Unbeknownst to many, Wisconsin has played a key role in driving down prices at the gas pump thanks to its abundance of “frac sand,” a specialized silica sand required for the fracking process. The ...

BLAIR, Wis. -- Tucked behind a hill in rural Trempealeau County, farmland undergoes an industrial transformation. Outside this city of 1,300, Preferred Sands turns Wisconsin's sandy soil into a hot ...

Jan. 7—EAU CLAIRE — After more than a decade of alternating boom-and-bust cycles, the regional frac sand industry appears to be stabilizing — at least for now. That's the assesssment of UW-Eau Claire ...

Frac sand production has increased seven-fold in the past decade, according to the United States Geological Survey. Thomas Dolley, a mineral commodity specialist at the USGS, said he can’t divulge ...

In a clash of old and new industries, Wisconsin frac sand producers say their business is threatened by a handful of railroads operating under outdated regulations. Wisconsin produces about a third of ...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state appeals court on Thursday refused to reinstate a permit for a proposed $75 million frac sand operation in western Wisconsin, a victory for environmentalists who have been ...

Western Wisconsin counties bordering the Mississippi River have a unique geography: steep bluffs with layers and layers of silica sand. The sand is extremely valuable because it's strong enough to ...

MADISON (AP) — Some energy producers are still willing to pay more for Wisconsin’s high-quality fracking sand despite increasing competition from Texas producers. Mining industry publications estimate ...

A draft report of a strategic analysis of the mining of industrial silica sand, also called “frac sand,” was released in June 2016 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The study ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Doug Losee can sum up the differences between Minnesota's and Wisconsin's frac sand mining regulations by describing how much room the two states' environmental studies take up in ...

We who live in southwest Wisconsin are depending on the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board to help protect the sacred and irreplaceable Wisconsin riverway and its land by keeping it safe from the ...