City council backs silica sand air monitoring, will wait on state's rules

The city of Winona officially supports the idea of monitoring frac sand in the air at the city’s sand facilities. The City Council on Monday approved a resolution that urges the state to come up with laws to regulate the silica sand industry — emphasizing that it supports the idea of requiring air monitors at the fence line of each frac sand operation.

Read more in the Winona Daily News.

Winona to hold public discussion on frac sand monitoring results

City staff should get an idea next week from the results of more than nine months of monitoring downtown Winona air for ambient frac sand and emissions.

Read more in Winona Daily News.

Committee pushes for extensive frac sand monitoring in Winona

The Winona Citizen's Environmental Quality Committee is recommending several additional air monitors be installed in Winona to measure the impact of frac sand processing and transportation on ambient air quality.

Read more in the Winona Daily News.

MPCA offers sand dust, diesel fume monitoring

The ongoing debate over whether the frac sand industry poses a health risk may have a new focal point: the roof of the Winona YMCA. It is that surface that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the city of Winona have selected as the best site for a possible air quality monitoring effort.

Minnesota Will Investigate Whether Frac Sand Particles Are Blowing Off Trucks In Winona

Minnesota officials plan to study a busy roadway in Winona to see if harmful dust is blowing off of trucks hauling frac sand to and from Wisconsin.

Read more at Wisconsin Public Radio.

Winona frac sand moratorium ending

Two Winona City Council members made a last-ditch effort to extend the city's frac sand moratorium but were denied by the rest of the council. The Winona City Council voted 5-2 not to extend the city's yearlong moratorium on new and expanding frac sand businesses by 120 days. The moratorium will expire March 13.

Read more in the Winona Daily News.

Council approves frac sand changes

The Winona City Council approved a number of changes Tuesday to the way it regulates the frac sand industry as it prepares to stay ahead of a one-year moratorium set to expire in March.

Read more in the Winona Daily News.