I'm afraid I also need to head back to work, but thank you all for joining into the text chat. Sorry for missing the video conversation. Feel free to email me with any additional questions at briana.bierschbach@legal-ledger.com. Thanks for having me Michael!
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As I too leave this, I just want to say that our group in Wabasha is not trying to ban the industry from operating but to be sure that any operation is carried out in a way that is respectful to the environment, the culture of our region and the safety of its residents.
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Reply to Rich Kremer but mostly on the WI aspect - Perhaps part of the answer is in how strong the MN DNR has been before the Tea Party took charge in its legislature - before the DFL got stronger again. I feel as if WI has been under one ideological attack after the next. The high speed rail, then the 'budget repair bill', then the recalls ensued - - which drained much energy and framed the political dialog as Walker vs. Dems/Unions. Now we're into the new agenda: charters and vouchers vs. public schools/ iron mining vs. anti [Indians + environmentalists] "Open for Business" means very, very open to frac sand business.
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