According to a report on WIZM news, Lacrosse, Wis., wetlands are at the core of the debate over a couple of proposed frac sand mining facilities in Jackson and Monroe counties. Meteor Timber has two frac-sand mining projects in that area and says they’re valued at $65 million and would create 100 jobs.
State law requires avoiding disturbing wetlands when possible but Meteor Timber said it can’t build its new facility anywhere else. A large portion of the area has been called “pristine forested wetlands” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
If the mine takes over those 16.6 acres, it would be, by far, the most land taken for frac sand mining since the state started issuing permits to the industry eight years ago, the station noted.
State law allows companies to use existing wetland areas as long as they’re replaced by restoring, or creating, new wetlands.