11 Ways Frac Sand Mining Will Change YOUR Life
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.
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?
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