While legislators in Madison debate a bill to boost plans for an iron mine in northern Wisconsin, a sand mining boom is hitting the western part of the state.
At least 16 frac-sand mines and processing facilities are operating, and an additional 25 sites have been proposed, in a diagonal swath stretching across 15 Wisconsin counties from Burnett to Columbia, according to a recent report by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
The sand, prevalent in the Midwest, is shipped by rail hundreds of miles to oil and gas fields in Texas, Pennsylvania and North Dakota.
Each sand mine and sand processing plant in the state is creating dozens of jobs, at a time when job creation is badly needed in Wisconsin, which has lost jobs for six consecutive months.
However, the sand mining boom has created concerns for people who live near the mines. Some say they are concerned that silica dust from the sand mines is harmful to their health.
The state Department of Natural Resources recently denied a request from a group of citizens that wanted crystalline silica from the sand mines to be regulated as a hazardous pollutant. The DNR said existing regulations are already in place for silica.
The decision was praised by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
“Wisconsin has been mining sand in a safe and protective manner for decades,” the WMC said. “Frac sand mining is already a very highly-regulated activity. Our members look forward to growing additional jobs in the frac sand mining industry, while protecting the environment.”
Meanwhile, the state Assembly recently approved a bill that streamlines the permitting process for iron mines. The bill is aimed specifically at clearing the way for a $1.5 billion open pit iron mine proposed by Gogebic Taconite in northern Wisconsin’s Penokee Range south of Ashland. However, the legislation is expected to face much stiffer opposition in the Senate.
Gogebic Taconite, has an option to lease a 22-mile stretch of land between Mellen and Upson, south of and parallel to Highway 77. The area has about 2.3 billion tons of iron ore, the company said.
Supporters of the Gogebic mine plans say it would provide a huge boost to the economy Up North. A report by Madison-based NorthStar Economics Inc. estimates the iron ore mine would create 3,175 jobs a year over a two-year period just to build it. Once the mine begins operating it would support 2,834 direct and indirect jobs in a 12-county area, including 700 mining jobs, the NorthStar report says. The total economic impact from the mine’s operations would be $604 million a year, the report says.
“Wisconsin is on the brink of creating thousands of high wage jobs if this bill is signed into law,” said Scott Manley, director of environmental policy for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. “Wisconsin can protect the environment and create jobs and this bill does both. Wisconsin families need the high-wage jobs the iron mining industry will provide. Passage of the bill will also strengthen the manufacturing sector in our state.”
However, opponents of the Gogebic open pit mine say it would cause severe damage to the environment.
“Our children will have to live with the consequences of a mine long after the resources run out and mine officials pack their bags and head for another state,” said Pete Rasmussen, a resident of Marengo and co-founder of the Penokee Hills Education Project. “Our laws should protect us and our children, not give free reign to mining corporations that have no interest in protecting Wisconsin’s environment.”
There are thousands of non-metallic mines in the Wisconsin, mostly sand and gravel operations, but there has not been a metallic mine operating in the state since 1999. Besides the Gogebic Taconite, several other metallic mining operations are being considered in the state. Toronto-based Aquila Resources Inc. is considering plans to create a gold mine near Wausau in Marathon County and a zinc, copper, gold and silver mine in Taylor County. Aquila, Spokane, Wash.-based Josephine Mining Corp. and Blaine, Wash.-based Tamerlane Ventures Inc. are bidding for drilling rights of a copper and zinc deposit in Oneida County.
The controversy surrounding mining operations may never completely go away, but mining supporters say the industry is a major part of the state’s heritage and should be part of its economic future.
“Our history is rooted so much in mining that a miner appears on our flag and the badger is our state symbol, referring to the settlers that burrowed underground in mines,” said Rep. Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee). “Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s mining laws in recent years have effectively made mining non-existent through an uncertain and open-ended process that discourages capital investment. The result of encouraging the mining industry to come back to Wisconsin will mean thousands of jobs and new investment in our state. Jobs will be created around the state from Iron and Ashland Counties where the (iron) mine would be located to southeastern Wisconsin where mining equipment is manufactured.”
