Fracturing sand industry launches group to address local worries

Fuel Fix ^ | August 31, 2012 | Simone Sebastian

[thackney]

Wisconsin’s booming hydraulic fracturing sand industry has launched a trade group to establish standards for environmentally responsible operations by member companies, which have seen a surge in business – and local opposition – with the proliferation of the fracturing technology.

The Wisconsin Industrial Sand Association announced this week that some of the state’s largest sand miners formed the group and adopted standards that seek to assure neighbors that the business is safe and environmentally conscious. Members of the new organization are required to follow the rules, which also promote communication with local communities, said WISA President Rich Budinger.

“Being a member of WISA and adhering to our group’s Code of Conduct and guiding principles tells a community a lot about that company – that it commits to high standards of operations, cares greatly about the environment and complies with all local and state regulations,” Budinger said in a written announcement.

Wisconsin’s prolific sandstone is being tapped to provide sand for hydraulic fracturing, which injects a mix of the sand, water and chemicals into wells at intense pressures to break underground rock. The sand holds the cracks open to ease the release of natural gas or oil.

The rapid expansion of mining for fracturing sand in the Midwest has led some communities to institute temporary moratoriums amid concerns about health and environmental impacts. Promoting the industry’s positive effects is central to the Wisconsin Industrial Sand Association’s founding mission, Budinger said.

“There’s no doubt sand mining has a positive impact on creating jobs and buildling local economies, while still protecting the environment,” he said. “Our goal as an organization is to promote those significant benefits to state and local officials and citizens of the communities where we operate.”

Budinger also is regional manager for Fairmount Minerals, one of the group’s founding members. The other founding companies are Badger Mining Corp., U.S. Silica and Unimin Corp.

[VeniVidiVici]

Jobs? We don' need no steenking jobs!

[Paladin2]

Import the sand from Saudi Arabia instead of oil.

[thackney]

Import the sand from Saudi Arabia

No thanks, we have our own.

instead of oil.

Eventually we will eliminate that one, if people place that as a priority when the go to the voting booth, and not just the presidential elections. It matters in the congress and at the state and even city/county level as well.