Destructive Frack Sand Mining in WI, MN, IL, etc.

From an Issue by Patricia Popple, Editor, Frac Sand Sentinel, December 1, 2021

First hand experience with silicosis and respirable crystalline silica dust is not too common of an event with lawmakers, politicians and governmental officials and others when it comes to issuing permits and sanctioning industries wishing to blast out and mine silica. A Michigan friend sent this video of Michigan Senator Tom Ward as he tells his personal story on YouTubeabout his experiences with silica and dust dangers.

He feels the need for greater oversight and avoiding practices that create the harms done by some industries which are polluting the air we breathe. He feels additional health and safety measures in the industry with regulatory standards would not only improve the health of workers but also that of people living near silica dust producing industries.

https://youtu.be/z-xqWByL_ew

The old film on silicosis entitled “Stop Silicosis” produced by the federal government and the work of many researchers including Frances Perkins, Secretary of the Department of Labor is still available for viewing. It is well worth taking the time to see this film produced in 1938 as 83 years have passed since silicosis has been identified and many states including Wisconsin have not studied nor listed silica dust as a carcinogen. Neither have they introduced standards for respirable crystalline silica dust. While appeals from citizens in Northwest Wisconsin were made at the onset of silica mining in Wisconsin, the rationale listed by the Department of Natural Resources indicated that the priority for study of this chemical was lowest on the list of concerns and that it would be too expensive to do.

Take a look at the film on YouTube. I think you will enjoy seeing this old film but also determining how relevant it is to practices still being used today…83 years later!

Stop Silicosis (US DOL 1938) : US Dept. of Labor 1938 : Free Streaming : Internet Archive

https://archive.org/details/StopSilicosis

In 1938, the US Department of Labor released this film aimed at preventing the occupational disease of silicosis. It was produced in response to the national outcry over the death of more than 500 workers at Union Carbide’s Hawks Nest Tunnel project near Gauley Bridge West Virginia in the early 1930s. That overexposure to silica dust caused this deadly disease had been known for more than 100 years, but many employers ignored workplace dust control methods. Sadly, almost 70 years later, hundreds of workers each year still develop this preventable lung disease. The current OSHA exposure limit for silica dust is based on science from the mid 1960s. Most of the information and prevention measures in this film are still relevant today.

>>> FRAC SAND SENTINEL | 561 SUMMIT AVENUE, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

Minnesota Frac Sand Protest

Minnesota & Wisconsin Are Being Damaged By Surface Mines for Fracking Sand

Dear Friends:

Kudos to Johanna Rupprecht and Happy New Year to all her supporters in Winona County, MN and beyond!!!

We in Wisconsin appreciate the model you have set for the Midwestern States!

May there be more thoughtful hardworking people come to the forefront to work on this issue in the coming years! 2017 must be a time for combined efforts on the part of many community organizations joining forces for the benefit and good of the whole!

When Johanna Rupprecht visited Chippewa Co., Wisconsin a few years ago to view and learn more about the developing frac sand facilities and to take photos of the devastating impact of this industry on the land, the air and the water, I was impressed with her determination and grit and the ability to take on a serious issue.

Many residents in Chippewa County were concerned about the unknowns of this industry but few city, town, county and state officials were prepared or even concerned about setting too many restrictions or even studying the possibilities of limitations. Citizens spoke but were not heard! The industry in Wisconsin continues to expand.

Johanna’s efforts are being recognized in her home county as a leader in the Land Stewardship Project located throughout Minnesota. She sought out appropriate legal assistance that recognized that mining, processing, trans-load and transport of frac sand could be banned legally and using her skills and abilities as well as people skills worked many long hours with many people in Winona County to make it happen. 

Read all about it!

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/year-in-review-rupprecht-leads-charge-to-ban-frac-sand/article_b0751ad0-4859-5d03-9274-4ab050904044.html

Sincerely yours, Pat Popple, Save The Hills Alliance, Inc., S6650 County Road G, Augusta, WI 54722  [sunnyday5@charter.net] 

See also:  WWW.CCC-WIS.COM  for additional information

Seven Frac Sand Train Cars Jump Over

Fracking Sand Mining in MN and WI has Become Extreme, Damaging, and Dangerous

From an Article by Taylor Chase, WisconsinWatch.org, February 10, 2015

Our in-depth stories since 2011are on our frac sand project page.

A derailed train outside of Uniontown, Penn. spilled frac sand within six feet of a residential home. A former University of Pittsburgh public health dean said if he lived there, he would consider moving. <Pittsburgh Post Gazette January 22, 2015> < See video here:  http://youtu.be/Qomm_mg9on0 >

After several months, Houston County, Minn.’s planning commission has finally approved an ordinance on frac sand mining that will go next to the county board. Chairman Dan Griffin said this final version of the ordinance strikes the right balance between protecting citizens from potential impact while allowing the county to get some of the economic benefit. <The Caledonia Argus January 27, 2015>

Frac sand mining opponents throughout Minnesota have been calling out government bodies and officials recently. In St. Paul, with help from the Land Stewardship Project, residents protested an informational meeting for not allowing public participation. And in Houston County, a county board member questioned the propriety of closed-door meetings, while a longtime resident complained, “I hope one of these new mines opens up next to you.”  <PostBulletin.com andChannel 8000 January 27, 2015>

After a two-year delay, Minnesota Sands LLC has restarted planning for a four-county-wide frac sand operation. The renewed effort was sparked again after the company delivered $130,450 to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board for an extensive environmental review, money the state had required two years ago when the operations were first proposed. < The Star Tribune February 4, 2015>

But enough about Minnesota. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced it will be moving forward with plans for a strategic analysis of the frac sand industry in the state. The department will begin with a public comment period throughout February and March. This comes after a statewide petition last fall from the nonprofit Madison-based law firm. < Midwest Environmental Advocates.WDIO January 28, 2015>

<< The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. >>

Photo: A conveyor pours crushed sand into a stockpile before it is washed and sorted by grain class size at Preferred Sands mine in Blair, WI.

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Hold leaders accountable, addend public hearing on February 18, 2015

From an Article by Jim and Cindy Hobelsberger / La Crescent Township, February 11, 2015

We want to remind residents of Houston County that your county board of commissioners is holding the last public hearing on the proposed mineral extraction and mining ordinance to address frac sand mining at 10 a.m. Wednesday, February 18th, in the commissioner’s room at the courthouse. If at all possible, please attend and voice your opinions on this important issue. Your commissioners need to hear what you want this decision to be.

If you’ve been following the development of the proposed ordinance, you are aware of the dysfunction, lack of credibility, and personal agendas that appear to be at work within our county government and are ultimately undermining our rights as citizens. We live in a democracy where our elected officials and appointed leaders are supposed to make decisions based on what their constituents want and what is in the best interest of all, not just a select few or worse yet, to support their personal biases.

If you have attended any planning commission or county board meetings, viewed the recordings of those meetings on the Houston County website (www.co.houston.mn.us) or had a discussion with some of the county commissioners, you quickly perceive there are certain individuals who demonstrate a strong intent to control the outcome of this decision and will not consider a ban on frac sand mining, regardless of what the people want. The term “dictatorship” comes to mind. If you haven’t been following or engaged in this issue, you need to do so now.

Contact your county commissioners and attend the public hearing. Based on our personal experience, we recommend contacting them as a group via email so they all get the same message and can hold each other accountable in their response. Make your voices heard and hold your elected leaders accountable to do their job.

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