• The Coulee Frac Sand mine in the town of Alma, Wis., requested a conditional use permit at a recent Zoning and Land Information Committee meeting to expand its non-metallic mining operation, according to the Jackson County Chronicle. Coulee Frac is looking to dredge within 300 ft. of a shoreland zone near the east fork of Halls Creek, which requires a conditional use permit.
• Wisconsin State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout has again introduced a package of bills intended to increase oversight of the frac sand industry, according the LaCrosse Tribune. The Alma, Wis., democrat said each of the six bills is in response to problems encountered by constituents in the last decade as industrial sand mines sprung up across western Wisconsin. Despite a recent industry slump, Vinehout said she anticipates another boom cycle could be approaching. One of the bills would require mines and processing facilities to monitor the surrounding air for fine particles and report the results to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which would also be required to set standards for small crystalline silica particles.
• Claim Post Resources Inc. announced that it has completed its previously announced non-brokered private placement of unsecured convertible debentures. Pursuant to the offering, which was over-subscribed, the company accepted subscriptions for debentures totaling approximately $3.1 million. The debentures bear interest at a rate of 10 percent per annum and mature on June 21, 2018.