Bad Data in DNR Frac Sand Dust Report

MADISON, Wis. - A new draft report from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources suggests that frac sand mining by the petroleum industry does not produce fine sand that is a health hazard because it can lodge in human lungs. However, Kerry Schumann, executive director of the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, said the data used in the report cannot be trusted because it was given to the DNR by the industry itself.

"It`s just a perfect example of flawed data that`s been supplied by the industry and is now under a lot of criticism and scrutiny," she said. "There`s all these ways in which the DNR just has to rely on the industry, and the industry has really figured out how to get its fingers into every part of the process."

Frac sand mining has become a growth industry in Wisconsin, which now produces the majority of sand used in hydraulic fracturing by the petroleum industry. According to the frac sand industry, the data is unbiased and reliable, but a number of other environmental organizations, including Midwest Environmental Advocates, have said the data can`t be trusted. If you talk to anyone working in the frac sand industry in western Wisconsin, Schumann said, they`ll tell you "the sand gets into everything."   ...more

Ken Notes: One more time we can place pressure on mines at the local level using local regulations.