Heidi Herron's Open Salon Blog

Inside Look at a Public Meeting on Frac Sand Mining, WI

Sat, 9 Mar 2013 13:03:27 -0500

(first published on WIvoices.org)

With over 100 frac sand mining and processing sites, Wisconsin is now the leading supplier of frac sand in the nation. But are companies operating in our state complying with regulations? According to a recent report, about 90% of sites visited by the WI Department of Natural Resources were issued letters of noncompliance, and nearly 20% of active frac sand mines and processing plants were cited for environmental violations.

This record is troubling for people when a mining company proposes coming to their town.

So at WIvoices.org, we’ve brought you a condensedversion of a small town meeting on frac sand mining. You will hear the concerns of people debating the pros and cons of annexing a proposed frac sand mining site to Glenwood City, WI.

This meeting was held on February 25, 2013 and was informational, since no formal annexation request had been submitted prior to the meeting, and no action was taken by the city council.

You’ll hear Kwik Trip CFO Scott Teigen speak to his neighbors about his intention to allow operation of the “Vista Mine” on property he owns with the Robert and Velma Crosby family. [See WIvoices.org’s previous article for the history of the “Vista Mine” application and reference document for more information .]

Texas company Vista Sand, Ltd., along with Teigen and members of the Crosby family, are co-applicants for a Special Exception from St. Croix County to allow operating a frac sand mine located 1/4 mile from the Glenwood City public school, but County staff have determined the application currently is incomplete.

However, Teigen explained that while they are still pursuing the County application, as a “Plan B”, they are requesting that Glenwood City annex the property and assume control of the frac sand mine permitting process.

People in the Glenwood City area are not so sure. Many think that annexation may allow sidestepping needed review and regulation – creating an easier route for a mine in their town.

Though passions ran high during this public meeting, everyone remained civil—and neighbors oftentimes referred to each other by first names. The applicant for the frac sand mine spoke directly to community members, the city council allowed an hour for questions, and people were informed about the issues.

Teigen addressed the crowd explaining that “We just think it is too important to the community to let it slip away”. He estimated that the direct benefit to the city could be up to $250,000 annually and potentially 50-60 jobs.

The experiences and viewpoints of Glenwood City area residents ranged widely.

The first resident, Leon Berenschot, emphasized the need for jobs in a small town—a sentiment echoed by others during the meeting. "We can't just let this slip away."

Resident Sali Mounce expressed concerns, "You need to look very carefully at what it's going to cost you, because I don't think you're going to make a dime."

Resident Julie Augeson, mother of twins said, "If that (mine) goes in near my kids' school, I'm pulling them."

Resident Chris Schone emphasized his level of concern , "If the (Glenwood City) council chooses to annex this property in, are they actually saying that we're educated enough...if the board of adjustments and the zoning department is struggling this much with it?"

Resident Carol Vaga said her concern was "big time water". "When I understand the aquifers that nature gave us - now we are going to pump those things dry - for 60 jobs?"

Chamber of Commerce member Charlotte Obermueller Heimer emphasized the need for a guarantee, "You can not count on a hand shake anymore, those olden days are gone...I don't think we can count on a firm from Texas saying they promise they'll take care of us."

Joe Draxler, Chairman of the Town of Glenwood said, "I'm a very big advocate of this (frac sand mining) project, (however) I'm totally opposed to the annexation process."

Evelyn Wylie, who lives near the Wilson Mine (local frac sand mine), "I will tell you for a fact - my property taxes raised this year by $200. I was told that my property taxes would decrease because the mine would carry taxes. Well, that didn't happen."

Superintendent of Glenwood City Schools, Tim Emholtz was present "just for clarification" about legal counsel for the district. He explained that they are "in a dialogue with Anders (Helquist)" who was seated a few tables away as counsel for Scott Teigen. Emholtz further explained that they were "in a little bit of turmoil because Weld, Riley, Prenn & Ricci, who Anders works with, was our legal counsel until Vista Sands employed them. So we've secured different legal counsel."

Resident Barry Peterson said that Vista Sand's committment to monitor the air for 6 months on a 27-year project "isn't good enough." "I have a 4-yr-old who hasn't even started school yet, he's going to go there his whole life."

Resident Steve Ashley spoke next saying, "That's the choice you're faced with here - either quick money or quality of life. Quality of life will make this community grow."

Carlton DeWitt, editor of the local newspaper said, "Kids are leaving this town now because there are no jobs now...when I was growing up, this town had a lot of jobs...those jobs are all gone. You know what's happened? We don't have any volunteers to man the fire department or ambulance service."

Resident Mabel Hoffman lives along the proposed truck route, "We've lived down there 25 years in the valley and it is wonderful. In the evenings we can sit out on our patio and enjoy the quietness."

Resident Natasha Larson said her main concern about the proposed mine is her asthmatic kindergartener. "Who's going to be by my side when she's 20 years old and has terrible lung issues?"

Resident Mary Alice Calhoun said she'd move out of the area with her dogs if the mine begins operations, " I don't even want to put them in this kind of danger."

Resident Steve Luepke remembers when other industrial companies have come to town without incident. "I'll admit, if the sand mine comes to town, I was a heavy equipment operator for years, I'm going to apply."

Resident Ruth Herdahl, health claims processor of asbestos and silicosis, said her experience tells her that "We won't begin to find out the real impact until our kids are 30-years-old."

Mayor John Larson spoke last, "Are all mines run right? No... But I think it can be done right and this body needs to at least take that into consideration."

Audio of this entire meeting of the Glenwood City council on annexation, February 25, 2013, can be found on WIvoices.org.

“Thank-you” to the Glenwood City and surrounding community. You have shared an example of our democratic processes in action, and advanced public awareness about the issues surrounding frac sand mining.

Check back with WIvoices.org, as we will continue to bring you updates on the “Vista Mine” at Glenwood City, WI. Want more info? WIvoices.org Reference Document

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Family Called "Collateral Damage" in Sand Mining District

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 23:11:14 -0500

(first published on WIvoices.org)

Small business owner, Brenda Tabor-Adams, lives with her husband and 2-year-old son in a silica frac sand mining district between New Auburn and Chetek, WI. They are surrounded by mines. Two separate facilities are within a third of a mile and three more are within one mile of her once-quiet, rural property. In addition, several more mines are proposed or already operating nearby. Brenda's clients now compete with 1,000 sand trucks per day, or 20 trucks every 15 minutes, in order to get their horse trailers in and out of her property. With trucks running for 12 hours/day, 6 days/week, her life has been turned upside down. Dismissed as “collateral damage” by local officials, she fears for the environmental impact, the health of her family and neighbors and the sustainability of her small business. Tabor-Adams also details troubling issues that regular people face when dealing with multimillion dollar mining companies, including lawyers threatening lawsuits, town and county boards "stacked" with pro-sand officials, and the understaffing and underfunding of the Department of Natural Resources tasked to protect the land and the people. Brenda says, "Our government has failed us miserably..."

Here’s her story.

-------------------

Video Highlights from Tabor-Adams:

“I’m stuck here in this house and they won’t… [choking up with tears, hand over mouth]…they won’t help us out.”

“It’s been a long road. We’re not only worried about the silica in the air, but they can discharge their waste water supposedly…we're worried whether we'll have enough water...it's just been icky."

“I have a 22-month-old son...and I do fear...why would OSHA say this (silica dust) is a carcinogen?...you know maybe a little exposure is fine but in a 22-month-old kid, what is too much?”

Is it ok if we film your property?

[Laughing and looking around] "With the weeds and everything? But I’ve just thought, why even bother – you know? Why even bother maintaining my yard because everything is covered in dust. It’s dirty, it’s icky, you don’t even want to come home….we put an addition on this house 2 years ago, so we could sit and enjoy the quiet, look at our animals and just enjoy our space. And now? We can’t even use our deck! It is loud, it stinks, it is covered in dirt… it’s not what I signed up for."

"I no longer hang my clothes up….they are covered in dirt. There is no reason to. The trucks are going from 6:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night Monday through Saturday. And then there is still mining activity going on until 8:00 at night, sometimes even going longer. And then you can hear the plant that goes 24-7 all the time.

Actually, I have a neighbor who lives right on the Makenzie Marsh, and her entire property is vibrating. When she lies in bed she just feels her house shaking.

[Tearing and trembling] I’m sorry I got so emotional, but I can’t help it. The screens are caked in dirt, so what is going into my lungs? You can’t keep it clean inside the house. It’s just covered in dirt. It’s on your skin all of the time. ...not only do I have to deal with truck traffic, the 24-hour-a-day mining activity and dirt, but now my water faucet spits a little air. Drywall screws are punching through the ceiling in my kitchen and bathroom from the trucks hitting the bumps on the road and shaking my house all day."

Have you thought about moving at all?

"We’ve thought about moving. It’s just…who’s going to buy this? Who’s going to buy this? [Motioning around] We’d have to take quite a loss if we were going to move…you know, you don’t just write out a check and go buy another house. The mining companies are fighting the property guarantee, which the companies would have to pay the land owners if they sold for a loss.

The mining reps say that my property will only increase in value. They say that people will eventually want to come to live here because of the reclamation. But, I think they’ll leave the land when it is done. The amount of money they’ve proposed to reclaim the area is $1,500/acre. You know, you can’t even start-up a bobcat for that amount."

"A friend of mine works for a rock quarry mining company, and she said that frac sand mining is no kind of mining that she knows at all. The quarry takes care of the people around their area. If people are unhappy, they buy their property. So, when I first heard of sand mining I thought - big deal?...because that was my frame of reference."

Then I actually had a really good friend not say anything to me when she sold her property...and I had a nephew who didn’t say anything to me, either.

Then, another one of my friends down the road got manipulated into selling their property to the mining companies, because they told her, ‘you don’t want to live next to a sand mine, it is really, really bad, you need to get out.’ ...Then, they pretty much took their property... But they actually did want her land, because they built their tracks there...But she refused to sign the gag order. Then she actually spearheaded the little group in the neighborhood, The Concerned Dovre Residents, and tried to convince the town board that we needed an ordinance."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Video Highlights from Tabor-Adams:

"At town board meetings we've had sand company lawyers threaten to sue us if we pass ordinances to try to protect the residents...they have also threatened to have Governor Walker step in if we pass an ordinance that they don't agree with"

"The county board doesn't want to hear it, they're all for jobs. They don't care what happens to us. We're actually called 'collateral damage'...they figure it is ok for us to 'take one for the team' in the name of jobs..."

"the town board hired an attorney from a pro-sand mine firm to help us...he says the DNR is doing a good enough job..."

"the deregulation of the DNR doesn't allow me much protection anymore, its turned into a customer service agency turning out as many permits as they can..."

" I was actually a very strict Republican up until last year...but now as it is hitting me on a personal level, and I'm not anymore."

Do you know anyone who works at the mines in the area?

"Yes, my nephew who used to own the place where the wet plant is and also my brother-in-law got in there and I have a client who has a son who works here. They are hiring, not a lot, but they are."

What about neighbors who were able to sell their property?

"It depends on how it was done. Some just sold their property and moved away. Then, some sold their property and went to the town board, and they didn’t care about what they did to their neighbors…it was their money and they don’t want any regulation at all.

They may have had good friends or even family members…and then to have them just turn their back on you because of jobs or money? They don’t care what happens to you and your family... Call it what it is - it would’ve been much better to me. Instead of throwing me under the bus, just come right out and say, ‘I want my money.’

We’ve [The Concerned Dovre Residents Group] personally hired Glen Stoddard as an attorney and he’s been trying to help us out. Our goals are to try to protect our air, protect our water, protect our property values, save us from the truck traffic…make sure that we are not just run into the ground.

The town board just doesn’t want to hear anything about it. There are more people in our Concerned Dovre Residents group ready to talk to you. Our whole story is so unbelievable that we are afraid no one would believe it even if it were a made-for -TV movie.

We've had violations of open meeting laws, a town attorney with a conflict of interest, a stacked county board that doesn’t want to collect information from any professionals, including the Wisconsin Town’s Association, our attorney, or even Jim Drost who is a Mining & Environmental Engineer. And we can’t seem to get anyone with power to notice!

Even on the other side of the county – they’re like, “we don’t care.” It’s not happening in their back yard. But a lot of people are born and raised in this area and have no idea what big money, big oil, big corporations can do. They have no clue."

If somebody did approach you and asked to buy you out, at a fair price, would you consider doing that?

"I would. Um, actually, the entire group of us that has been standing up and trying to get us all protected, have all said that if anybody has a chance to get out – we’re all for it. If it means the rest of us have to stay here….just anybody getting out would be good.

But they don’t have to buy us. Why should they? It is an extra $100,000 that they can pay their CEOs…I don’t know.

If I had one wish, honestly, I’d just like to leave. If I can’t….if it isn’t going to stop, I just want to leave. I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t buy this little chunk of acreage out in the country in a quiet little township to turn it into an industrial park….I could’ve lived anywhere. I wouldn’t have picked an industrial park."

---------------------

The lawmakers in the state of Wisconsin have indicated that loosening mining regulations is a priority for the next legislative session. This has many people worried, especially given the understaffing and underfunding of the DNR coupled with county regulators being hired away by the sand companies they formerly regulated. With a total of more than 100 frac sand mines or processing facilities currently operating or proposed in the state, more and more families likely will find themselves expected to “take one for the team” as “collateral damage” in Wisconsin’s sand rush.

More Information? click our REFERENCE PAGE

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Election in WI Delivers Nationally, Loses State...again

Wed, 7 Nov 2012 16:11:07 -0500

(all views are mine)

While Wisconsin progressives cheered and embraced each other for a lot of hard ground work in this election cycle re-electing the president, nothing is ever definitive in a swing state. We woke up this morning to a state government completely controlled by the Republican Party once again. Republicans prevailed up and down the state ticket with one race still too close to call between democratic underdog Stephen Smith and (R) Roger Rivard who shockingly commented “some women rape easy”.

Why the schizophrenia?

Simple : partisan redistricting.

After 15 recall elections in 2 years, the democrats were able to win back the control of the WI state senate by the margin of (1) vote and halt the extreme Tea Party agenda spearheaded by Gov. Walker. Yet just prior to that, the republican controlled and newly elected 2010 state government was able to implement “the most radical redistricting in the history of the state” which is now attracting lawsuits for its lack of transparency. The new voting districts will benefit the Republican Party for the next 10 years.

That became apparent last night -

The Badger state not only handily delivered the state to President Obama by a 6 point margin, even with a Wisconsin VP on the opposing ticket, but also elected the first openly gay member of the US senate – Tammy Baldwin. We are clearly not a state best represented by a conservative trifecta in the WI state house, senate, and gubernatorial ranks.

So while progressives across the country celebrate today at the defeat of Tea Party leaders nationwide, remember that yah’ll just sent their leader - Paul Ryan - back to us.

Deregulate the US? Visit a Wisconsin Mining District

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:10:41 -0400

(this PREVIEW was first published on WIvoices.org)

New Auburn, WI has 7 silica frac sand mines within a 5 mile radius, so we decided to take Jim Laskin's advice and document the area. We loaded up our camera gear and hit the road. The sand rush is transforming Wisconsin in many ways. With 87 operational mines and dozens more proposed, we wanted to experience what it felt like to live in one of those areas.

It was a mostly clear, warm September day. Most of the drive was what one would expect in rural Wisconsin in early fall: corn fields tall and near harvest, green rolling hills, landscape littered with farm houses and silos, occasional deer grazing near the wooded edges, and birds of all kinds abundant.

Then we came around a rolling curve and the landscape abruptly changed. This was the first frac sand hill we discovered, so we stopped our car to film it. There was what can best be described as an invisible film in the air. I could feel it on my lips almost immediately. The substance was tasteless, yet I compulsively licked it off and spit it in the ditch every few minutes. Within 20 minutes any bare skin on my body felt dirty, yet I still couldn't see anything.

So I decided to run my hand across the hood of the car. There it was. This is the amount of dust collected on the hood of our car parked for 25 minutes, 1/4 mile away, from a silica frac sand mine near New Auburn, WI.

Frac sand processing facility near New Auburn, WI.

Roads busy with trucks carrying silica frac sand between mines and nearby processing facilities near New Auburn, WI.

This worker is attempting to keep the roads clean by sweeping the fine dust that builds up and covers every surface in the area. Our presence didn't go unnoticed. Contrary to the open-armed gesture, our cameras weren't exactly welcomed.

We decided to move on a bit too hastily and some equipment blew off the roof of the car! In this photo, the photographer is scrounging for lost equipment with frac sand trucks bumping by....

As we drove through the area, we noticed a woman attempting to walk her two dogs on the side of the road with trucks rumbling by beside her. By chance we pulled up and asked her if she'd be willing to give us an interview about life inside a mining district. Lack of preparation was her only hesitation, but her strong feelings persuaded her to speak to us.

Brenda Tabor-Adams standing in her once-quiet, rural small farm, which has now turned into a bustling road with hundreds of trucks carrying sand passed her house daily. She worries about her 22-month-old son sleeping inside, growing up surrounded by mines. Brenda said that the dust I noticed earlier is a persistent problem that invades virtually every area of her family's life, from hanging clothes, taking her child outside, to opening her windows. She and her remaining neighbors feel "trapped" on their own property.

She offers a compelling first hand account of life inside a silica frac sand mining district, which we will publish in its entirety soon.

On our way home, we came over a hill on WI HWY 64 traveling west. This is quickly becoming a common sight in Wisconsin - a disappearing green hill, replaced by sand dunes.

STAY TUNED for our next person behind the public policy interview. Tabor-Adams tells her full story about how it feels to live inside a busy silica frac sand mining district in west-central Wisconsin.

Please help fund this interview! We can only help people tell their stories with your generous support ~

Frac Sand Mine Planned Next to School in WI

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 00:09:31 -0400

(first published on WIvoices.org)

Glenwood City, WI small business owner, Jim Laskin, owns The Café on the main street in town. He serves a homemade meal with organic coffee along with information and updates to people about the newest developments with mining in their community. The oil and gas hydrofracking industry has discovered that Wisconsin has the most premium silica sand in the nation. Strong and spherical, this desirable dusty sand is mined and shipped out of our state by the millions of tons, where it is utilized to prop open the earth for gas and oil extraction elsewhere.

Within just a few years, our state experienced an increase from 3 silica sand mines to 80, with 40 more proposed. What troubles many citizens with sand fracking coming to their communities is the passage of Wisconsin’s 2011 WI Act 144. This law limits the authority of local government to enact a moratorium in order to slow the process down so that citizens may study the effects on the people and the land. This is significant to Laskin, who tells us that he may eventually be boxed in by mines on 3 sides of his rural farm. In addition, one of these mining companies has taken the bold step of proposing a 480 acre open-pit mine in a residential area, next to the public school, in Glenwood City.

Laskin gives us an inside look into a community overwhelmingly opposed to silica frac sand mining within their city limits. He admits that he wasn’t always concerned about mining. But now he says, “I didn’t really have a choice.”

Here’s his story. ---------------------------------------

How did you go from the local café owner to become interested in the frac sand issue?

“Um…[smiling, shaking head, staring at an empty chair] I didn’t really have a choice. I had heard in the background that there were these silica sand mines somewhere out there [squinting and motioning away] in Barron or Chippewa county…someplace else …bad things were happening someplace else. Frankly, it wasn’t in my back yard…feel sorry for them.

And then one day there was talk about opening a frac sand mine about a quarter-mile from where we live, and there was going to be a public meeting. So, we went. It turns out that this little gravel pit by our house - which had been there for 45 years and was a non-issue, with maybe 10 trucks a day going by our house - was turning into a silica sand mine ("Downing Mine"). Before a person had any idea about what was going on, and within the course of 2 months, the largest hill around here became the overburden hill for that mine.

It is a huge pit, I actually haven’t been in it [rolling eyes]…nobody’s allowed in it. You know, you didn’t really appreciate how big it was until we walked into our fields and you’d see these little teeny-weeny [holding his fingers about an inch apart] match box toys moving around on the top of this hill. Well these are actually full-sized tractors moving sand back and forth. This thing is a mess, and it didn’t exist 2 months earlier. And the public roads…

I don’t think people fully appreciate what having a million tons of material going over their roads is going to do to them. The fact is that the mining companies aren’t paying for this – the mining companies pay zzzip in taxes. The property owners are going to pay for the roads that are wrecked, time and time again! And when you have 3 mines going like we may and it is going to be a nightmare. And now the Downing Mine is going 5 days a week from 6am-8pm…the constant rumble in the background.

Thankfully, we are up wind. But people who are downwind have dust constantly and they can’t open their windows anymore, can’t hang their clothes on the line anymore, and who knows what they are breathing in [rolls eyes]. Well, we know what they are breathing in – heaven help them.

This same company (Mathy) is about to open the old Wilson gravel pit that had been closed for years [on the South side of Laskin’s property].

And then this winter people started talking about this local man who was drilling for sand on his own property. And this man is very, very, very well-to-do. His family has lived on this property for 100 years. And his kids live around there, too. I thought [looking out the window and shaking his head] that can’t be. That is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Nobody wrecks their own land, nobody poisons their own well and their children’s wells.

But it’s true. Lo and behold, the proposed “Vista” mine [operated by Texas company Vista LLC] is proposed to be literally right next to us. In no time we’ll have mines on 3 sides of us. And this mine was not only going to be right next to us, but it was going to be between Downing, WI, of 175 people – all of whom get their water from private wells and Glenwood City, of 1200 people, which has 2 public wells, one of which is right next to the proposed mine. The school of 650 children is 1500 feet away. Glenhaven and Havenwood, the assisted living facility is within half a mile away. Well, all of Glenwood City is within 1 ½ miles of this mine.

So, you could hardly pick a worse spot for this 500 acre open-pit silica sand mine. Not only is the “Vista” mine going to be insanely ugly, noisy…but they intend to operate 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Sundays will be off they say [throwing up hands, looking away]

But also some of the issues with silica sand mining is silica dust (causing silicosis) …Silica dust also seems to cause a chemical form of TB…seems to aid and ebbed cancer…I mean, it’s just a disaster. If you get it on your skin that’s bad, if you eat it that’s bad, if you get it on your clothes, that’s bad…If you breath it in, well, that’s not good at all.

So, you are putting in a 500-acre silica sand mine next to a kindergarten? Does that make any sense at all?”

(This mine worker is sweeping dust from the road near a silica sand mine in New Auburn, WI; 40 miles east of Glenwood City)

(the green hills in the background would be part of the Vista frac sand mine)

Jim – after hearing these descriptions, are you afraid to live around 3 of these mines?

[throws up hands, shrugs] “Well, obviously…it’s not a good thing.” [long pause, staring out the window for a while] I’m not a happy camper. The real politic of the situation is, right now the American oil and gas business is exploding and profitable. The silica sand business is wildly profitable, which is why these characters have come out of the woodwork to open these mines… So, you are not going to stop silica sand mining, I don’t think.

The demand is there, the demand for energy is there…Wisconsin is “Open for Business” as our governor [Scott Walker] says. So, you are not going to stop it.

(silica frac sand mine after the hill has been removed)

But at the very least, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to put these types of operations where they can do the maximum amount of damage. So, you don’t put a silica sand mine next to 1500 people and their school.

At least the Downing mine a quarter of a mile from my house is in a more rural setting and affects fewer people. The other thought that I’ve had is that these types of mines tend to group together. First, you have one. Then, you have 2. Then, you have 5. You go over to New Auburn and you have 7 of them all within 5 miles of each other. They’ve created a holy hell out there. It’s truly, truly frightening. The truck traffic is non-stop; the roads are destroyed. On a windy day there is just this mist in the air, and you have to use your windshield wipers even though there is no moisture in the air.

(one of the numerous frac sand mines in New Auburn, WI)

And those poor people are going to wake up, 10-15 years from now, and they’ll be all busily dying. And then they’ll discover that something was horribly wrong. But for now it goes on. We are in a state of denial, and we want energy.”

So, explain this to me. I thought higher water and air quality standards existed for mines operating in a residential area?

“Well actually, Vista claims that their activity is along the same lines as other activity already occurring there - which is complete and total nonsense. But it is, in fact, what mining companies have been able to claim all over Wisconsin [with 80 operating mines and 40 more proposed], and they seem to be able to pull it off.

In fact, one of Vista’s claims on their permit is because there are currently 2 mines already in the area [Downing and Wilson], then obviously it is ok for them to operate this 500-foot open-pit mine in a residential area.”

So they are claiming that because there are already 2 mines -

[interrupting throwing up hands] “Why can’t there be 20 doing it? That’s the theory!”

Is there anyone taking a cumulative snapshot of how many mines an area can handle?

“No. Wonderful question. No. One of the challenges is that this issue is like a hydra. There are multiple heads, and it is multifaceted…to answer your question. Non-ferrous mining in WI has always been around. These small gravel pits - if you have one here, why would you need another gravel pit here? No, you’d have one 30 miles away.

But now, we’ve never had anything like this before. Nobody understands this or can deal with the problems….they’ve went from 5-10 trucks a day to 150 semis a day and to a million tons of material leaving our area in a 9 month period of time. They don’t operate in mid-winter or it would be even more.”

What kind of input have local citizens had with frac sand mining in your community?

“There have been innumerable meetings. That certainly hasn’t been a problem. In fact, one of the former principals from the school put on a wonderful presentation.

He had one person from the DNR, one person from the health department, one person from a mining company…and they all gave presentations with 200 people showing up.

A couple of things were very intriguing.

The people from the DNR, one of the primary regulatory agents, readily admitted that they were in no position to regulate this industry. They don’t have the personnel. They don’t have the equipment. They don’t have the expertise – they can’t do it. But on paper, they are the ones who absolutely have to do it.

The health department essentially said the same thing – we are in no position to (regulate).

And even the mining rep… readily admitted that the sand business could use more regulation! And actually referred to it as “a frenzy” and that these mines were opening at this just crazy rate… and he’s the person absolutely in favor of opening mines! He was surprisingly candid, unlike the guys trying to get the permits, who are snake oil salesmen, in my opinion.”

What kind of contact has the public had with the permit seekers for these mines?

“Vista LLC put on a forum at one of the churches in town. And, obviously, they tell the whole story from their perspective. You know, “we’re mining sand, like the sand in your sandbox, it’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it, it won’t cause any problems, we’re very regulated. There will be lots of jobs, the reclamation is going to be beautiful, you’ll practically never know anything happened, and we are strictly regulated, very regulated, oh so regulated.”

The job of these guys is to say whatever they need to, to do what they want to do. But if you go to New Auburn and see what it looks like in practice on a significant scale – you realize that the reality is dramatically different. You are horrified. You will be shocked. You will be horrified. It is jaw-dropping. Just 40 miles east of here, teeny-tiny town, with now 2 shipping facilities, 7 mines within 5 miles. Nobody can sell anything. Who wants to live there? Who wants to buy that?

Which is what is going to happen to Glenwood City. It will be the ghettoization of Glenwood City in the next 15-20 years. Nobody is going to want to move here. Anybody who can afford to move is going to want to leave. Nobody is going to send their kids to that school, because who sends their kids to a school with an open-pit sand mine behind it? I mean, people here just don’t do that. But how do you convince somebody that they have to do something to stop this when everything is fine now…when, quite frankly, someone would rather be fishing? They just don’t believe that this change could come.”

What is the plan from here?

“Basically the way this works is, Vista sand needs an exemption from the current zoning [which prohibits them from operating in a residential area]. The exemption would need to be granted by the Board of Adjustments in Hudson. Our county board (St. Croix County) has a sub group and they grant adjustments.

At some point they will have a public hearing and lots of information will be submitted by the company and by the public and many citizens and the groups. The board will decide. They might look for more information, they might put it off, they might say “yes” and they might say “no”. But really, when it is all said and done – it all comes back to the county board.”

So the people with the real power right now are board of adjustments members on the St. Croix County Board?

“Yeah, really, you could say that. Obviously, the zoning department has some powerful input to the board of adjustments. The township of Glenwood has a three-member board that has a fair amount of input, has advisory capacity; one of them had to recuse himself because they live next to the mine. Two of the remaining people did vote in favor of the mine. One of the 2 probably should not have voted, but he couldn’t help himself. That is being looked into.”

What was the rationale for their votes and how were those votes received by locals?

“It was received rather poorly [laughing], verging on disbelief! The rationale was, “it is private land, and you should be able to do what you want on private land”… even if it affects over 1500 people. The reality is there are some jobs; there’s no question about that.

Whether the tradeoff is fair – that’s another question. Typically, the value of the land around those mines goes down 30-50%, and that lessens as it goes out. A couple of miles away it goes down 5-10%. Not surprisingly, the curb appeal living next to an open-pit mine, with all the attendant ills, is significant.”

Wisconsinites have always placed a value on being “good neighbors”. Is that a topic of discussion in your community?

“Well, the mining company says they will be good neighbors. But a counter argument could be that it is very difficult for a fox to be a good neighbor to a chicken coop. It just simply doesn’t work. But they will say that they will be. But the mining company has their spiel.

They’ve been doing this in Texas for 100 years; they’ve been selling people on these leases forever, and they are very, very good at it. And there are law firms that specialize at weaseling these permits through, and they are very, very good at it. They downplay or eliminate any of the negatives, they promise positives, and they talk about spreading the money around. They are very good at going to the state and finding townships that are unzoned. They know where to go and talk to little elected officials and butter them up.

Township officials have never dealt with anything like this before. I mean, they deal with resurfacing a road or fixing a culvert or adding a road sign. They’ve never dealt with a 4 or 5 or 600 million dollar project, and they never will again! And their internal compasses go bananas. They are fundamentally unprepared to deal with this issue. They don’t know what they are doing. They’ve never seen anything like this…ever.”

How do you see resolving this?

“Great question. It is my hope that the zoning laws mean something - that residential areas were not made for 500 acre open-pit mines. I mean, in Malaysia they do this kind of thing. But, hopefully, not in America. But we’re going to find out, you know? We’re going to see if the rules are, in fact, enforced. That’s what we’re going to find out.” ----------------------------------

A primary argument used by silica frac sand mining companies in Wisconsin is that 80 (or more) other mines are already doing it – this, they say, legitimizes another mine. However, cumulative effect of a large number of mines on the people and land in this state has not been studied. Nor have the concerns of the people behind this public policy been given adequate attention.

Some of the concerns Wisconsinites have about frac sand mining of include: formation of silica dust (causes deadly silicosis), runoff pollution, well water depletion, permanent erosion of farm land, food contamination, property value declination, wear and tear on roads, hazardous truck traffic, land reclamation problems, aesthetics, declination of the Wisconsin tourism and farming industries, declination of hunting land and fishing areas, exodus of citizens from small towns and villages, increased tax payer burden, tax avoidance by many mining corporations, siphoning of Wisconsin resources to out-of-state corporations, destruction of the federally protected Blue Karner butterfly, loss of cultural identity, reduction in outdoor recreational activity, noise and light pollution, destruction of Wisconsin’s signature bluffs and hills, ground water contamination and depletion, use of flocculants (containing neurotoxins)…and more.

These issues are magnified in Glenwood City with a mining company seeking to operate in a residential area, ¼ mile from the school. But first, local officials would need to grant a zoning variance, or an exemption, allowing the mining corporation to squeeze through a loophole in the law. Will the line in the frac sand be drawn here? Laskin shrugs, “We’re going to see if the rules are, in fact, enforced. That’s what we’re going to find out.”

*************************** UPDATE *************************

After we conducted this interview, a new development was brought to our attention. Vista LLC has revoked its application for the proposed Vista Mine. On 9/18/12, I called Zoning Specialist Alex Blackburn from the St. Croix County Planning and Zoning Department about Vista LLC's permit status. He explained the Zoning and Land and Water Conservation Staff told Vista LLC that they would recommend that the St. Croix County Board of Adjustments deny Vista's application unless Vista could limit its operation to 20 acres.

In addition, Blackburn also said that Vista needed to address ground water concerns. Instead, Vista LLC then asked the committee about the possibility of a zoning variance, or rezone, which would allow for a larger mine. Blackburn said that he sent an email to Vista LLC stating that there was no variance language in the Non-Metallic Mining Ordinance that would allow a mine to exceed 20 total acres. This letter also stated that if some of the property were to be rezoned, Vista LLC would still be required to confine the mine to 20 acres. At this point, Vista LLC withdrew its application and has not responded.

When I asked Blackburn if Vista abandoned its plans and left the area he said, "Well, I wouldn't say that. They could always re-submit."

Laskin had this to about the news, “Though things are looking up, when there is a potential $400 million pay off - people don't give up all that easily.”

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