3. Methodology and Data
Qualitative:
o News reports
o News articles
o Chippewa Herald to focus on Chippewa County Issues
o General opinions of peers and colleagues
o An Invitation to Environmental Sociology by Michael Bell
Future for further research, using Quantitative Methods?
4. The Basics: Overview of Frac Sand Industry
HIGH PURITY SILICA SAND (FRAC SAND)
Frac Sand on right, and typical sand of the same size on left.
6. Frac Sand Processing Plant
EOG Resources
Inc., a sand
processing
plant located in
Chippewa Falls.
7. Hydraulic Sand Fracturing
-Oil and natural
gas are
extracted from
the earth
through high
pressure drilling
using this Frac
Sand, water and
chemicals.
9. Why has this industry expanded so
much recently?
Moving away from foreign oil dependence
Unrest and strained relations with Middle East
Increasing demand for oil/natural gas in world as countries industrialize
Conventional wells drying up and becoming harder to extract
Dependence on oil, fueling this industry and refueling it
10. Chippewa County
• Population: 62,922 (close to 50% rural)
• Land Area: 101 sq. ft.
• County Seat: Chippewa Falls
• March 30th – DRT Sands requesting permission for 245
acre sand mine in town of New Auburn. Hearing was in
Chippewa Falls Courthouse.
• High controversy – residents in county fight to regain
control of regulating mining industry.
• Sand mines underway in Chippewa County include: EOG
Resources, with mines in the town of Howard and
Cooks Valley; Preferred Sands, with a mine in Cooks
Valley; Chippewa Sand Company, with a mine in the
town of Cooks Valley; and Superior Silica Sands, with a
mine in the town of Auburn.
11. Theory:
Michael Bell’s An Invitation to Environmental Sociology
ENVIRONMENT AS: MATERIAL REALITY
- “The environment as “material reality” refers to
environmental risks and dangers -- such as climate
change, droughts, floods, land-air-and-water pollution
-- that are real and tangible, and that shape our
perceptions of the environment.”
- Economists’ Perceptions > > > Job creation, economic
growth and stability
-Downplay Environmentalists’ argument
ENVIRONMENT AS: IDEAL REALITY
- “The environment as “ideal reality” refers to the ideas
and ideological beliefs that shape our perceptions about
the human-environment relationship, whether this
relationship is that of environmental domination or
environmental concern.”
- Environmentalists’ Perceptions > > > Water usage and
pollution, noise pollution, chemical pollution, air pollution,
increased seismic activity, and land degradation.
- Downplay Economist’s argument
So….which argument do people adhere to?.….
