This Week’s Market Buzz

A proposed frac sand mine appears to have the green light in far western Wisconsin, after a state appeals court upheld Buffalo County’s approval of the project, it was reported on WTAQ radio. A three-judge panel in Wausau, Wis., affirmed a circuit judge’s refusal to overturn a conditional use permit for R-and-J Rolling Acres to run a 125-acre silica-sand operation.…

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Minnesota Governor Won’t Issue Frac Sand Moratorium

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton received more than 6,000 petition signatures asking him to issue a frac sand moratorium in that state. But Dayton said he can’t personally block the frac sand industry from expanding in southeastern Minnesota, rebuffing a group of mining opponents that delivered a moratorium petition as part of an Earth Day rally at the capitol.

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U.S. Silica Holdings Announces First Quarter Results

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. announced net income of $18.4 million or $0.34 per basic and diluted share for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014, compared with net income of $17.3 million or $0.33 per basic share and $0.32 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2013. Earnings per share in the quarter were negatively impacted by $1.8 million…

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Wisconsin Police Powers Bill Stalls

According to the Wisconsin Industrial Sand Association (WISA), the Wisconsin State Legislature adjourned its 2013-2015 session without acting on SB 632/AB 816. The bill ¬– significantly revised from its predecessor SB 349 – would have prevented use of municipal police powers to change the rules for existing, locally permitted non-metallic mining operations and properties, while continuing the high level of…

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