In this discussion of frac sand mining in Wisconsin, Kim Wright, Executive Director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, Inc., examines environmental and public health issues.

1. We use the power of the law to support grassroots
groups working for environmental justice in the Western
Great Lakes region

3. Frac Sand Mining in Western Wisconsin
Landscape-scale destruction unchecked

4. http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/frac-sand-mining-sites-
more-than-doubled-in-past-year/article_a61b8784-d47a-11e1-
a79c-001a4bcf887a.html
Wisconsin supplies more than two-thirds
of the frac sand used in North America

5. Campaign contributions increased
over 1200% from 2007-2012
The number of frac sand
operations grew at a similar rate

7. Every part of the
process causes
problems for local
communities

8. Industrial activities are regulated
with old laws designed for gravel pits
Stormwater controls are under a
general permit with no technical
standards appropriate for the scale
of frac sand operations

9. http://www.wateronline.com/doc/do-wisconsin-s-frac-sand-mines-
endanger-groundwater-0001
“Washing” the sand to
isolate the marketable
size and grade uses lots
of clean water, from high
capacity wells.
Area residents have had
trouble with the quality
& quantity of well water

10. Preferred Sands processing facility in Blair uses
thousands of gallons of water per minute
http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2013/03/03/impacts-of-frac-sand-mines/

11. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/mines/documents/silicasandminingfinal.pdf
DNR Natural Resources Board (NRB) directed staff to
study the rapidly expanding frac sand industry in 2010.
The link below is to the report finished in 2012 that
called for cumulative impact studies if the number of
mines and processing facilities continued to grow. There
were less than 10 frac sand operations then, now there
are over 150 with many more in the permitting process.
The legislature changed state law to prohibit citizens
from challenging high capacity wells with sound science.

12. “Conservation must have continuity of purpose and policy
and freedom from interference by political control or
manipulation.”
Aldo Leopold 1927
The Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources secretary was
appointed by a citizen board for
70 years. The independence and
scientific autonomy of the DNR
has continually eroded sine the
secretary became a gubernatorial
appointee in 1995.

14. Campaign contributions increased
over 1200% from 2007-2012
The number of frac sand
operations grew at a similar rate

16. Local Governments and citizens have a critical role
in providing meaningful conditions to protect
Public Health and the Environment

18. Green Bay Press Gazzette, March 3, 2014

20. The costs and burdens
of protecting public
health and the
environment are
primarily on the backs
of citizen advocates.
as the WI-DNR is
increasingly starved
for resources and
choked by politics and
special interest
money.

21. “Environmental laws
don’t enforce
themselves,
somebody has to
step up, and that
somebody is us.”
Arlen Christenson
Public Intervenor Board
Founding Board
President of MEA

22. MEA is providing legal services to families in Trempealeau County
challenging air permits issued by the DNR.

26. Respirable Crystalline Silica Dust has sharp
edges and gets lodged deep in the lungs and
has been proven to cause silicosis, cancer and
other serious health problems
These tiny particles are a waste product of frac
sand mining and little is done to control or
contain it Smooth, round sand is used in fracking

27. Health surveillance for those exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS)
Your work involves dusts that can cause lung diseases.
Although it arises in obviously dusty environments RCS dust is invisibly fine. It is
breathed in through the nose and mouth and can stay in the lungs for many
years.
It can cause irreversible lung damage before any symptoms develop.
The illness it causes may continue to worsen even after exposure stops.
Silicosis
Silicosis is a major disease risk from RCS dust. It causes small hard nodules of
scar tissue to develop in the lungs that are seen on a chest X-ray. Silicosis
usually takes some years to develop. There is also an acute form of silicosis that
occurs at very high exposures. This can start within a short time and can kill
within a few months of first exposure.
The main symptoms are cough and difficulty in breathing. Workers with
silicosis are at increased risk of tuberculosis and lung cancer and may also
develop kidney disease and arthritis (and related diseases).

29. Many homes and public buildings wouldn’t pass OSHA
standards for air quality, putting the public at great risk, yet
their own government fails to act.

30. NIOSH Policy Statement
Respiratory Protection Recommendations for Airborne Exposures to Crystalline
Silica
The following describes the NIOSH policy for respiratory protection against airborne
exposures to crystalline silica.
Recommendation
NIOSH recommends the use of half-face piece particulate respirators with N95 or
better filters for airborne exposures to crystalline silica at concentrations less than or
equal to 0.5 mg/m3. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also
specifies the use of at least a 95-rated filter efficiency [29 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 1910.134]. The recommendation for a 95-rated filter efficiency
reflects the improved filter efficiency of N95 filters over the earlier dust and mist
(DM) filters. A comprehensive respirator program must be instituted prior to the use
of 42 CFR 84 respirators. The requirements for a comprehensive respirator program
may be found in the OSHA respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-140/pdfs/2008-140.pdf

31. Homes and schools are surrounded by frac sand operations
Public Health is at risk from
unchecked industrial
activities

35. www.midwestadvocates.org
@MidwestAdvocate
/MidwestEnvironmentalAdvocates