Like the ghost towns left behind after the California gold rush fizzled, many of the frac sand mines dotting western Wisconsin sat dormant a year ago.
Read More »Rail business grows with sand demand
The boom in demand for Wisconsin’s sand used for hydraulic fracturing has prompted conflicts and safety concerns along with an increase in rail traffic moving the commodity to other states.
Tagged with: frac frac sand fracking Jeff Plale Union Pacific Wisconsin Industrial Sand Association WisDOT
Read More »Former EPA official: Fracking transparency vital
Controversies over the fracking process may be inevitable, a former administrator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged recently, but Wisconsin can protect its place as the leading supplier of sand for the nation's fracking boom as long as the state has strong regulations, maintains maximum transparency and responds quickly to neighbors' concerns.
Tagged with: EPA frac mining sand mining
Read More »Co. ordered to pay fines for air pollution at Marshfield facility
A Madison-based company will pay $80,000 in forfeitures and court costs for violating Wisconsin air pollution laws at a hydraulic fracturing and sand processing facility in Marshfield.
Tagged with: air pollution frac fracking
Read More »Minn. to issue draft silica sand mining guidelines
Minnesota plans to release a draft set of model standards Friday to help communities struggling to regulate the boom in mining for silica sand, which oil and gas drillers use for hydraulic fracturing.
Tagged with: frac mining oil silica sand
Read More »City’s frack sand mine battle spurs recalls
In this small city in northwestern Wisconsin, the mayor and two council members are facing recall elections over their handling of a proposed frack sand mine that would be built a half-mile south of a school.
Tagged with: DNR frac frac sand mining League of Wisconsin Municipalities Tom Tiffany Wisconsin Counties Association
Read More »Bill aims to limit local control
Two Republican state lawmakers are sponsoring a bill to restrict the ability of local communities to regulate Wisconsin’s booming frack sand industry.
Read More »US Silica could open Eau Claire County mine
U.S. Silica is considering opening a frac sand mining operation that would be Eau Claire County's largest.
Tagged with: frac frac sand mining U.S. Silica
Read More »Hub of frac mining imposes hiatus (UPDATE)
A western Wisconsin county that has issued more frac sand mining permits than any other county in the state and in neighboring Minnesota has decided to take a hiatus on new projects while it addresses health and environmental concerns.
Read More »Demand for frac sand falls in Wis., Minn.
Short-term demand for frac sand in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota has fallen because there's more available than the industry currently needs.
Tagged with: frac
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