Frac sand news roundup: Are the go-go days over?

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The latest in Wisconsin frac sand. See our in-depth stories since 2011 on our frac sand project page.

With its frac sand mining moratorium ending in March, the Houston County (Minn.) Planning Commission held a public forum to discuss a new proposed ordinance that would strictly regulate mines. The public wasn’t messing around, though: Everyone who spoke at the forum was adamant on either altering the ordinance or banning frac sand mining altogether. WXOW January 6

Chippewa County may become the first in Wisconsin to support a recent request to the state Department of Natural Resources for a comprehensive study on the impacts of frac sand mining. The Chippewa Herald January 7

Frac sand industry analysts are still not sure how mining in Wisconsin will be affected by the drop in oil prices. The Wisconsin DNR reports that there has not yet been any major changes in the industry, but at least one oil analyst, based in Milwaukee, isn’t convinced: “The only thing we can say for sure is that the go-go days are over.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel January 17

Residential concerns, balloons on strings, and running to play catch-up: California reporter Dan Weissman explores the world of frac sand mining from Larimer County, Colo., to Trempealeau County. Marketplace January 13, 15, 16, 19

River Alliance of Wisconsin executive director Denny Caneff, in an opinion piece, put frac sand mining among Wisconsin’s four biggest water concerns for 2015. Wausau Daily Herald January 18

Activists trying to keep frac sand out of Houston County suffered a loss this past week with news that Canadian Pacific Rail has begun construction on a new stretch of rail across a protected waterway; the project increases the likelihood that mines will move in. The Caledonia Argus January 19

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