Town Extends Sand Mine Moratorium

The town of Grant decided in a special meeting last week to extend its sand mining moratorium for another six months.

More details to come!

Town to Hold Special Meeting on Mining Moratorium

The town of Grant will hold a special meeting tomorrow night on its sand mine moratorium. The board will review comments received at the Open House on the Mining Ordinance and Blasting Ordinance and will consider extending Ordinance 2-2012,Ordinance to impose a Moratorium of the Expansion of Existing and Creation of New Nonmetallic Mining Operations within the Town of Grant.

The meeting will at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the town hall located at 19460 Bittersweet Ave.

US Silica Says Plans are in Preliminary Stages

U.S. Silica explained that its plans for a sand mine in the Town of Grant are in very preliminary stages in a letter sent to town chair Douglas Lambert.

October 26, 2012

Mr. Douglas Lambert Chairman 

Town of Grant 19080 Arcadia Avenue Warrens, WI 54666

Dear Chairman Lambert:

There has been much discussion over the last week regarding US Silica’s interest in building a new facility in the Town of Grant. We wanted to ensure you had accurate information and heard directly from us on where we are in the process and how we approach the issue.

First and foremost, we have not yet purchased any property and we are in the very preliminary stages of due diligence in the area. What that means is that we have done some testing on various properties and have had engineers engaged in significant environmental reviews. Both of these pieces are critical to our assessment and ultimately will influence whether or not we decide to pursue a project.

Town of Grant Delays Sand Mine Action

Oct. 19--More than 100 people attended the Town of Grant meeting last night, which was  held at St. Matthew's Church because the Grant Town Hall only holds 50 people. 
 

No action was taken on the proposed sand mine ordinance nor on extending the moratorium beyond its November 9 expiration date.   Responding to comments from more than 30 Town residents Town Chair Doug Lambert and Board Members Tim Wilder and Brian Katzenberg set a second meeting, for action on the Ordinance and extension of the moratorium, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 30.  

The meeting is scheduled to be held at the Town Hall.
Representatives from U. S. Silica, the company proposing to build a 800-1,200-acre sand mine in the Town of Grant, did not attend. 

U.S. Silica Plans 800- to 1200-Acre Sand Mine in Town of Grant

MEETING UPDATE

The new location for Thursday night's town of Grant meeting is:
St Mathew Church
4285 US Hwy 12
Warrens

U.S. Silica, which is building a large sand mine in the city of Sparta, is trying to build an 800- to 1,200-acre sand mine in the town of Grant.

The proposed mine would straddle Highway 12 and Interstate 94 and would also border Aspen Avenue. U.S. Silica is looking at private land and land that Monroe County owns in the area. Many local residents are concerned about the impact a sand mine would have on water in a township where there are many cranberry growers and popular fishing spots, such as Robinson Creek, a Class A trout stream.

There are also concerns about heavy truck traffic and dust. The proposed site is near railroad tracks, always attractive to sand mines because they prefer rail to trucks.Jeff Jahn, a U.S. Silica representative who was instrumental in the development of a 700-acre sand mine in the city of Sparta, made a presentation about the proposed mine to more than a dozen town of Grant residents last Thursday. He said that some land has already been committed to the mine, pending permit approval. Jahn, said in a response to a request for a comment from MonroeCountySandMines.org, said the U.S. Silica that continues to look for potential opportunities throughout Wisconsin and is in what he described as "the very early stages of evaluating one in in the Town of Grant."

Also last Thursday, about 50 people attended an information session about sand mines and the impact they have on the surrounding community. Sand mine activist Patricia Popple spoke to the group, as did Ken Schimdt, from the town of Howard in Chippewa County. Sand mine development in Chippewa County is about a year ahead of sand mine development in Monroe County and the town of Howard enacted a non-metallic mining ordinance that other townships have used as a blueprint. Popple has become one of the leading authorities in the state about sand mines and their impact.

 The town of Grant is holding a special meeting at 6 p.m. in the town hall Thursday night, Oct. 18, about a proposed sand mine ordinance. Concern is running high about whether or not the proposed ordinance will offer the kind of protection at least some town residents want from these mines. The town of Grant has a moratorium in effect against sand mines. It will expire on Nov. 7. Doug Lambert, chairman of the Grant town board, said that Thursday night's special meeting is an opportunity for residents to make comments and ask questions about the proposed sand mine ordinance, which he said is modeled on ordinances created by the town of Howard, the town of Garfield and the town of New Auburn, all in or near Chippewa County.

Lambert said that board will vote to pass or not to pass the ordinance; he said that state law prevents any major modification to the proposed ordinance. Lambert said that he is expecting a crowd. The town hall (pictured above) has a capacity for 50 people.The town hall is located at 19460 Bittersweet Ave.

There are four sand mines in operation or being built in the county; a 1200-acre sand mine would be the largest in the county. The two largest are between 700 and 1,000 acres. Other potential sand mine sites have been proposed in the townships of Angelo, New Lyme and Little Falls.

Background About Sand Mines

What's behind the sand mine boom? Monroe County--and much of this part of the state of Wisconsin--has just the right kind of sand needed for hydrofracking. That's the process of shooting a cocktail of chemicals, sand and water at shale in order to extract natural gas from the shale. It's a highly controversial form of mining. Sand mining carries its own risks for neighbors of sand mines. And there are other problems as well. Click here for more information. And click here for a first-hand report about life next to a sand mine--and what happens to property next to sand mines.