Unfortunately, most of that silica sand lies beneath our
beautiful wooded hills and fertile farmland, and within
agricultural and residential communities, all of which are now
being ripped apart by sand mines interests eager to get at the
riches below. This open pit mining is, in many respects, similar
to the mountaintop removal going on in Appalachian coal
country—except that here, it’s hilltop and farm field removal.
The net effect on our landscape, natural resources and
communities is quickly becoming devastating. In the past few
months, the sand rush has come to my own rural neighborhood in
Dunn County, Wisconsin, which is about an hour east of St. Paul,
Minnesota. Like many residents in Dunn County, I’m concerned
about the speed and intensity with which frac-sand mining
interests are moving into our area. The proposals and
applications for mines and related infrastructure are coming in
so fast (our region has seen dozens just in the past few
months), most small towns have been totally overwhelmed. Organi