I have a "No frac sand" sign in my yard because:
• Frac-sand mining destroys the soil. Reclamation will never restore affected sites to productive farmland because topsoil requires hundreds of years to form. Sand mining affects water quality, sand being the natural filter to retain sediments and pollutants in this fragile karst topography in which we all live.
• Regulating the frac-sand industry does not prevent harm to the landscape or communities where mining operations are taking place. Frac-sand companies routinely violate regulations, and the numerous infractions that happened in Wisconsin since the onset of this ruthless economic venture remain clear indications of negligence by the mining companies, whose interests are in the lucrative gains of extracting sand.
• Frac-sand operations pose grave risks for respiratory illnesses, which affect health and quality of life for residents in the vicinity of a frac-sand mine.
• The frac-sand industry is accelerating global climate change. Ironically, most people continue to live a life of quiet desperation, trapped by this insatiable hunger for cheap, non-renewable energy, without much leadership willing to embrace conservation instead of consumption.
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• The time has come to ban frac-sand mining. Establishing zoning ordinances to protect the health and safety of communities has become an undeniable imperative.
Bruno Borsari
Winona
