Winona approves frac sand mining permit

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Silica sand
Stockpiles of silica sand are piled at Modern Transport Rail loading terminal in Winona, Minn on Feb. 13, 2012. The stockpile has become an icon that frames the local debate about the sand rush -- and the complex decisions and opinions of all parties involved.
AP Photo/The Winona Daily News, Andrew Link

WINONA, Minn. (AP) -- The Winona City Council has approved a permit to allow a local trucking company to ship frac sand through city's commercial barge dock on the Mississippi River.

The vote was 4-2. Winona Daily News reports several council members wanted to reach a decision Monday rather than tabling the contentious issue. Council member George Borzyskowski says the frac sand business has taken root in Winona and is not going to go away.

Four members of Winona Area Citizens Concerned about Sand Mining raised objections over about air and water quality, truck traffic and quality of life issues at a hearing before the vote.

Frac sand is used by oil and gas drilling companies. The kind mined in Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota is the ideal shape and size for hydraulic fracturing.

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