This Week’s Market Buzz

  • Eau Claire County, Wis., is re-evaluating its guidelines for groundwater, according to a report on WQOW TV. The county’s Groundwater Advisory Committee is focusing on the demand for water and the impact of that demand, in light of local frac sand production which uses high-capacity wells that handle anywhere from a few thousand gallons to a several million per year. The last manual was written in 1995 and with new data, the committee hopes to be able to identify groundwater concerns and how to best address them.
  • According to the Winona Daily News, speakers from across the country will be featured at the Frac Sand Mining Citizens’ Summit on Jan. 18, 2014, in Winona, Minn. The event will bring residents from around the region together to share strategies, learn from experts and strengthen the movement against the development of frac sand mining. Topics include frac sand mining’s role in energy extraction, appropriate state regulations and the role of township rights. Featured speakers include Michael McCawley of the School of Public Health at West Virginia University; a leading expert on ambient air quality monitoring and assessing risk to human health; Crispin Pierce, director of the Environmental Public Health Program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who is conducting cutting-edge research on monitoring silica dust at frac sand facilities; and Jennifer Krill, executive director of EarthWorks, which focuses on protecting communities and the environment from the impacts of mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions.
  • Trempealeau County, Wis., thought it thwarted frac sand mining inside its borders when it passed a one-year moratorium on the practice in order to study health impacts earlier this year, but that measure hasn’t stopped All Energy Corp. of Des Moines, Iowa, from moving forward with plans for its 725-acre frac sand mine near Arcadia, Wis., north of La Crosse, Wis. The company recently submitted an application to fill in 1.77 acres of wetland to build a sand-loading facility and reroute two sections of Trout Run Stream to build a new rail line spur to pick up the sand, according to the Cap Times.

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