Page 10 ■ Thursday, January 12, 2012


NATION & WORLD


Natural gas, oil boom spurs sand mining in Midwest


By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press


rolling hills and scenic bluffs of western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota hide a valuable resource that has sparked what’s been called a modern-day gold rush.


The object of desire is not gold but a soft sandstone needed by drilling com- panies to unlock underground natural gas and oil supplies in a controversial practice called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.


debate over fracking is the emerging fi ght in the U.S. heartland over mining “frac sand,” which has grains of ideal size, shape, strength and purity. Mining companies say the work provides good jobs in rural areas, but some residents fear the increase in mining could harm human health and the environment. “More and more people are waking


Largely overlooked in the national CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (AP) — The


comes from the Midwest. It’s shipped by rail hundreds of miles to the oil and gas fi elds of Texas, Pennsylvania and North Dakota, where drillers mix it with water and chemicals, then force it deep under- ground to fracture shale deposits that hold gas and oil that couldn’t be tapped conventionally. Critics say the process can diminish water quality and even cause earthquakes. John Felmy, chief economist with


Associated Press


Frac sand destined for the oil and gas fi elds pile up at EOG Resources Inc. processing plant in Chippewa Falls, Wis., on Dec. 15, 2011.


the American Petroleum Institute, said opponents of hydraulic fracturing are “fundamentally misguided” and the en- vironmental fears are unwarranted. The surge in sand mining has extended the domestic energy boom to portions of the country that don’t produce much fuel, bringing jobs and economic devel- opment, he said.


up to the fact that there are diffi cul- ties with this massive explosion,” said Pat Popple, a retired school teacher and principal and anti-sand mining activist. U.S. frac sand producers sold or used


more than 6.5 million metric tons of sand worth $319 million in 2009, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tonnage likely will have doubled when 2010 data is released, said Thomas Dolley, a USGS mineral commodity specialist who fol- lows the silica mining industry. “It’s huge,” Dolley said. “I’ve never


seen anything like it, the growth. It makes my head spin.” Nearly three-fourths of frac sand


100%


“It’s huge, I’ve never seen anything like it, the growth.


It makes my head spin.” – USGS mineral commodity specialist Thomas Dolley


hold in Wisconsin’s Chippewa County since 2008. The most visible sign is the huge new EOG Resources Inc. plant in Chippewa Falls, where a steady parade of shiny new trucks delivers a load of orange sand from a nearby mine every few minutes. The plant, which is still in the start-up


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Frac sand mining has had a foot-


phase, will bring 40 to 50 full-time jobs to the community, while mining con- tractors now employ about 25 people and the trucking company that delivers the sand has added over 70 jobs, compa- ny spokeswoman K Leonard said. About 90 percent of the 38 employees EOG has hired so far are from the area, she said. But not everyone is excited about the


in setting environmental silica standards, he said. Houston-based EOG Resources, a


growth. On a recent windy day, Heather Andersen, of Bloomer, another retired schoolteacher turned activist, watched as gusts of 30 to 40 mph blew dust off sand piled up at the Superior Silica Sands LLC mine northwest of Chippewa Falls. She said she saw no signs the mine kept the sand watered down to suppress the dust. “That stuff you see is not dangerous,”


Andersen said. “It’s the stuff you can’t see.” Activists say frac sand isn’t ordinary


sand. They fear fi ne silica dust from the mines and plants will make people sick, spoil the landscape and contaminate ground water. Fresh, fi ne silica dust is a well-docu-


mented health risk blamed for lung dis- eases such as silicosis, cancer and auto- immune diseases, but most published research is about workplace dangers, said David Goldberg, an expert on silica haz- ards and professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washing- ton University. Crispin H. Pierce, an environmental public health professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, said more in- formation is needed about the risks of frac sand mining. Fresh silica dust has grains with sharp, jagged particles and is more dangerous than the weathered silica found in dirt, although it weathers quickly, he said. His limited testing for dust outside the


EOG plant hasn’t found “levels of con- cern so far,” Pierce said. But until more is known, it makes sense for Wisconsin and other frac sand states to follow the leads of states like Texas and California


Fortune 500 oil and natural gas com- pany, says it has worked to address local concerns about dust, safety and the envi- ronment at its mines and sand process- ing plant in Chippewa Falls. The main mine serving the plant is


surrounded by berms, with vegetation to improve aesthetics, Leonard said. Most of the plant’s equipment is enclosed and the conveyor, storage and fi ltration systems are designed to reduce dust. The plant monitors air quality and the company will monitor groundwater at its three mine sites in Wisconsin, she added. “We look forward to being a good


steward of the Chippewa Falls environ- ment and a good community partner with the citizens of Wisconsin,” Leonard wrote in an email. Some counties in Minnesota and


Wisconsin have responded to health and environmental concerns by passing min- ing moratoriums to buy time for more study. Others are debating whether to hit the brakes on further mine develop- ment. In southeastern Minnesota, Jim Gur-


ley has joined with other residents to try to persuade the Winona County Board to adopt a one-year mining moratorium. Like many activists, they’re focusing on local concerns, sounding the alarm over the already increased truck traffi c from mines in Wisconsin crossing the Missis- sippi River to a processing plant in Wi- nona, Minn. Wabasha and Goodhue counties in


Minnesota and Pepin and Eau Claire counties in Wisconsin have already ad- opted moratoriums, although Eau Claire County’s is for just six months. “It’s been described by the mining of-


fi cials as a gold rush,” Gurley said. “It’s a sand rush. A lot of us are saying ‘What’s the rush?’ The sand is going to be here a year from now.”


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