State Asked to Conduct Frac Sand Study

The Environmental Quality Board has been asked to conduct a study on the frac sand mining. Such a study would delve into the environmental, socioeconomic, and health impacts of the growing extractive industry.

Fine silica sand, which is found in the southeast corner of Minnesota as well as across Wisconsin and parts of Iowa, has long been used to make glass and abrasives. More recently, however, it has found expanded demand as a part of the controversial natural gas extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Silica sand mine in Chippewa County, Wisconsin

Fracking is a process in which a mixture of silica sand, water, and fracking fluid (which contains hundreds of compounds, many of which are proprietary and thus not disclosed to the public), is pumped into holes deep drilled into the ground. There it creates high pressure, fracturing the rock and releasing pockets of natural gas.

The method has drawn fire from environmental advocacy groups for its environmental impact. This includes effects on air quality, the contamination of groundwater, the status of natural gas as a greenhouse-gas-emitting fossil fuel, and even for causing earthquakes in some locations. Proponents of natural gas, however, insist that it is a transition fuel, noting that burning natural gas releases half the carbon dioxide of burning oil, and that it is a cheap energy source of which the US has significant reserves. Some officials even credit natural gas with the recent decline of US emissions to a 20 year low as new gas exploration has cut the price per unit by more than half over the last four years.

Miner preparing holes for blasting

While proponents and opponents of fracking debate, however, Minnesota and Wisconsin have become the center of a frac sand boom, with mines opening across the silica sand region to fuel the booming fracking industry. In response, some counties in Minnesota have already imposed moratoriums. In the words of Kristin Eide-Tollefson of the planning commission of Goodhue County's Florence Townships, "These permits just start flooding these communities once the doors are open". She says that local governments need more information. Concerns have been raised over the sand mines, not only for their role in the fracking industry, but also for their effects on surrounding communities, such as increased truck traffic, respiratory illness such as silicosis, and the loss of ecosystem services from the sand hills' water filtering. Although the mines must follow the rules protecting navigable waterways, accidental spills have also raised concerns. In addition, concerns have been raised over the mine's effect on the habitat of the endangered Karner blue butterfly.

The sand mining industry, though, says that the existing rules already do a good job of protecting the environment, and that regulations could affect investment and jobs. Rich Budinger of the Wisconsin Industrial Sand Company, regarding the moratoriums that some countries have imposed, says, "Resources at that point are sometimes redirected into areas where counties and townships understand non-metallic mining and industrial sand mining, and understand that regulations are in place to pretty much protect the safety and the environment of the region". He claims that a study like the one being proposed would take time and have an effect similar to the moratoriums.

Image Sources: FracSandFrisbee and MPR

Brainerd's Energy Innovation- Sewer Power

The city of Brainerd has been flushing money down the drain- or so say those advocating an overlooked resource to heat and cool the city's buildings through Minnesota's bitter winters and increasingly hot summers. That resource is the sewers.

Scott Sjolund is technology supervisor Brainerd Public Utilities, which has already been using heat from waste water to heat its buildings and clear sidewalks of ice.  He explains: "Everybody heats water up ... and all that gets drained down the sewer, and that's potential energy that could be extracted. That's part of the equation." The other part is harnessing it most effectively.

Brainerd's signature water tower, known as 'Paul Bunyan's Cup'

Hidden Fuels, a company based in the city, has an idea. The company, which received a $45,000 grant from the federal government and formed a partnership with the city and school district in 2009, has already used a series of sensors to map out the flow of heat in the sewers and find the hot spots. Peter Nelson of Hidden Fuels says, "It shows that there's a significant amount of energy — literally enough to heat hundreds of homes — within the streets of the city of Brainerd". There's enough heart in one pipe to heat the entire high school, according to Earl Wollert, the Brainerd School district director of buildings and grounds.

Hidden Fuels intends to use the energy by running water through a heat pump, running a turbine that generates the electricity that will heat or cool the building. It is similar to the use of geothermal energy, but with a bonus- the Brainerd sewer water, at 42-66 degrees Fahrenheit, is already generally in the temperature range. According to John Lund of the Oregon Institute of Technology, using the sewer water could cut costs in half compared to regular geothermal.

Jeffry Aga, Alan Cibuzar, and Peter Nelson of Hidden Fuels

There remain some drawbacks, however. One is the use of dirty water. Prior to now, geothermal systems have generally used clean water. In the words of Nelson, "We're dealing with contaminated fluids. And so that's really the challenge ... to be able to operate efficiently in that contaminated environment." The company intends to extract the energy in a closed system with a clean glycol process, reducing odor concerns.

Another possible problem is that with natural gas prices as low as they are, even the reduced-cost sewer power may be more costly than natural gas. Even though heating the school alone could save around $18,000 annually, it could still take years to break even compared to the cost of natural gas- though such calculations neglect the significant environmental costs of natural gas and the controversial fracking method by which it is gathered.

Regardless, with the price of fossil fuels in the future uncertain, the project is slated to be a long-term investment. Hidden Fuels plans to have the police station heated by the end of the year, with the school also on the agenda. In the Brainerd of tomorrow, the streets may not be paved with gold, but gold may certainly flow under them.


Image Sources: The Gilbert Lodge Blog, MPR