- According to the Capital Times, Midwest Environmental Advocates, the nonprofit environmental law center, has put together a 29-page petition document that calls on Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board to direct the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a health and environmental study of the state’s fastest growing industry, frac sand mining. Residents interested in pushing the state to take a cumulative look at the frac sand mining industry are being encouraged to sign the online petition.
- A company that ships frac sand at the Winona commercial harbor has withdrawn a request for more flexibility in shipping the commodity during peak months, according to the Winona Daily News. CD Corp had requested a change that would allow it to ship additional barges of frac sand a month, but not more overall across a shipping season, to account for unpredictable weather and river conditions. However, after the state ordered an environmental review for the request, officials backed away to reconsider.
- Hi-Crush Partners LP announced the entry into a five-year supply agreement with a subsidiary of the Keane Group, or Keane, a leading provider of hydraulic fracturing, wireline technology and drilling services. The supply agreement requires Keane to pay a specified price for a specified minimum volume of frac sand each month. “Hi-Crush is pleased to enter into a new relationship with Keane,” said James M. Whipkey, co-chief executive officer of Hi-Crush. “Their leading positions in the Marcellus and Utica, as well as their growing operations in the Bakken and Permian, are important to Hi-Crush as we continue to expand our logistics network throughout the United States and beyond. We look forward to a long-term partnership serving Keane’s frac sand needs and growing with them in the years to come.”