we need to do something very very soon!

The legislative session is drawing to a close, and things are moving  quickly. Sen. Mat Schmit's bill SF 786 which asked for the things we wanted - a GEIS, a moratorium, state permitting and standards is probably dead. Sen. Schmit has another bill, SF 796 the Game and Fish Bill, which calls for setbacks for frac sand mining from springs and  trout streams, and limits how close mining can come to the water table. It is a good bill and is receiving support (and being resisted by industry). It will be heard the week of 4/22 in the Sen. Environment & Ag Finance Committee. The bill that is gaining traction is HF 976. The industry likes this bill and it  does NOT address our concerns. It sets up a model ordinance and a technical team and could later be held up to say "See, we did something".  It has neither strong state pollution standards nor funding by the industry to pay for permanent damages it will make to our fragile karst region. What you can do today. Call or email Gov. Mark Dayton (800-657-3717 or google him for his email form) and tell him: (in your own words) We in S.E. Minnesota need you to be engaged in the frac sand issue before it's too late. We're disappointed that you didn't support a moratorium and wish you would change your mind. We need strong standards enacted in this session. HF 976 the EQB model ordinance does not address our concerns. Please support SF 796 the Game and Fish bill, which will help protect our ground and surface water. A call or email to Sen Schmit (651-296-4264  sen.matt.schmit@senate.mn) would be good as well. He will be getting a lot of pressure from here on out. Thank him for all his work on SF 786 and tell him how important SF 796 is to you and why, and encourage him to hang in there. Thanks for your help.

State wants Fillmore County silica-sand quarry part of bigger EIS

Fracking and Frac Sand Mining MPR: Frac sand mining: What are the alternatives? MPR: Slowing frac sand industry leaves mark on SE Minn. Rochester Post Bulletin: State wants Fillmore County silica-sand quarry part of bigger EIS Winona Daily News: Planning commission balks at frac sand traffic studies

What could possibly go wrong? Right?

posted on "go left" Facebook page

This is one of our last chances to be heard before the legislation session ends!!!!

 On short-notice, please spread the word to phone in  and show up if you can.

Wishing you well,

Bonita

Here we go again. It's important. Let Amanda know if you can join us. 

FORWARD THIS MESSAGE ON PLEASE:

SE MN EXPRESS

GET IN THE VAN!!!

This is one of our last chances to be heard before the legislation session ends!!!!

JUST IN!!!  

Travel to the capitol (see below) or make calls to the:

Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division.(click the link)  

Tomorrow, testimony will be heard on both SF786 (the one we like) and SF1018.  The committee is NOT going to vote, but will however lay them over for the omnibus bill.  The OMNIBUS hearing will be held the following day, Thursday April 11th at 12 - 2:30pm and  6pm -?.   

WE MUST CALL AND/OR GET ON THE BUS TO SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING:

Need for a GEIS:

Local governments need solid, research-based information on which to base their regulations. The state doesn't have this information. They need to study the topic to get the information.

Need for a moratorium:

Local governments need the time to get the information and integrate it into their regulations.

"NEWS" TO PASS TO SENATORS:

The frac sand industry in Wisconsin has destroyed rural communities and flouted pollution regulations. In a recent article, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources official said he “expects 90 percent of companies in a regulated industry to comply with rules on their own. But in his visits to a dozen frac sand facilities, [DNR official] Sellers encountered the opposite pattern, and he sent letters of noncompliance to 80 to 90 percent of the sites.”  The article says nearly a fifth of all Wisconsin frac sand facilities were cited for environmental violations last year (La Crosse Tribune: “Growing frac sand industry faces DNR violations, warnings,” March 3, 2013).

I have rented a 14 passenger VAN leaving for the capitol tomorrow.    

VAN Information/Schedule:

To reserve your seat please contact:
Amanda Griggs: 507-896-2165 / griggsamanda1@gmail.com
2:15 PM Houston 

Barista's Coffee House. (Barista's will open at 6:30 AM)

2:25 PM Rushford 

Lynndyn-Bridge Restaurant (102 West Jessie St.)

3:00 PM Winona 

JC Penney parking lot (Hwy. 61 and Pelzer St.)

3:45 PM Wabasha

City of Wabasha overflow parking lot across from Supervalu

4:30 PM Red Wing 

Target Store parking lot just off Tyler Road on the north side of town

5:30 PM Arrive at the Capitol

6:00 PM Hearing: RM112 Capitol 

Please pack a lunch, as no meal stops are planned.  

We can either come home or stay over night to attend the omnibus bill hearing the next day at 12-2:30?  

Please let AmAndA know what your preference is!!!

Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division:  

(click on this link for member contact informations)

Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division Chair: Sen. David J. Tomassoni 06:00 PM Room 112 Capitol Agenda:   S.F. 786 Schmit Silica sand mining provisions; southeastern Minnesota silica sand mining joint powers board authorization. S.F. 1018 Schmit Silica sand and nonmetallic minerals mining model standards and criteria

THANK YOU!!!!

AmAndA S GriGGs

507-896-2165

AmAndA S GriGGs

507-459-6700

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday, April 9) - Commissioner's regular meeting

Dear Friends and Neighbors,   Tomorrow morning (Tuesday, April 9) at the Commissioner's regular meeting there will be a chance to show/speak up to have the Rein sand mine project included in the joint EIS to be done by the EQB.   Numbers of people attending can matter!   Zoning Administrator Chris Graves was quoted in the Post-Bulletin (3/21/13) as saying, when the Rein mine got its permit in 2010, "there wasn't a soul that cared,"..."they have been good about reclamation." Although there were 16 public comments to the EAW, the article said, "About a dozen people or governmental agencies commented on the document."------minimizing.   If you or anyone you know can attend, please encourage it by carpooling.  If people have already spoken, their presence is a solid reminder. If people have not yet spoken, three or four sentences will be enough to build the public record.   The decision before the Commissioners is to decide if there is        POTENTIAL  FOR  SIGNIFICANT  ENVIRONMENTAL   IMPACT.   If so, the law says they must call for an EIS.   This decision is not to be based on:       Personality of the applicant;       Previous business dealings (aggregate for local roads & projects);       Minimizing serious risks noted by MPCA & State Dept. Health and citizens;       Hope that we can pass up the chance now to get better information on areas of serious concern, and then, when the inevitable troubles occur, we can "work them out" well enough to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public into a sustainable future.         Skimming over questions about protecting our aquifer in our fragile and active karst geology does not deal with those questions.       Harvey and I will have to miss tomorrow's meeting, but shall be grateful for your efforts.  Thanks for your energy and wishing you well, Bonita

We have time to write letters-to-the-editor

 We have time to write letters-to-the-editor before the Commissioners' "decision meeting" on April, 23.  

Letters submitted to the Fillmore County Journal need to be in by Tuesday (April 9) noon to be published on April 15 and spread the message.  

Once you have a letter written, might as well submit to the region's newspapers: Bluff Country Reader, Houston Banner, Winona Daily News, Winona Post, Spring Grove Herald, Rochester Post-Bulletin, Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Brief (125-150 words) letters that mention "our region" or "Bluff Country" are likely to be printed in more papers than if it only refers to "Fillmore County."

We have 2 weeks to impact legislation

We can do this.  Please pass the word along.

A message from save the bluffs....

 We have 2 weeks to impact legislation on frac-sand mining at the MN State Capital. Please share. Please attend. The following dates and times have been confirmed. 
MORE...

The world is run by the people who show up

Dear Friends and Neighbors,   For now, we can state the need for an EIS on the Rein Expansion because of the important unanswered questions of impacts on the water, air, infrastructure, and economy.  And that the EIS be combined with the Joint EIS the Environmental Quality Board will be doing on the Minn. Sands projects.   We also need to build the public record by attending the "citizen input" sessions of Commissioners Mtgs on April 2, 9, and 23 (mtg starts 9:00 am, citizen input 9:30 am)  It is important to have brief comments spoken and back-up agree-ers present for the newspaper reporters' benefit.  An empty room implies no interest in the topic. Our emails or phone calls or letters may or may not be opened (or kept), but building the public record can be an effective way to crescendo pressure to attend to our concerns.   Letters-to-the-editor are a good opportunity to repeat the truths to balance the hype of untruths.  Important tips for their effectiveness is to keep them brief (I aim for 125 words), and factual so they are difficult to rebut in later issues of the paper.   Shall send out more action points as soon as I have them. Wishing you well, Bonita

MEET THE GOVERNOR

Dear Friends and Neighbors,   So, if we need:       1.Moratorium on new or expanding frac sand mining projects;         (NOT conflated with metallic mining in the Iron Range, aggregate mining, or existing silica mining to make glass like in Mankato.  The strategy of making them appear blended with frac sand mining has resulted in the mining & heavy machinery operators union Democrat legislators joining with the Republican legislators to block any of the legislation we've proposed.)        2.Generic Environmental Impact Study on frac sand mining industry in SE Minn.       3.MPCA standards on pollution       4.Industry pay for studies, monitoring, and enforcement of standards.....   and Governor Dayton has said he doesn't see any need for a moratorium at this time because it hasn't spiraled out of control as it did in Wisconsin, we can continue to phone, email, facebook our dear Governor....AND speak with him at Rochester.                                           Meeting With Mark   Thursday, April 4, 6:00 pm   Heintz Center Common Area   Rochester Community & Technical College   1926  College View Road E,   Rochester  MN

 

Gas Industry Report Calls Anti-Fracking Movement a "Highly Effective Campaign"

A report intended to help the oil and gas industry squash the anti-fracking movement turns out to be full of useful information - and admits that much of what activists are saying is true. More...

Dear Friends and Neighbors,   Another opportunity to combine energy. http://signon.org/sign/mn-legislature-stop-the?mailing_id=10447&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=1917642

Rein Quarry Findings of Fact - Apr 23

From: Brown, Karen kbrown@co.fillmore.mn.us

           This is to notify you that the Rein Quarry Findings of Fact will be presented to the County Board on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. 

Karen Brown, Fillmore County Coordinator

101 Fillmore Street West; PO Box 466

Preston, MN 55965

Phone:  507.765.4566 Ext. 2811

Fax:  507.765.2803

www.co.fillmore.mn.us

Letter from MPCA to Fillmore County Zoning

Excerpted from a letter from the MPCA:

...the EQB has reassigned the status and responsibilities of the RGU for silica sand mines proposed by Minnesota Sand, LLC [to] the EQB for preparation of an EIS. In light of this action, the MPCA recommends that the Rein Quarry project and the Minnesota Sands projects should be evaluated by the same EIS. More...

Does Dayton have a backup plan?

 We need to keep telling him:

        We need
                   1) a statewide moratorium to provide time for

                   2) in-depth, state level research & study (GEIS) which will be used to develop

                   3)strong, state-level regulations  More...

MPR call-in show: Mar 25, 9 - 10 pm

 People should talk about how they would be impacted

I think the key idea to get across is that this industry would have extremely serious impacts on real people's lives and on our land and our communities. So, people should talk about how they would be impacted and whatever concerns they feel most strongly about. All of that will be good to say.

On Monday morning, March 25th, from 9-10 am, I will be on Minnesota Public Radio's Daily Circuit program talking about the frac sand issue. The other main guest will be an industry representative (possibly Dennis Egan, Minnesota Industrial Sand Council lobbyist and soon-to-be-former Red Wing Mayor), and St. Charles Mayor Bill Spitzer will also join the program for a few minutes. It will be a call-in show, so let's get people filling up the phone lines, starting right away at 9:00. The number will be 651-227-6000. Please share this email with your lists and spread the word widely. Thanks, Johanna Rupprecht Policy Organizer Land Stewardship Project Lewiston, MN 507-523-3366 jrupprecht@landstewardshipproject.org

Pro/Con Frac Sand on MPR

March 25th, from 9-10 am

Hi all, On Monday morning, March 25th, from 9-10 am, I will be on Minnesota Public Radio's Daily Circuit program talking about the frac sand issue. The other main guest will be an industry representative (possibly Dennis Egan, Minnesota Industrial Sand Council lobbyist and soon-to-be-former Red Wing Mayor), and St. Charles Mayor Bill Spitzer will also join the program for a few minutes. It will be a call-in show, so let's get people filling up the phone lines, starting right away at 9:00. The number will be 651-227-6000. Please share this email with your lists and spread the word widely. Thanks, Johanna Johanna Rupprecht Policy Organizer Land Stewardship Project Lewiston, MN 507-523-3366 jrupprecht@landstewardshipproject.org

Chris Graves is okay with the Rein EAW

from Dale Forster:

Chris Graves told me today he's okay with the Rein EAW and is recommending that the Fillmore County commissioners vote to accept the EAW.  So that weakens our attempts to get an EIS done on the Rein mine. The only ways left to try for an EIS seem to be for us to strongly lobby commissioners before their April 2 meeting and/or to maybe hint a possible lawsuit because the Rein mine is getting less-stringent preferential treatment.

Graves had no problem being enthusiastic about the Minnesota Sands mine in Houston County needing an EIS by the EQB (even though that mine is farther than Rein's from the "cluster of mines" around Pilot Mound and SW Winona County), and at the same time being adamant the Rein mine was okay with just an EAW.  Logic and reason, it seems, do not apply.      

Graves said Rein has not applied for a CUP yet, but no doubt will if the commissioners accept the EAW.  Then there can be a 60-day period before a hearing on the CUP.  So that hearing could be in late May. 

I wish everyone good energy in all their efforts to persuade the commissioners to still require an EIS on the Rein mine. 
--Dale Forster        

The Birth of a Blog

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

  Eliza has started a blog for us. 

  The purpose is to list actions we can take, instead of including all the emails I forward on a broader span of topics.

  If you find bugs, please let me know.

     

  fcfracsandmining.blogspot.com

Wishing you well,

Bonita

The EQB made the decision to act as the RGU for an EIS

Greetings,

I just wanted to take a moment to let everybody know the status on Fillmore County’s request to have the EQB serve as the Regulatory Government Unit (RGU) for the proposed sand mines in Fillmore, Houston, and Winona Counties.  David Williams and Commissioner Bakke were present at the EQB’s meeting yesterday and testified requesting the EQB act as the RGU or appoint a State agency to act as the RGU for an EIS.  

The EQB made the decision to act as the RGU for an EIS, paving the way for a more comprehensive study on the proposed mining operations.  It is my opinion that the proposed projects will not move forward for 1 – 1 ½ years depending on how long the study takes, and longer if the proposals move forward with Conditional Use Permits.

 

I can personally say I am happy the State made this decision and I would like to thank everybody who contacted the EQB with your concerns.  Have a great day, Chris.

  

Chris Graves, MBA-OM

Zoning Administrator

Fillmore County

PO Box 655

101 Fillmore Street

In ROCHESTER...

Mining propaganda meeting in Rochester, sponsored by their Chamber of Commerce.

  

This propaganda event will get media coverage.  It may also be a platform for Jeremy Miller's pro-mining industry legislation to be bragged about.

 TO DO BY  March 22

 We have a brief amount of time to send letters to editor to undermine their myths and weaken their message.