“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men, or greedy interests, skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
Theodore Roosevelt

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

"Oversight" has a flexible definition.

Quote of the day . . .
Sheriff James Kowalczyk said there were no records of the Saturday derailment and that's because not every accident is required to be reported.
“These two incidents apparently did not cause any damage to the roadway, there was no spillage and in reality there was really no need for law enforcement to respond to these two derailments that occurred here with in the last couple of weeks,” said Kowalczyk.


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Shift in interest to St. Peter formation for frac sand mining west of Miss. R.

From: Ric Zarwell ric.zarwell@mchsi.com
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2013 5:29 PM.

Dear Colleagues in opposing frac sand mining:
I have learned from a very good source in Wisconsin (who I trust 100%, and who rightly wishes to remain anonymous) the following insights:

These are that WI person's words:
I have learned  that EOG (Enron Oil & Gas) who are thought of as an industry leader in Fracking of tight shale oil deposits, is looking for 100 mesh sand and is starting to mine and process the Tunnel City Formation (which previously everyone thought was worthless) because they have gotten better results using fine sand rather then the coarser grades in their wells.  EOG believes the industry will eventually follow their lead within the next couple of years.  This could change the locations within the Driftless Area that the industry targets to mine Frac sand.  Please include this tidbit of information in your planning, in your newsletters, etc. 

So after receiving the above information, today I discussed grain sizes of silica sand with the Iowa state geologist.  His impression is the same as mine, that our deeper Jordan sandstone formation has larger grain sizes than the higher St. Peter formation.  The Iowa state geologist then followed-up with the email and link shown below that clearly verifies that St. Peter would be targeted more vigorously if finer sand grains were being sought as per the new information from Wisconsin.  All must realize that the higher level St. Peter is much more vulnerable to mining than the deeper Jordan!!!

Ric,
 Here is a guidebook from a frac sand workshop held a year ago, concurrent with a groundwater meeting I was attending.  You might find the whole thing of interest.  Regarding sand sizes from the Upper  Midwest  sandstones, see the section on about pages 13-14 that deals with sand grain characteristics.    http://www.d.umn.edu/prc/workshops/Guidebooks/Silica%20Sand%20Field%20TripC.pdf

I believe the information provided at the above link is from the perspective of state government / academics / industry, and that it is probably aimed at encouraging industry.  The warning signals are right there in our faces!!!  
The upshot is that the maps, graphs and text at this link downplay mining opportunities in Iowa and Minnesota for the fine grained St. Peter - in favor of what was thought to be the targeted: Jordan sandstone.  That appears to be changing, and west of the Mississippi we may be targeted more than ever for FSM.
As our colleagues, I want to provide you with what could very well be a shift in priorities for the frac sand mining industry.  Iowa and Minnesota have a huge amount of St. Peter formation at or near the landscape surface; and this formation will be much EASIER and LESS EXPENSIVE to mine than the Jordan formation that we have been led to believe was the priority sand.  Bottom-line, all of us on the west side of the Mississippi ought to be even more concerned than we already are.

Additional background info. . . . . . There is Pattison's mine in Clayton Co. Iowa, located in the next county south of Allamakee.  This is the only operating FSM in Iowa, due to being grandfathered in because it was in operation decades ago for earlier purposes such as producing sand to manufacture glass.  We know that Pattison is mining St. Peter sandstone for fracking, and it is a large and rapidly expanding operation.  According to their website < http://www.pattisonsand.com/html/products.html >  Pattison offers silica sand in these mesh sizes:  20-40; 30-50; 40-70; and 60-140.  The majority of what they have been offering has grain sizes larger than 100 mesh (20-100).  And they offer less of the smaller particles (100-140).  (The larger the number the smaller the particle size.)  

It would really be helpful to know how much sand is being sold in each of these grain size ranges.  This would allow us to prepare more effectively for any new permits for mining.  Recall that it is the finer sized silica sand particles that are carcinogenic and that cause silicosis (lung cancer). 
Let's stay on top of this apparent shift in mining priorities.  The higher level St. Peter is much more vulnerable to mining than the deeper Jordan.  I am extremely concerned that the apparent shift in priorities for miners will make the west side of the Mississippi River much more vulnerable.

Thank you.


Ric 
Ric Zarwell, President
Allamakee County Protectors - Education Campaign
P.O. Box 299
210 North Third Street
Lansing, Iowa 52151-0299
Home/Office: 563-538-4991
Mobile: 563-419-4991 
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, 
but because of the people who don't do anything about it.   Albert Einstein

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

guidebook from a frac sand workshop held a year ago

Ric,
 Here is a guidebook from a frac sand workshop held a year ago, concurrent with a groundwater meeting I was attending.  You might find the whole thing of interest.  Regarding sand sizes from the Upper  Midwest  sandstones, see the section on about pages 13-14 that deals with sand grain characteristics.    http://www.d.umn.edu/prc/workshops/Guidebooks/Silica%20Sand%20Field%20TripC.pdf

I believe the information provided at the above link is from the perspective of state government / academics / industry, and that it is probably aimed at encouraging industry.  The warning signals are right there in our faces!!!  
The upshot is that the maps, graphs and text at this link downplay mining opportunities in Iowa and Minnesota for the fine grained St. Peter - in favor of what was thought to be the targeted: Jordan sandstone.  That appears to be changing, and west of the Mississippi we may be targeted more than ever for FSM.
As our colleagues, I want to provide you with what could very well be a shift in priorities for the frac sand mining industry.  Iowa and Minnesota have a huge amount of St. Peter formation at or near the landscape surface; and this formation will be much EASIER and LESS EXPENSIVE to mine than the Jordan formation that we have been led to believe was the priority sand.  Bottom-line, all of us on the west side of the Mississippi ought to be even more concerned than we already are.

Additional background info. . . . . . There is Pattison's mine in Clayton Co. Iowa, located in the next county south of Allamakee.  This is the only operating FSM in Iowa, due to being grandfathered in because it was in operation decades ago for earlier purposes such as producing sand to manufacture glass.  We know that Pattison is mining St. Peter sandstone for fracking, and it is a large and rapidly expanding operation.  According to their website < http://www.pattisonsand.com/html/products.html >  Pattison offers silica sand in these mesh sizes:  20-40; 30-50; 40-70; and 60-140.  The majority of what they have been offering has grain sizes larger than 100 mesh (20-100).  And they offer less of the smaller particles (100-140).  (The larger the number the smaller the particle size.)  

It would really be helpful to know how much sand is being sold in each of these grain size ranges.  This would allow us to prepare more effectively for any new permits for mining.  Recall that it is the finer sized silica sand particles that are carcinogenic and that cause silicosis (lung cancer). 
 
Let's stay on top of this apparent shift in mining priorities.  The higher level St. Peter is much more vulnerable to mining than the deeper Jordan.  I am extremely concerned that the apparent shift in priorities for miners will make the west side of the Mississippi River much more vulnerable.

Thank you.


Ric 
Ric Zarwell, President
Allamakee County Protectors - Education Campaign
P.O. Box 299
210 North Third Street
Lansing, Iowa 52151-0299
Home/Office: 563-538-4991
Mobile: 563-419-4991 
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, 
but because of the people who don't do anything about it.   Albert Einstein
 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

 In case you were not in Eau Claire....information without the travel.
Wishing you well,
Bonita


The video Forum/Panel sponsored by the Penokee Hills Project and titled: Dangers Unseen: Blasting Ultra-Fine Particles and Human Health is now posted on YouTube at the following address:

 The session was WELL attended, there was a great deal of interest and the questions were outstanding. Dr. Crispin Pierce and his students and Dr. Michael McCauley shared a great deal of information. Bob Kincaid, a well known broadcaster, moderated the panel. This event applied to those living in the Appalachians living in W. VA. as well as to Wisconsin folks surrounded the the frac sand industry and hilltop removal strategies.
Please share with people everywhere! Feel free to post on websites, facebook pages and wherever people might benefit by viewing the production.
Thanks to Liz for her work in videotaping, posting it on YouTube and helping to get out these messages to people around the nation!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Please join us for the Silica Sand Mining Update tomorrow

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
  Carpooling can make this easier and more pleasant.  Should you wish to share trip from Lanesboro area, please phone me tonight until 9:30 or tomorrow by noon. 507-467-2157.
Wishing you well,
Bonita
 

 
Please try to attend.  MPR is misreporting about this issue, claiming that mining within 1 miles of trout was banned by the legislature.  Senator Schmit did try to get that in law, but the pro-mining folks defeated it.  Under the compromise that passed, mining is allowed with a permit from the DNR
People working to make sure frac sand is adequately regulated tell me that the industry most likely wants people think that any additional measures are overly burdensome.  Review coverage from last April and May.  Thanks.


Please join us for the Silica Sand Mining Update tomorrow (Wed Nov 13) at 7:00pm at the Heintz Center in Rochester


SILICA SAND MINING UPDATE for SE MINNESOTA
with Sen Matt Schmit (DFL-RedWing)

Come hear the latest in the silica sand debate with SE Minnesota’s champion on the issue.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Location: Heintz Center Commons
1926 Collegeview Rd SE, Rochester

Open to the Public
Sponsored by SD 26 DFL and Olmsted 25 DFL
Light refreshments will be served.

Friday, November 8, 2013

new scientific research project financially sponsored by the Wisconsin Farmer's Union

 Dear Readers of the Frac Sand Sentinel.

I am pleased to announce a new scientific research project financially sponsored by the Wisconsin Farmer's Union.  A tremendous volume of preliminary research work has been done by Dr. Ron Koshoshek, Professor Emeritus,  University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, in order to transform his findings into an action research project that could impact the health conditions of current and future generations to come.

I urge you to consider a gift to the Wisconsin Farmer's Union so as to develop and sustain this project.

Thank you much for your concern, your continuing efforts, and your diligent work in keeping your communities and rural areas healthy and safe from harm.  I urge you to spread this message to the members of your groups and friends, family and neighbors throughout your region via email, face book pages and websites!
Sincerely,
Pat Popple

A MESSAGE FROM RON KOSHOSHEK:
Greetings:
 
         I have attached the announcement of a partnership scientific research program for sampling indoor air quality near mining facilities in willing homes, businesses and other places where humans gather such as schools, hospitals, clinics and daycare facilities. The equipment used is approved by both OSHA and WOHL. WOHL’s analysis will measure the concentration of respirable crystalline silica PM 2.5 in the samples collected rather than just measuring the volume of dust. It is a sampling program, not a monitoring program.  It has a scientific, not a regulatory purpose.  Since respirable crystalline silica has not been added to the list of air pollutants, there is no standard for respirable crystalline silica.  Thus, in the absence of a standard, regulation by any public agency in Wisconsin, including DNR, is legally impossible.
 
        The partners in the program include the non-profit foundation of the Wisconsin Farmer’s Union, the County Health departments who choose to join the program and conduct the research, Dr. Tom Peters and his research group at the University of Iowa, and the Wisconsin Occupational Health Lab. The WOHL will analyze the samples for the concentration of quartz PM 2.5.  The program can also be expanded to interested communities in Minnesota and Iowa, although its initial implementation is here in Wisconsin.
 
        As you know so well, there is a major effort in the legislature to prevent the gathering of scientific information about air quality impacts of the frac sand industry.  The four “top tier” companies that make up WISA (Wisconsin Industrial Sand Association) have been instrumental in drafting the legislation abolishing local control as well as any monitoring by local governments.  Despite this group’s repeatedly expressed desire for policy based on science rather than speculation and scare-tactics, they support the abolition of scientific investigations regarding air quality.
 
        I suspect that the county health departments may need some help and support in counties with county boards that oppose science based knowledge of air quality impacts.  Please send this announcement out on your list serves, websites, and face book pages! Will keep you informed regarding future developments.
 
Ron Koshoshek
Professor Emeritus, UWEC
 

Community Partnership for Indoor Air Sampling
 
A project to establish a partnership for indoor-air sampling between county Public Health Departments, medical and scientific professionals and the WI Farmers Union Foundation
 
                There is a widespread concern among citizens and officials in our rural communities (including our Farmers Union members), as well as professionals within the medical and scientific community about the lack of monitoring for the level of respirable crystalline silica (RSC) in close proximity to frac-sand mining operations, including near mine sites themselves, processing and trans-loading facilities, and along the routes on which frac sand is frequently transported.   
 
                We realize there are financial and legal obstacles faced by government at any level to monitor for RSC in the ambient air near mining operations, even if they wish to do so.  However, the outside air does enter into the homes and businesses located near these operations.   A program of sampling indoor air is not faced with these obstacles and can be conducted by health care professionals who are already in place in the Public Health Departments of county governments, and already experienced in sampling indoor air quality for a variety of pollutants.  
 
                The non-profit Foundation of the Wisconsin Farmers Union is proposing to coordinate a partnership with county Public Health Departments to establish a program of sampling indoor air quality for the concentration of respirable crystalline silica in the homes, businesses and other buildings of willing owners at sites located near frac sand mining operations.   The Foundation’s role in this partnership will focus on two elements: (1) providing local health departments with the use of very high quality sampling equipment free of charge, and (2) coordinating the sharing of data from county sampling efforts for review and analysis by a nationally recognized scientific investigator.    
 
                The County Health Departments will have control of the on-the-ground aspects of the program, including choosing the sites it will sample, and the operational process for placing instruments and gathering samples. Information on sites and participants will be retained confidentially within the county. All collected samples will be independently tested by the WI Occupational Health Lab. Counties will be responsible for costs associated with sampling and WOHL testing of  the results.
 
                Because of the serious interest in studying health impacts shown by your county moratorium, we are here this evening to offer your county  the opportunity to be an initial participant in a trial run of this program.  We hope offer the same opportunity to several other county health departments at their November regional meeting.  If your use of the samplers shows promise, we intend to expand the program to other interested counties as well.
 
                After much consultation with leading experts, we have discovered that the equipment needed for a study such as this is far more sophisticated and much more expensive than the personal air samplers commonly used for OSHA sampling of indoor air quality. The WFU foundation has agreed to provide funding to purchase the initial equipment for the project and to provide this equipment free of charge to selected county health departments for their use in the trial period. If successful in providing useful data, we will solicit additional funds to expand the program. Project funding will consist of donations to our non-profit Foundation, and will come from our members and other local sources in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, including  members of the medical, scientific and business communities. Our goal is provide a scientifically valid study at a cost that is affordable to local governments and which can be managed by existing professional staff.
 
                In order to provide a scientifically valid framework and analysis for the project, the Foundation will be partnering with Dr. Tom Peters, PHD, MS, CIH.   Dr. Peters is an Associate Professor in the University of Iowa’s Dept of Occupational and Environmental Health and is a certified environmental engineer and a national leader in air quality research.  He also leads a team of scientists including toxicologists that make up the University of Iowa Laboratory Research Group.    
 
                Dr. Peters has agreed to provide continuing counsel to the Foundation and participating counties regarding any special issues that may arise in the project.  In exchange for his expertise, the Foundation has agreed to provide Dr. Peters with the results of the WOHL’s lab analysis of each sample.   Dr. Peters will evaluate the significance of the numerical data and use the data for his own research and publication purposes. The Foundation understands that the numerical data are open to the public,but that the location of the sampled site and its owner are confidential matters that must be shielded from public view both by the Foundation and the County.
 
                The Foundation also wants to express its appreciation for the advice and counsel of  Stephen Klafka, a board certified environmental engineer and President of Wingra Engineering in Madison WI, who has contributed greatly to the selection of the appropriate sampling equipment and to understanding the various issues associated with both ambient and indoor air sampling.    Mike Cavanaugh, Director of Consultation at WOHL, has also been instrumental in setting the stage for cooperation with WOHL over the entire course of this program.
 
Tom Quinn      
Executive Director
Wisconsin Farmers Union
 
Ron Koshoshek
Professor Emeritus, UWEC


Monday, November 4, 2013

** CALL TO ACTION **


Dear Friends and Neighbors,
  Public Clamor is not usually adequate to make change in the long term.  We need large numbers of people to be engaged for informed citizen input to make a difference.
  The  Minn. Environmental Quality Board is creating “model standards and criteria for mining, processing and transporting silica sand” for local government to use if they choose. The EQB is accepting public comments  on the Model Standards and Criteria until only Nov. 12 (subtract Veterans Day holiday & we have only 5 workdays left).
   So…
1. Write these people at the EQB:
Will.Seuffert@state.mn.us  Executive Director
bob.patton@state.mn.us Commissioner of Agriculture
    a.  Identify yourself & state why you care about frac sand mining in SE Minn.
    b. Couple sentences what you want EQB to do.
        (Choose from list below or create your own.)
    c. Thank them for excellent “Report on Silica Sand” (3/23/13) & say we need them to stand strong for        protecting  our environment and current economic engines from the damaging impacts of the extractive industry of frac sand mining so our region can have a healthy, sustainable future.
2. Write Governor Mark Dayton (mn.gov/governor/contact-us/).
    He is working from home for a couple of months, so phone calls relayed through his office staff will not be direct communication.  He does Facebook, should you wish to use that.
  Push…so he can lead.
  Emphasize that a legacy of a healthy, sustainable future for our region depends upon his support.  We need him to act to protect the fragile karst geology of the Paleozoic Plateau area.
  Ask what we can do to help him achieve this.
3. Contact your friends in other parts of the state.
    If you need to, explain that this issue is about frac sand mining, not metallic mining or other industrial sand mining – as has been in the Mankato area for a long time.
  Ask them to take the same actions.  This may feel like a stretch, but we need to increase numbers of engaged citizens.  You can be ready to reciprocate when they have an issue of concern with which you agree.
4.  (This IS a stretch, but important)
    When we are not satisfied with just chatting amongst ourselves, we must start connecting with people we do not know well (yet) and ask them to join our efforts.
  We each have the opportunity and choice to do what we can – each day.
Wishing you well,
Bonita
 
POINTS  TO  SEND  TO  EQB  FOR  MODEL  ORDINANCES
Model standards must make it possible for local organizing to maintain or enact strong ordinances, including bans on frac sand mining.
Lay out standards and criteria that cover a spectrum of goals which local communities may want to achieve with a local ordinance, based on most restrictive ordinances in effect.  They would range from a ban to strong local standards to protect specifically identified areas of concern such as air quality, health, property values, roads, water quality.
Propose nothing weaker than what has already been adopted.
Do NOT create weak model standards that could undermine existing local ordinances or efforts to pass strong ordinances, including bans.
Health Impact Assessments must be done for every single mine site.
Conduct baseline measurements of water, air, noise and traffic before mining begins.
Hard and firm 1-mile setback from designated trout streams or Class 2A waters.
At least 25 feet of undisturbed sand above the highest water table to retain effects of water filtration.
Infrastructure damage:  Hold industry responsible for all cost of road damages.  If they just pay a portion, the taxpayers cannot keep up with accelerated rate of repairs for shortened life of roads.
Truck Traffic:  Speeds and frequency of trucks inconsistent with local uses.
“Reclamation” is a joke. We need honest assessment of what is possible use of land when mining eventually ends.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

YOU ARE INVITED TO A FORUM: Friday, November 15, 2013

YOU ARE INVITED TO A FORUM:
DANGERS UNSEEN: BLASTING, ULTRA-FINE PARTICLES AND HUMAN HEALTH
Friday, November 15, 2013 - 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - UW-Eau Claire Campus - Davies Center
105 Garfield Avenue, Eau Claire, WI
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Dr. Crispin Pierce, Associate Professor and Director of the Environmental Public Health Program at UW-Eau Claire, has been a UW-Eau Claire faculty member since 2003. He has mentored graduate and undergraduate students while conducting research on factors that may lead to overexposure of children to heavy metals, antibiotic resistant bacteria, measurement of toxicants in the human body, and exposure to airborne particulates and silica.  Dr. Pierce is a Fulbright Scholar and recently conducted research on heavy metals in children’s hair in Finland during the spring 2012 semester. He is very active in issues of human environmental health and resource conservation.

Dr. Michael McCawley is currently the Interim Associate Dean for Research and Interim Chair, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health in the School of Public Health at West Virginia University. He has approximately 50 peer reviewed publications in the scientific literature and holds six patents for pulmonary disease diagnosis and dust sampling techniques. He received his PhD from New York University in Environmental Health and his Master’s Degree in Engineering from West Virginia University.  He has held teaching positions in both the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering at West Virginia University. He has served as a private consultant to citizens’ groups, government and industry on air contaminants. Starting in 1974 to his retirement in 2001 he worked for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He was responsible for coordinating Institute wide activities among Divisions for silicosis research and acted as a liaison with the staff of the Assistant Secretaries of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) and Mining Safety and Health (MSHA) and served as an on-site consultant to the State Department on the effect of oil fire smoke in Kuwait after the first Gulf War. His work also included developing novel approaches to dose assessment through development of sampling methods and instruments to evaluate dose to the lung more accurately, especially for ultrafine particles.

Bob Kincaid is a co-founder of the A.C.H.E. Campaign. A nationally known broadcaster whose network has devoted more time than any other broadcast medium to educating people about the imperative to end Mountaintop Removal, Bob is a resident of Fayette County, WV, where his ancestors have lived since the 18th century. He is the father of four and grandfather of three of Appalachia’s coming generations.  Bob has traveled the country and across the ocean to build awareness of the self-sacrifices imposed on Appalachian people by foreign corporations, and serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Coal River Mountain Watch, where he strives to help people understand that the crisis in Appalachia isn’t merely an “environmental” one, but a full-scale human rights disaster unfolding before people’s very eyes.

A flyer/poster and additional information will follow. Presented by the Penokee Hills Education Project.
Sponsored by Save the Hills Alliance/Concerned Chippewa Citizens and the Frac Sand Sentinel.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Wis. Republicans Disregard Public Health and Safety in Favor of Frac Sand Mining

October 25, 2013 by Bruce Johnson [Bruce Johnson is a Supervisor on the Town of Pepin board and serves as the Pepin Plan Commission chair. -Editors] I travelled to Madison this week to present a unanimous resolution from the Town of Pepin Board opposing an attempt in the state legislature to preempt all local units of government (Counties, Towns, Villages and Cities) from regulating or monitoring air and water quality, blasting and local road use agreements. The public hearing on Senate Bill 349 lasted more than 9 hours. If you have the stomach for it you can watch all or part of it on Wisconsin Eye. continued... http://wcmcoop.com/2013/10/25/wis-republicans-disregard-public-health-and-safety-in-favor-of-frac-sand-mining/

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Businesses, workers need regulatory certainty

Senate Bill 349 regulates matters related to Wisconsin’s non-metallic mining industry.

Mark Hoffman

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/businesses-workers-need-regulatory-certainty-b99127437z1-229295601.html

Friday, October 25, 2013

Wis. Republicans Disregard Public Health and Safety in Favor of Frac Sand Mining

 I traveled to Madison this week to present a unanimous resolution from the Town of Pepin Board opposing an attempt in the state legislature to preempt all local units of government (Counties, Towns, Villages and Cities) from regulating or monitoring air and water quality, blasting and local road use agreements. The public hearing on Senate Bill 349 lasted more than 9 hours. If you have the stomach for it you can watch all or part of it on Wisconsin Eye.

[ Bruce Johnson is a Supervisor on the Town of Pepin board and serves as the Pepin Plan Commission chair. -Editors] 

Continued...
http://wcmcoop.com/2013/10/25/wis-republicans-disregard-public-health-and-safety-in-favor-of-frac-sand-mining/ 

Legislators And Lobbyists First - The last thing they do is hear the public.

Friday, October 25, 2013



Legislators And Lobbyists First

Having witnessed yesterday's public hearing on the sand mining bill, I fail to see why lawmakers are allowed to get away with calling them public hearings. The last thing they do is hear the public.

Legislators talked first. And they talked and talked and talked, as if rehearsing for some future filibuster. Then it was the industry lobbyists' turn. And they droned on and on interminably, while citizens who had traveled for hours to attend the hearing were made to sit and wait.

I talked to people who woke up as early as 4 or 4:30 to drive into town to catch a bus and ride for three hours or more to arrive in time for the start of the hearing at 9:30. They had stories to tell. They wanted to share their concerns and fears about the effects of sand mining on their own health as well as its impact on the natural landscape and their property values. They wanted to have their say about traffic congestion and damage to their local roads. They are understandably unsettled by companies blasting with dynamite in their homeland. They are understandably outraged by a state power grab that strips them and their local communities of any ability to control their own fate and gives sand miners a green light to pretty much do as they please.

They waited for hours, forced to listen to the legislators and lobbyists. Some of them never heard their names called. It was never their turn to speak. They had to get back on the bus for the long ride home without testifying. They submitted written comments to the committee, something they could have done from home without getting up at 4 in the morning to make the trip to Madison.

The politicians and lobbyists who scratch backs and make deals in the Capitol most every day seemed utterly oblivious to how rudely and disrespectfully these citizens were being treated. By any measure of human decency, no one could be blamed for concluding that mining committee chairman Tom Tiffany was denied instruction in the basic social graces as a child. But this hearing was no different than any other held these days. Offensive as it was, this was standard operating procedure.

Watching such a disgraceful spectacle makes you angry enough to chew up nails and spit 'em out like bullets. One can only hope that all the people who traveled so far only to be treated so shabbily will find ways to exact proper revenge on these godforsaken politicians.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Is local control hurting Wisconsin’s economy, sand mining industry?

http://watchdog.org/112689/control-local-wisconsin/

Thursday, Oct. 24, at 12 noon, Wisconsin citizens will rally on the State Street Steps outside the State Capitol

Dozens of Groups to Rally for Local Control at State Capitol

MADISON--On Thursday, Oct. 24, at 12 noon, Wisconsin citizens will rally on the State Street Steps outside the State Capitol in response to the unprecedented attack on local democracy launched by Sen. Tom Tiffany on behalf of the frac sand mining industry. 

Last week, Tiffany made public SB 349, a draft bill that would strip local governments of the power to protect air and water quality, prevent unsafe blasting, and recoup costs to taxpayers from damage done to local roadways by heavy truck traffic from frac sand mining operations. While aimed squarely at communities experiencing the consequences of the uncontrolled boom in frac sand mining, the law impacts counties, townships, and municipalities throughout Wisconsin. It would prevent local governments anywhere from instituting environmental and public health protections beyond what the state is able or willing to enforce, such as efforts of communities threatened by the proposed G-Tac 
open pit iron mine to prevent blasting in asbestos-laden bedrock.

"This bill has the effect of regarding residents in our townships across the whole state as simply  collateral damage that is 'necessary' for industry development and profits," said UW-Eau Claire Professor Emeritus Ron Koshoshek, who lives near Chippewa Falls.


The Senate committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining, and Revenue will hold a public hearing on the bill starting at 9:30 am on Thursday. A citizen lobby day against the bill is also being planned.

The noon rally is being sponsored by the following groups and individuals:

  1. Madison Action for Mining Alternatives
  2. Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice
  3. Wisconsin Grassroots Network
  4. Save the Hills Alliance, Inc.
  5. Family Farm Defenders
  6. Preserve Trempealeau County
  7. Save Our Town Whitehall
  8. Town of Lincoln Concerned Citizens
  9. Wisconsin Resources Protection Council
  10. SOUL of Wisconsin
  11. Midwest Environmental Advocates
  12. Crawford Stewardship Project
  13. Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network
  14. People Empowered Protect the Land (PEPL) of Rosendale
  15. Kewaunee CARES
  16. Reedsburg Area Concerned Citizens
  17. Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives
  18. Frac Sand Sentinel
  19. Concerned Chippewa Citizens
  20. Kate Rice
  21. Monroe County Sand Mines
  22. Houston County Protectors (Houston, MN)
  23. Maiden Rock Concerned Citizens
  24. Sierra Club
  25. Loyalty to Our Land
  26. Buffalo County Defenders
  27. Hale No to Frac Sand Mining in Western WI
  28. Physicians and Health Care Providers of the Chippewa Valley
  29. Juneau Action Group
  30. Preserve Waupaca County
  31. Allamakee County Protectors Education Campaign
  32. Save-The-Bluffs-Goodhue County, Minnesota
  33. Frac Sand Industry Awareness in Wisconsin-Facebook
  34. Concerned Citizens of Dovre
  35. James J. Drost, BS, MS-Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, University of WI-Madison
  36. John Drost, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus-Mathematics-University of WI-Eau Claire
  37. Mississippi River Water Walk
  38. Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition-West Virginia
  39. Echo Valley Hope
  40. Friends of Wabasha-Wabasha, Minnesota
  41. Citizens Against Silica Mining (CASM)-Winona, Minnesota
  42. Citizens for Responsible Land Use
  43. David F. Slottje, Executive Director, Community Environmental Defense Council, Inc.. Ithaca, NY
  44. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
  45. Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB)
  46. Friends of the Lower Wisconsin River
  47. Solidarity Singalong
  48. Raging Grannies
  49. Madison Infoshop
  50. Jackson County Citizen Voices
  51. Albion's 5th Generation
  52. ACTNOW
  53. Lookout for Buffalo County
  54. Community Rights Alliance of Winneshiek County  (Iowa)
  55. Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups
  56. Rye House, Minneapolis
  57. Land Stewardship Project-Minnesota
  58. Wisconsin  Wave
  59. Food & Water Watch
  60. Midwest Coalition Against Lethal Mining

WHAT: Rally to Stop the Frac Attack Power Grab
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 24, 12 noon
WHERE: State Street side of the Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison

CONTACT: Carl Sack, carl@wnpj.org(608) 712-8335 or Kimberlee Wright, 608-251-5047, ext. 4kwright@midwestadvocates.org

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

no county, no town, no city is immune.

It is obvious that no county, no town, no city is immune. We must all support and work on issues together. Never has there been a time in this state when the work of the citizenry is so crucial. Please be involved in someway wherever your talents lead you, to attend meetings, to speak out, to write letters to legislators, the overseeing agencies, or to local officials! Your help is urgently needed; the work can not be left up to a few! Our lives and those of future generations must be protected! It takes time and human energy to make a difference. Commit yourself to making that difference!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Take Action! Attend one of the EQB Frac Sand Input Sessions on Tuesday, Oct 29

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
  Here is an opportunity we've been waiting for to show up, stand up, and speak up for a healthy, sustainable future for our region.
  Carpooling makes sense.  I plan to drive from Lanesboro and have room for 3 (or 4 compatible) riders.
Wishing you well,
Bonita

Forward this message to a friend.
Land Stewardship Project Action Alert:
Environmental Quality Board Public Input Sessions on Frac Sand Issues in Southeast MN Oct. 29
Be There to Demand the State Put Community Well-being Before Frac Sand Profits
The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) is coordinating several pieces of oversight of the frac sand mining industry. One is creating “model standards and criteria for mining, processing and transporting silica sand” for local government to use if they choose. We need to ensure that these model standards make it possible for local organizing to maintain or enact strong ordinances, including bans on frac sand mining. The EQB should lay out standards and criteria that cover a spectrum of goals that local communities may want to achieve with a local ordinance. These goals should range from a frac sand ban to strong local standards to protect specifically identified areas of concern such as air quality, health, property values, roads, water quality, etc. The EQB should propose nothing that is weaker than what many counties and townships have already adopted.

The EQB is also in charge of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the multi-site Minnesota Sands frac sand proposal. The EQB needs to create a process that is inclusive of rural citizens, including having public input meetings in the impacted counties. 

Take Action! Attend one of the EQB Frac Sand Input Sessions on Tuesday, Oct 29:
  • 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at St. Charles Community Center (830 Whitewater Ave, St. Charles)
  • 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. at Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Performing Arts Center (2113 Hiawatha Dr. East, Wabasha)
Be prepared to make these key points:
  • The EQB should create model ordinances that include a model ban.
  • The EQB should not create weak model standards that could undermine existing local ordinances or efforts to pass strong ordinances, including bans.
  • The environmental review of the Minnesota Sands EIS should include public input meetings in southeast Minnesota.
If you plan to attend, please, let Bobby King at the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) know at bking@landstewardshipproject.org or 612-722-6377.
 
More information and update:
Land Stewardship Project gives new EQB director a tour of southeast Minnesota communities impacted by frac sand projects.  On his first full week at the job, Will Seuffert, the new director of the EQB, spent Friday, Oct. 4,  touring communities in southeast Minnesota impacted by frac sand mines and talking to LSP members and others. He heard firsthand about the local organizing going on at the township and county level and visited the homes of those impacted by existing and proposed frac sand mines. He listened intently and committed to working with LSP as the EQB's frac sand mining work goes forward.
Citizens pack the EQB Sept. 18 hearing to demand tough standards and more public input. The EQB was charged by the Minnesota Legislature with creating “model standards and criteria for mining, processing and transporting silica sand.” At the EQB’s Sept. 18 meeting, the Board reviewed a draft prepared by staff that was shockingly weak. For example, for frac sand operations the setback from dwellings was 500 feet and from a property line 100 feet. The meeting was packed with citizens from southeast Minnesota and 20 testifiers made an effective case for why this draft needed to be scrapped and a process created that includes citizen input. The Board agreed, scrapped the draft and directed staff to hold input meetings. The Oct. 29 meetings are a result. Details are at the Houston County Protectors website HERE.


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