Mining sand for fracking causes friction in Wisconsin
Monday, November 19, 2012 - 02:00
in Mathematics & Economics
Oil and gas firms pay plenty to mine sand in western Wisconsin. Some farmers welcome the cash. Others fear health risks. CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Wis. — Where County Highway A crests a knoll, Ken Schmitt pulls up to the edge of a farm and idles the car. Above a cornfield yellowed and brittle from a killing frost is a 100-foot hill with a wide section cut away, revealing bands of stone, clay and sand neat as a layer cake.