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: mining
Posted inEconomy, Frac Sand Rush, Government
City’s frac 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 frac sand mine that would be built a half-mile south of a school.
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Frac Sand Rush, Government
Sand mining bill could also affect iron mine, factory farms
The impact of a controversial bill that would restrict local government regulation of frac sand mines might be broader than originally thought, affecting the proposed iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin and factory farms across the state, opponents said Thursday at a Capitol hearing.
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, Frac Sand Rush, Government, Health & Welfare
Frac sand health fears rise as mining booms in Wisconsin
Like some other west-central Wisconsin residents, Frances and Dean Sayles are frustrated with the state Department of Natural Resources’ lack of a comprehensive approach to addressing concerns surrounding potential health problems from crystalline silica dust. Now some residents, academics, local government officials and even a frac sand producer have begun taking action.
Posted inFrac Sand Rush, WisWatch Blog
Reporter’s diary: A surprise at the sand conference
When I started reporting on the frac sand beat for my Center internship, I had no inkling that silica sand mining could have much of anything to do with my hometown of Minneapolis.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Slideshow: Inside the Penokee harvest camp
Photos accompanying reporter Tegan Wendland’s audio feature on the harvest camp.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Iron County Board: Harvest camp can stay
Hard to say whether it was the fry bread passed out by tribal members to supervisors on the Iron County Board, but the outcome was positive for the Lac Courte Oreilles band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tuesday as the board voted to work with the band and find a way to keep a controversial harvest camp open in the Penokee Range.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
In Penokees camp, tribes flex treaty muscles to block mine
Tribal officials and a treaty law expert say the Iron County camp, dubbed a harvest camp by Ojibwe, or Chippewa, lays the foundation for a possible legal case invoking their federal treaty rights.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Miner Gogebic yanks security firm at drill site, pending Wisconsin license
Bill Williams, GTAC president, said the company is licensed in Arizona but not in Wisconsin. “We understand they have applied for the appropriate Wisconsin license but not yet had their application approved.”
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Paramilitary-style guards ‘are going to stay,’ mining company vows
Despite harsh criticism from two northern legislators and an outcry from anti-mining activists, a spokesman for Gogebic Taconite said Tuesday that armed, paramilitary-style guards will continue to patrol the site deep in the Penokee Range where the company wants to build a large open pit iron mine.
Posted inEnvironment, Frac Sand Rush
New studies measure air, water impacts of frac sand mines
Competing studies are under way to assess air pollution from Wisconsin’s frac sand industry, and the author of one said current state law isn’t protecting people well enough. A separate study, meanwhile, will examine the impact of frac sand mines on water.