Study says frack sand mining is boon for Midwest communities

A new Policy Study from The Heartland Institute shows industrial sand mining has been “a significant driver of economic growth across the Upper Midwest.” If done in an environmentally responsible manner, the study finds, “it can be an important source of employment and earnings for decades to come.”

The study, titled “Economic Impacts of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) Mining,” is the second in a series by Heartland Institute Research Fellow Isaac Orr and geologist Mark Krumenacher, who is principal and senior vice president of GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., addressing the mining of industrial silica sand, known as “frac sand.”

Read more in the Akron (Ohio) Journal Beacon.

Fracking Has Not Had Big Effect on Water Supply, E.P.A. Says While Noting Risks

A landmark Environmental Protection Agency report on the impact of hydraulic fracturing has found no evidence that the contentious technique of oil and gas extraction has had a widespread effect on the nation’s water supply, the agency said Thursday.

Nevertheless, the long-awaited draft report found that the techniques used in hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, do have the potential to contaminate drinking water.

Read more in The New York Times.

Region's sand demand dips

Low oil prices and reduced drilling in shale regions like North Dakota are hurting the once fast-growing frac sand industry, slashing demand and forcing price cuts that have led some players to reduce jobs.

U.S. sand mines, including 63 in Wisconsin and six in Minnesota, are projected to ship significantly less sand to oil drillers in 2015, compared with last year, when companies like Fairmount Santrol, U.S. Silica and Superior Silica Sands set production records, industry officials say.

Read more in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Cooperation lauded in water study related to sand mining

A five-year groundwater study in western Chippewa County is progressing because so many parties, including seven sand mining companies, are working together, officials agreed Tuesday. "Members of the mining industry have freely shared information, which has led to a data-rich study," Chippewa County Conservationist Dan Masterpole said.

Read more in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram

Houston County Commissioners fail to pass frac sand ban

Houston County Commissioners Tuesday failed to pass a new frac sand mining ordinance after a packed public meeting that got so raucous sheriff’s deputies removed about a half dozen people for disruptive behavior.

The board, which gave preliminary approval to a ban on mining 10 days ago, was unable to agree on an outright ban, or on an ordinance that would regulate the industry. Passage of either would have required a majority of four votes. The commissioners voted 3-2 against each proposal.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Proposed frac sand mining operation could be biggest in Minnesota

A proposed silica sand mining project in southeastern Minnesota could change the nature of the industry in the state. Or not. Nobody is quite sure what to expect at the end of February, when Minnesota Sands LLC submits its revised business plan to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board.

Read more in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Wabasha adopts new mining ordinance and may ban silica mining in future

Wabasha has a new mining ordinance and, in the future, it may ban silica sand mining in general within city limits.... The ordinance is “a lot more detailed with a more exhaustive permitting and monitoring process” than what the city had before, City Administrator Chad Springer said.

Read more in Winona Daily News.

Wisconsin DNR to take fresh look at sand mining regulations

The state Department of Natural Resources will conduct new analysis of the health and environmental effects of Wisconsin's fast-growing sand mining industry. The Natural Resources Board voted 7-0 in Madison on Wednesday to begin work on a "strategic analysis" of industrial sand mining and whether the industry is being properly regulated.

Read more in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Committee’s silica sand hearing mines deep emotions

Lynn Schoen’s blood boils at the thought of her state government ignoring its citizens’ voices. Fred Corrigan worries that government regulation will stifle a burgeoning industry that brings with it job growth and economic opportunity.

These are the emotions provoked by silica sand, a round grain of nearly pure quartz prized by oil and gas companies drilling for energy in other parts of the country and around the world.

Read the article in the Jan. 28, 2015 issue of Session Daily, a publication of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Frac sand boom remains relatively untouched by oil price drop

Wisconsin’s booming frac sand mines have shown few signs of slowing down, even as oil prices remain at their lowest in months. The mines, located primarily in western and northwestern Wisconsin, provide sand necessary in hydraulic fracturing sites across the country.

Read more in the Badger Herald (Wisc.).

Good Times Run Out for Sand Producers

“This isn’t our first rodeo” has become a catchphrase among oil-industry executives who are laying off workers and dialing back spending in the wake of tumbling crude-oil prices. But for many sand producers, this is their first time on the bucking bronco that is the cyclical energy business—and not all of them are ready for the wild ride, industry analysts say.

Read more in The Wall Street Journal.

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.

MPCA: Monitoring shows silica sand not a concern in Winona

Frac sand in ambient air does not pose a health concern for Winona residents. The first look Tuesday at eight months’ worth of air monitoring data in downtown Winona showed silica sand was, for the most part, undetectable.

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.

Personal Finance: Investors romping in the sandbox

This year's hot investment commodity isn't gold, silver, corn or soybeans. It's sand. Thanks to the bonanza in North American oil and gas production, high quality sand is in short supply, and investors have been raking in outsized returns as a result.

Read more in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Wisconsin's frac sand creating new conflicts

Wisconsin's boom in production of sand used for hydraulic fracturing has fueled a large increase in rail traffic moving the commodity to other states, causing conflicts and raising safety concerns.

Read more in the Appleton Post Crescent.

First Winona air monitor results in; frac sand levels not final yet

A look at the first set of data from one of Winona’s air monitors shows that city residents have little to worry about when it comes to breathing in fine particles — though the study will require more data and there’s no word yet on the impact of frac sand in the air.

Read more in Winona Daily News.

Court of Appeals rejects challenge to frac sand mine

Opponents of frac sand mining in Winona County have lost a legal challenge at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The court said the County Board was correct in ruling that the first frac sand mining project ever approved in Winona County did not require an environmental review.

Read more at Minnesota Public Radio.

NSSGA gives OSHA additional info on proposed silica rule

NSSGA filed additional information and data with OSHA following the agency’s public hearings in March and April on a proposed respirable crystalline silica rule.

NSSGA says OSHA’s proposal is important to its members because a silica standard would directly affect ready-mix and asphalt concrete operations, many aggregate sales yards, and practically all members’ customers.

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.