fracking
Wisconsin court rejects sand mining proposal
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Court said it was OK for county to reject permit to mine sand used in fracking despite state approval.
Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/tag/fracking/)
Court said it was OK for county to reject permit to mine sand used in fracking despite state approval.
Lawyer for conservation district argues that conservation includes natural resource management and not only preservation.
An oil executive from West Michigan says petition to ban fracking would hurt Michigan.
Opponents of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, are seeking a ban on the practice in Michigan through a ballot proposal.
Great Lakes commentator Gary Wilson on February’s biggest environmental stories.
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals has upheld a decision by Buffalo County officials to grant a permit that would allow more than 100 truckloads a day of fracking sand to be trucked on local roads.
While the debate over the long-term environmental impact of what is commonly known as fracking rages, researchers at Penn State University say they have discovered how to use industrial waste products to make the practice more sustainable. During the lifetime of a fracking well, millions of gallons of water are pumped deep into the ground, causing immense fractures and releasing natural gas from the underlying shale deposits. Mixed into the water are chemicals of variable toxicity. But it also contains sand particles to keep fractures open, allowing the natural gas to continue flowing. These particles, known as proppants, are the focus of Penn State material scientists John Hellmann and Barry Scheetz’s research.
By Alison Dirr
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
Perry Schmitt describes himself as pro-mining but blames the frac sand mine across the highway from his home for driving down the asking price by more than $25,000, to $189,000. His neighbors made out better. Kari Curran and her husband sold 130 acres for $1.5 million to a company affiliated with Unimin Mining Corp., operator of the mine. The property was previously valued at about $225,000. “It was kind of bittersweet,” Curran said.
Led by volunteers, The Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan has decided to postpone its petition until the next election season in order to gain momentum.
The bill is supported by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, but it is not without controversy.