Pattison Sand Co., which recently opened a site in Wisconsin, is facing concerns over the growth of its Iowa mine, which has a worst-in-the-nation safety record.
Tag: frac sand
Posted inFrac Sand Rush, WisWatch Blog
Podcast: How we animated Wisconsin’s frac sand rush
Center reporters Kate Golden and Taylor Chase and artist Jacob Berchem talk about their recent experiment in animating the news.
Posted inEnvironment, Government, Groundwater supply
Big farms, frac sand mines could feel force of judge’s groundwater ruling
Two weeks ago, Administrative Law Judge Jeffrey Boldt approved the state Department of Natural Resources’ issuance of permits for a large and controversial dairy farm in Central Wisconsin. But he also reduced the amount of water the farm could pump from proposed high-capacity wells and required the DNR to consider the impact of the withdrawals in conjunction with other, nearby wells — a concept known as cumulative impacts.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Wisconsin frac sand facility operates wells without permit, faces $52,500 in fines
A judgment filed by the state Department of Natural Resources says Hi-Crush Augusta operated the two wells for five months in 2012, as well as operating without a water measuring meter in one of the wells.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Frac sand news roundup: ‘The state was built on railroads … They’re not going anywhere’
Oklahomans are seeing more earthquakes (possibly from fracking), silica health concerns aren’t borne out by Minnesota studies, and rail revenues shoot up due to all those cars full of sand.
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Frac Sand Rush
As rail moves frac sand across Wisconsin landscape, new conflicts emerge
While the number of Wisconsin car-train accidents has remained relatively steady in recent years, and derailments actually are down, some residents who live near train tracks used for transporting sand, primarily in western and northwestern communities, complain about noise and traffic delays in addition to safety worries.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Frac sand news roundup: ‘There’s another option, which is slow down’
Minnesota mines can be approved without an environmental review, an Eau Claire citizen finds a loophole that could leave taxpayers to foot the bill for reclamation, and We Energies wants a new natural gas pipeline to serve frac sand mines in western Wisconsin.
Posted inFrac Sand Rush, WisWatch Blog
Podcast: Head in the (frac) sand
Reporter Alison Dirr just finished a yearlong internship with us, during which she covered the sprawling beat of Wisconsin’s fast-growing frac sand industry. We talk about that in the latest podcast. And below the audio link, further reflections from Dirr. Also, we now have music for the podcast. Alison Dirr: After a year as WisconsinWatch’s […]
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Frac sand news roundup: ‘I’m going to where there are no moratoriums’
Obama’s climate plan could lead to more frac sand demand, the Lower Wisconsin Riverway Board loses a bid to stop mining within the riverway and North Carolina limits disclosure of fracking chemicals.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Frac sand news roundup: ‘Thanks to God and the glaciers’
We launch a new feature today on the WisWatch blog: a roundup of the latest news in frac sand. This week: Glenwood City sand plant clears final hurdles, Buffalo County wins a court appeal of a permit, Gov. Scott Walker visits a frac sand mine.
Posted inFrac Sand Rush, WisWatch Blog
October update: Wisconsin’s frac sand industry map
Wisconsin’s frac sand boom may have slowed, but the number of permitted and proposed facilities still has grown since the Center’s May tally.
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Frac Sand Rush, Government, Health & Welfare
Frac sand industry faces DNR violations, warnings
Nearly a fifth of Wisconsin’s 70 active frac sand mines and processing plants were cited for environmental violations last year, as the industry continued to expand at a rapid clip.