An environmental law firm has asked federal regulators to reject air permits the state Department of Natural Resources has granted for sand mines in western Wisconsin.
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.
Minnesota lawmakers began drilling into the state's silica sand mining Tuesday with hours of testimony from advocates and opponents, the first phase of a potential fight over what role the state should play in overseeing the booming industry.
Wabasha's City Council has upheld a conditional-use permit for planned silica sand transfer facility without an environmental review, but it has also called for an environmental review of a smaller plant that wants to expand.