Thursday, September 12, 2013

11 Ways Frac Sand Mining Will Change YOUR Life

11 Ways Frac Sand Mining Will Change YOUR Life
(For more information, visit www.sandpointtimes.com)

1.    If you work…………………………….A Small Number of Short-term Jobs

Studies show frac sand mining represents a boom and bust cycle, where a smaller-than-expected number of jobs are created for local communities. These jobs are of limited duration.

2.    If you own a house……………….......Decreased Home Values

Nobody wants to live next to frac sand mines. Not even the people who own them. A 2006 Auburn University study discovered homes within a three-mile radius of a mining operation experience a permanent reduction in value: 30% next to the mine; 14.5% a mile away; 8.9% two miles away; 4.9% three miles away.

3.    If you pay taxes………………………..Higher Taxes

When a road built to last 20 years only lasts two, somebody must pay to fix it. When property values decline due to frac sand mining activity, somebody has to make up the difference in tax collections. Some Wisconsin counties have tried to offset the harm done by frac sand mining by increasing permit fees. Barron County’s permit review fee, which was $750, now runs as high as $10,000—just to cover staff time. And they’re still not breaking even.

4.    If you drive…………………………….Poor and Dangerous Roads

One mine can generate hundreds of trucks each day. Sand truck traffic can turn a 20-year road into a two-year road. It can also create hazards for pedestrians, children and vehicles—
not to mention noise and air pollution.

5.    If you breathe………………………….Increased Risk of Lung Diseases

Frac sand trucks spit out quantities of frac sand dust and generate dangerous levels of diesel exhaust. The sand itself is a health risk. According to H. Carpenter of the MN Dept. of Health, “Silica sand is toxic.” It causes silicosis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney cancer, liver cancer and immune system problems—many of which are irreversible.

6.    If you drink water…………………….Polluted Water and Dried-Up Wells

Our region sits atop a porous geological formation called “karst” where underground water flows swiftly and unpredictably. Chemicals used to wash sand break down to create acrylamide—a neurotoxin linked to cancer and infertility. This washing also uses tremendous amounts of water, which can lower water levels enough to dry up nearby wells. This is already happening in Sparta, Wisconsin.

7.    If you’re an angler………………………..Damaged Fishing

We have some of the best trout streams in the state, if not the country. Trout fishing is a huge economic generator. To keep sand mining activity from raising the temperature of these streams, killing the fish, Minnesota Trout Unlimited wants it restricted to areas well above the water table and well away from trout streams.

8.    If you rely on tourism…………………..Decreased Tourism Revenues

Tourism in Southeast Minnesota generates nearly $800 million in gross sales, $40 million in sales taxes and nearly 13,000 jobs. Will people still come here if the frac sand mines do? Dr. Tracy Sides has visited our region for years to bicycle with friends. She said, “Bicyclists care about frac sand mining because degraded scenery undermines both cycling and tourism.”

9.    If you treasure animals and plants…………Irreversible Ecosystem Damage

Our bluffs are home to the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and host to a wide variety of rare species, which would be negatively impacted should frac sand mining be allowed to disturb their delicate habitats and ecosystems.

10.    If you love the Blufflands…………………..Lost Heritage and Landscape

Who wants our magnificent blufftops to be flattened? Who wants the heritage of our area— going back to settlement days of the 1850s—with its multi-generational family farm traditions, to be compromised in any way? In Wisconsin, already 10,000 acres of farm land have been made non-productive for the foreseeable future. Could anything be worth giving up our way of life and our land traditions?

11.    If you believe in fairness…………………..You’ll Pay for Others’ “Rights”


Some say, “It’s my land and I have the right to do whatever I want with it.” Should someone have the “right” to lower their neighbors’ property values, expose children to lung diseases, dry up wells? Should they have the “right” to chase away the tourists many depend upon for a living? Should they have the “right” to wreck our roads we all use and poison our water we all drink—then expect the rest of us to pay to fix the unfixable?