The Gold Rush for Frac Sand in the Midwest

Fact Sheet October 2011

WATER
H
ydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a drilling process used by the oil and gas industry to extract
natural gas that is locked away in tight rock formations and buried deep within the earth.
1

The process injects large quantities of water mixed with sand and toxic chemicals under high
pressure to break apart the rock and release the gas.
2
Over the past decade, advances in fracking
technologies have enabled the development of previously uneconomical sources of natural gas,
so fracking has expanded rapidly.
3
However, this expansion has faced increasing public resistance
due to the resulting environmental pollution and public health problems.
Although many communities are concerned about water
contamination from the toxic chemicals used in fracking,
4

some communities in the Midwest are increasingly con-
cerned about the sand.
5
Sand is typically key to the frack-
ing process, working as a propping agent, or proppant,
6

that keeps the fractures in the rock open so the gas can be
continually released.
7

Some types of sand are more effective for this func-
tion than others. Frac sand, which can be found in the
Midwest, is the best sand for fracking, according to the
co-owner of a frac sand mining company.
8
Its structure is
strong enough to endure the high pressure necessary for
the drilling process.
9

This sand is found in Midwestern states like Minnesota,
Illinois and Michigan,
10
but Wisconsin is at the center of
the current frac sand boom. Some Wisconsin sand is so
highly sought after it might as well be tiny diamonds,
stated an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
11
As of
July 2011, west-central Wisconsin had 22 frac sand mines
in operation or approved for operation, and another 16
mines in the works.
12
A whole new industry is forming to
mine this sand from communities, and some landowners
ure protng.
Yet many Midwesterners rightfully fear that frac sand min-
ing will damage the environment, their communities and
their health.
13
Moreover, state regulation of this type of
mining is inadequate and provides little reassurance for
municipalities that do not want mining operations in their
communities.
14
Process of Mining
HUK9LUPUN-YHJ:HUK
Frac sand is a type of industrial sand which is often
referred to as silica sand because of its high levels of sili-
con dioxide (SiO
2
).
15
Frac sand is mined like other types of
sand and gravel,
16
which typically entails an open pit using
standard mining equipment.
17
lruc sund, hovever, goes through u specu renement
procedure.
18
It is washed so that clay can be removed
from the sand grains.
19
More tightly bound clays and
silts need attrition scrubbing to free them from the silica
grains.
20
A desliming step follows to remove the clay.
21

Following the wet processing, a dry processing stage
occurs where the sand is screened to ensure it meets
certun sze speccutons.
22

Frac sand mining facilities can require large quantities
of water just to wash the sand. An Enron Oil and Gas
sand mining facility in Texas that is slated to be up and
running by November 2011 is projected to use 3,700
gallons of water per minute and roughly 2 billion
gallons annually.
23
In Wisconsin, it has been estimated
that a high-capacity well at a mine site will use 200
million gallons of water annually for sand washing,
which could strain limited groundwater resources in
nearby communities.
24
Quality of Life and Health Concerns
Communities near frac sand mines and processing plants
have fears about how this new industry impacts their
quality of life, citing concerns about noise pollution,
decreased property values, water contamination, road
dumuge und pubc suety rom heghtened truck truc on
local roads.
25

Residents also worry about health problems from frac sand
mining and processing,
26
particularly due to air pollution.
A potentially deadly particulate called crystalline silica,
27

a known human carcinogen when inhaled,
28
can be a by-
product of frac sand operations.
29
The breathing part of it
isnt good. You can just feel it in your throat, feel it in your
nose, said one resident who lives across the street from a
sand-washing plant.
30
Inhaling crystalline silica is dangerous,
31
and both the
mining and processing of frac sand generate particulate
matter, which can exacerbate or cause respiratory and
cardiovascular problems.
32
When crystalline silica is in-
haled, it can cause cancer and a potentially fatal lung dis-
ease, silicosis.
33
Studies indicate that workers exposed to
crystalline silica dust have increased lung cancer rates.
34

According to a government report, 75 Wisconsin work-
ers, largely in the manufacturing, mining and construction
industries, died from silicosis between 1996 and 2005.
35

Yet no ederu ur quuty stundurds exst speccuy or
silica.
36
Limitations of Existing Regulations
In an August 2011 article on frac sands for the Wisconsin
State Journal, a reporter with the Wisconsin Center for
Investigative Journalism stated that, Some communities
lack local land-use controls such as zoning to manage the
land rush.
37

The state of Wisconsin requires nonmetallic mining com-
panies to create a reclamation plan before receiving a per-
mit for mining sites larger than one acre.
38
However, these
nonmetallic mining standards were created several years
before the onset of the fracking boom, with only traditional
sand and gravel pits in mind.
39

In Wisconsin, counties and local governments are respon-
sible for regulating nonmetallic mining within their juris-
dictions.
40
Counties and municipalities that have zoning
ordinances in place are better able to control the actions
of mining businesses,
41
since zoning systemically regu-
lates the way land is used by specifying what can be done
where and to what extent.
42
However, in many places, it is
possible that zoning ordinances, land use regulations and
licensing procedures were written prior to the onset of the
fracking boom.
Counties and localities without zoning bodies are far
more limited, and some lack the negotiating power and
resources necessary to properly regulate mining.
43
Two
Wisconsin towns without zoning ordinances, Cooks Valley
and Howard, passed local ordinances in an attempt to
regulate nonmetallic mine operations, but both towns were
later sued Cooks Valley by landowners who wanted to
develop land for frac sand mines,
44
and Howard by a sand
mining company.
45
The pro-mining plaintiffs claimed that
the towns unlawfully created the ordinances;
46
however,
Cooks Valley argued that it was simply trying to protect
itself by enacting a licensing ordinance.
47
Cooks Valley
appealed a circuit court decision that invalidated its ordi-
nance, but the appellate court has suggested that the case
go to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to differentiate zoning
ordinances from licensing ordinances.
48
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The problems caused by frac sand mining in the Midwest
represent yet another way that the rapid expansion of
hydraulic fracturing is harming communities across the
country.
Communities still unaffected by frac sand mining should
prouctvey puss resoutons thut speccuy uddress the
difference between traditional nonmetallic mining and
mining for frac sand.
When creating or updating zoning ordinances and com-
prehensive plans, planning departments and zoning bodies
need to act in the best interest of the community with
strngent und specc gudenes protectng ther peope,
their open space and their agricultural lands from frac sand
mining.
To fully safeguard communities from the harms of frac sand
mining, fracking should be banned.
Endnotes
1 Urbina, Ian. Chemicals were injected into wells, report says. New
York Times. April 16, 2011.
2 Urbina, April 16, 2011; U.S. House of Representatives. Commit-
tee on Energy and Commerce. Minority Staff. Chemicals Used in
Hydraulic Fracturing. April 2011 at 8.
3 Navigant Consulting. North American Natural Gas Supply Assess-
ment. Prepared for American Clean Skies Foundation. July 4, 2008
at 10.
4 Urbina, April 16, 2011.
5 Knight, Joe. Opponents become vocal as number of proposed sand
mines increases. Leader-Telegram. July 19, 2011; Smathers, Jason.
An air of fear about mine operations. Wisconsin State Journal.
August 1, 2011.
6 Saaid, Ismail Mohd et al. Characterization of sand for possible
use as proppant. American International Journal of Contemporary
Research, vol. 1, iss. 1. July 2011 at 37.
7 Ibid.
8 Madden, Karen. Wood County road usage agreement for frac sand
hauling on hold. Wisconsin Rapids Tribune. August 9, 2011.
9 Baier, Elizabeth. Goodhue advisory panel rejects sand mining
moratorium. Minnesota Public Radio. July 22, 2011.
10 Associated Press. Oil company disappointed in frac sand mining
ban. Bloomberg Businessweek. September 7, 2011.
11 Jones, Meg. Wisconsins diamonds: Frac sand. Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel. December 11, 2006.
12 Lindquist, Eric. Mining companies move into region to extract frac
sand. Leader-Telegram. July 19, 2011; Lindquist, Eric. Lawmakers
addressing sand mines. Leader-Telegram. July 30, 2011.
13 Knight, July 19, 2011; Smathers, August 1, 2011.
14 Lindquist, July 30, 2011.
15 Bolen, Wallace P. Silica. In United States Geological Survey, U.S.
Department of Interior. (1998). Minerals Yearbook 1996, Volume 1:
Metals and Minerals. Washington, D.C.: United States Government
Printing at Silica 1.
16 Glynn, Mary. County board hears frac sand presentation: Searching
for northern white. Baron News-Shield. June 24, 2011.
17 Bolen. 1998 at Silica 1.
18 Glynn, June 24, 2011.
19 Sadowski, Jim. Outotec, Inc. Processing for proppants. Separation
Solutions, Physical Separation Technology External Newsletter, iss. 1.
July 2008 at 3.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid. at 4.
23 Russell, Greg. Residents speak out against mine. Gainesville Daily
Register. June 15, 2011.
24 Knight, July 19, 2011.
25 Knight, July 19, 2011; Cline, Ruth. Town of Hansen residents attend
meeting on frac sand operation. Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.
August 4, 2011.
26 Smathers, Jason. Wisconsin feeding a fracking boom in U.S. The
Chippewa Herald. July 31, 2011.
27 Knight, July 19, 2011; Smathers, August 1, 2011.
28 National Toxicology Program, Public Health Service, U.S. Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services. Report of Carcinogens,
Twelfth Edition. 2011 at 377.
29 Knight, July 19, 2011; National Toxicology Program. 2011 at 378.
30 Smathers, July 31, 2011.
31 Knight, July 19, 2011; Smathers, August 1, 2011; Wisconsin Depart-
ment of Natural Resources. Report to Natural Resources Board:
Silica Study. (AM-407 2011). August 2011 at 8 to 9.
32 Pierce, Crispin Hayes. Health Risks of Frac Sand Mining and Pro-
cessing. Presented at 2011 National Environmental Health Associa-
tion Meeting, Columbus, OH. June 18 to 20, 2011 at 6 to 7.
33 Knight, July 19, 2011; Smathers, August 1, 2011; Wisconsin Depart-
ment of Natural Resources. August 2011 at 8.
34 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. August 2011 at 8.
35 Smathers, July 31, 2011.
36 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. August 2011 at 1.
37 Smathers, August 1, 2011.
38 Wisconson Department of Natural Resources, Nonmetal Mining
Program. Nonmetallic Mining in Wisconsin. Last revised June 9,
2011; Lindquist, July 30, 2011.
39 Lindquist, July 30, 2011.
40 Wisconson Department of Natural Resources., June 9, 2011.
41 Lindquist, July 30, 2011.
42 Fischel, William A. (1999). 2200 Zoning and Land Use Regulation.
In Bouckaert, Boudewijn and Gerrit De Geest (Eds.). (2000). Ency-
clopedia of Law and Economics, Volume II. Civil Law and Economics.
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar at 403404.
43 Lindquist, July 19, 2011.
44 Gunderman, Mark. Sand mine case sent to high court. The Chip-
pewa Herald. June 29, 2011; Knight, July 19, 2011.
45 Gunderman, Mark. Sand company seeks to have ordinance de-
clared invalid. The Chippewa Herald. May 13, 2009.
46 Gunderman, May 13, 2009; Gunderman, June 29, 2011.
47 Gunderman, June 29, 2011; Smathers, July 31, 2011.
48 Gunderman, June 29, 2011; Smathers, July 31, 2011.
49 Beckwith, Robin. Proppants: Where in the World. Journal of Petro-
leum Technology, vol. 63, iss. 4. April 2011 at 36.
50 Maykuth, Andrew. Between the rocks. The Philadelphia Inquirer.
June 26, 2011.
51 Ibid.
52 Ibid.
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Copyright October 2011 Food & Water Watch
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A 2011 article in the Journal of Petroleum Technology
reported that the oil and gas industry is facing a
proppant shortage.
49
But Penn State researchers have
developed a synthetic proppant called PennProp
50
that
may help meet industry demands. The product raises
potential environmental concerns, however. Although
touted as an environmentally friendly alternative,
PennProp is made from metabasalt mine waste.
51

Rather than injecting sand into hard rock formations,
the industry would be using a proppant made from mine
waste. The PennProp manufacturing process also is
extremely energy intensive, as the metabasalt waste
must be heated to 3,000 degrees.
52