In Winona, small group protests sand mining industry

Mineral mining
A pillar showing layers of different minerals towers over a drilling machine in a silica sand mine.
Special for MPR/Alex Kolyer

About 30 people gathered outside a sand transportation facility in Winona Monday afternoon to protest the sand mining industry.

The gathering was the second of its kind in less than a week.

Daniel Wilson, 23, said the group wants to keep silica sand mining out of Winona county.

"We don't want this happening in our community," Wilson said. "There's more trucks coming into town. There's more mine permits that are out there. It's becoming very, very evident that despite our best intentions, this is an industry that's going to be very large and destructive in Winona.

Officials in Winona, Goodhue and Wabasha counties have implemented temporary moratoriums on silica sand mining to study the issue. Houston and Olmsted counties are also considering moratoriums. The sand is used to extract oil and natural gas from underground.

Winona Police say the protest was peaceful and no citations were issued.

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