Minnesota communities split over frac sand issue
Frac sand gold rush will hurt our economy and environment
By LYNN SCHOEN Wabasha City Council
As a city of Wabasha Council member I am very concerned about the negative impact the frac sand industry will have on my community.
This type of large scale intensive strip mining and the truck traffic and transportation issues that come with it are entirely new to Southeast Minnesota. So far this issue has been left primarily to local governments to deal with and towns like Wabasha are struggling. It is critical that our state Legislature act this year to establish some regional standards for this industry to protect the area's water, air, roads and quality of life.
[Minnesota State] Sen. Matt Schmit is moving legislation that does this in Senate File 786. Sen. Schmit's bill contains what we need to protect Southeast Minnesota -- a process to create state level pollution standards; an in-depth environmental study that will help us look at the cumulative effects on a larger scale and most importantly a moratorium while that is being done. This is a common sense approach that protects our community from the outside investors wanting to force this industry into our community.
Wabasha now has a frac sand transfer facility setting up in our town. Semi's coming across the Mississippi River from Wisconsin will dump frac sand to be stored and transferred to rail. Silica dust, truck traffic and diesel fumes are a few of the negative impacts that our town will suffer.
This company was not welcome but pushed its way in through threats of lawsuits and claims that Federal law pre-empted the project from environmental review because of its connection to the railroad. This project will generate 600 truck trips a day through our small town. We have a second company wanting to push in which would mean 900 truck trips through our town.
By LYNN SCHOEN Wabasha City Council
As a city of Wabasha Council member I am very concerned about the negative impact the frac sand industry will have on my community.
This type of large scale intensive strip mining and the truck traffic and transportation issues that come with it are entirely new to Southeast Minnesota. So far this issue has been left primarily to local governments to deal with and towns like Wabasha are struggling. It is critical that our state Legislature act this year to establish some regional standards for this industry to protect the area's water, air, roads and quality of life.
[Minnesota State] Sen. Matt Schmit is moving legislation that does this in Senate File 786. Sen. Schmit's bill contains what we need to protect Southeast Minnesota -- a process to create state level pollution standards; an in-depth environmental study that will help us look at the cumulative effects on a larger scale and most importantly a moratorium while that is being done. This is a common sense approach that protects our community from the outside investors wanting to force this industry into our community.
Wabasha now has a frac sand transfer facility setting up in our town. Semi's coming across the Mississippi River from Wisconsin will dump frac sand to be stored and transferred to rail. Silica dust, truck traffic and diesel fumes are a few of the negative impacts that our town will suffer.
This company was not welcome but pushed its way in through threats of lawsuits and claims that Federal law pre-empted the project from environmental review because of its connection to the railroad. This project will generate 600 truck trips a day through our small town. We have a second company wanting to push in which would mean 900 truck trips through our town.
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