A consortium of leading Texas sand mining companies announced the launch of a new association focused on promoting environmental stewardship, economic growth, and policy education. The Industrial Sand Producers of Texas (ISPOT) will coordinate between industry, local communities and government officials on best practices for the sand mining industry.
The growth of hydraulic fracturing in the oil and gas industry has spurred demand for industrial sand in Texas. Until 2017, most industrial sand used in hydraulic fracturing in Texas had to be shipped across multiple states before reaching end users.
Producers soon realized much of the local sand was of sufficient structure and quality to be used for industrial purposes. As a result, the sand industry has been rapidly growing to meet the needs of hydraulic fracturing operations without the cost and delay of long-distance shipping.
Today, the sand industry directly employs thousands of people and supports thousands more jobs throughout the oil and gas and related industries in Texas. Additionally, several sand mining companies have already committed to pay more than $26 million dollars to local road improvement projects. ISPOT was created, in part, to help the companies work together to build stronger communities.
Members of ISPOT are also committed to preserving the land they live and work on for future generations. ISPOT is actively working within the industry as well as with local communities, government regulators, and other stakeholders to craft and implement best practices for environmental stewardship.
“While we are all individual companies, we still have common goals in many areas, including with the environment, health, and safety,” commented ISPOT President Rick Fletcher. “We hope to grow the association to include even more industrial sand miners and others related to our industry. Our industry stands ready to work together on issues that will ensure safe facilities, improved infrastructure, stronger communities and environmental stewardship – continuing to fuel the robust Texas oil and gas economy.”