frac sand

Midwest Environmental Advocates continued its science-free assault on industrial sand mining, also referred to as frac sand mining, by filing a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asking the federal agency to revoke an air quality permit granted to Superior Silica Sands.

The mining of sand used for hydraulic fracking has become a controversial issue in communities throughout Western Wisconsin. While many discussions examine the environmental and economic impacts of industrial sand mining, a new paper by an anthropology professor from the University of Wisconsin-Stout attempts to take stock of the social impacts of mining. This paper investigates a phenomenon called “loss of place,” which refers to an emotion people have when they lose a sense of their own identity due to changing physical or societal landscapes.

In today’s episode of The Heartland Daily Podcast, Audrey Boerner from the Institute for Wisconsin’s Health Inc. joins research fellow Isaac Orr to talk about the safety of frac sand mining.

As the number of frac sand facilities in Wisconsin has rapidly expanded over the past five years, residents and local government officials in areas near sand mining operations have understandably wanted to know what impact these facilities could have on air quality. Unfortunately, a new study titled “PM2.5 Airborne Particulates Near Frac Sand Operations,” conducted by students and Dr. Crispin Pierce from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Environmental Public Health (ENPH) program, is so poorly designed it has no value for furthering our understanding of the impact of frac sand facilities on air quality. In fact, it reflects poorly on the university.

People living near industrial silica sand facilities can breathe easier knowing a new, authoritative, peer-reviewed scientific study monitoring air quality at four frac sand facilities in northwestern Wisconsin has found these facilities have minimal impact on air quality in surrounding areas and do not pose a threat to nearby residents’ health.

Sand from the upper Midwest is coveted for hydraulic fracturing. It is the right size, shape and cleanness (almost pure quartz). It is also highly resistant to crushing under immense pressure, acting as a network of pillars (think of the Parthenon) keeping open the tiny fissures made in the rock in the process of hydraulic fracturing, allowing the oil and natural gas to flow up from the rock deep underground.

In today’s edition of The Heartland Daily Podcast, H. Sterling Burnett, managing editor of Environment & Climate News speaks with Isaac Orr. Orr is a Heartland Research Fellow and energy expert. Orr and Burnett talk about the EPA’s new report on hydraulic fracturing.

In today’s edition of The Heartland Daily Podcast, we listen in as Research Fellow Isaac Orr joins the Morning Martini show to discuss the politics and policies of hydraulic fracturing. Orr caught up with Morning Martini while attending the Wisconsin Conservative Action sideshow.