Wisconsin News Roundup, Musical Group The Multiple Cat, Frac Sand Mining

Air Date:
Heard On Central Time

Governor Scott Walker will speak at the Republican National Convention, even though a number of prominent Republicans won’t attend the event. We get the latest on that decision, and recap the top headlines from around the state. We also welcome musical group The Multiple Cat into the studio, and cover an important news story.

Featured in this Show

  • Environmental Groups Concerned About DNR's Report On State Frac Sand Mining Operations

    State environmental groups are raising concerns about a recent Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources analysis on frac sand mining safety that they say relies on data from the mining industry and generally insufficient.

    DNR officials released a first draft of a comprehensive analysis on sand mining this week after more than 1,000 Wisconsin citizens signed a petition asking for an industry impact report. The analysis reviewed the industry’s potential impacts on natural resources, public health and quality among other qualities.

    Since the hydraulic fracturing boom started about two decades ago, Wisconsin has been highly involved in mining silica sand. The sand is used by the fracking industry along with other chemicals to extract oil and gas trapped in shale rock. According to the DNR, there are 92 active industrial sand facilities in the state, most of which are located in west-central Wisconsin.

    Sarah Geers, a staff attorney at Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA), said the DNR used data from a nonprofit group Institution for Wisconsin’s Health, which published a report earlier this year that said industrial sand operations pose little risk to air and water quality.

    “We are concerned that in some aspects the DNR relies heavily on industry funded data or draws conclusions that there aren’t impacts where they just don’t have the information to support that conclusion,” Geers said.

    Geers said the DNR has already agreed to conduct additional studies examining how frac-sand mining impacts water quality. But she’s concerned that the agency is content with its conclusions on air quality despite the fact that she feels it hasn’t evaluated the impact of fine-particulate matter, a byproduct of the industry. MEA’s full critique of the health impact study can be read on their website.

    “We’re not saying saying that the DNR needs to affirmatively conclude that these facilities are emitting dangerous quantities of fine-particulate matter, just that they need to acknowledge that that’s an open question,” Geers said.

    Additionally, Geers said given the general scarcity of research on some aspects of the industry, she’s pressing the state environmental agency to commit to monitoring air and water quality and be prepared to intervene should regulators detect negative effects down the road.

    The DNR is accepting public comment until Aug. 22. It will also host a public meeting on July 26 at 4 p.m. at the Chippewa Valley Technical College.

  • State News Roundup For July 8, 2016

    Governor Scott Walker recently announced he’ll be speaking at the Republican National Convention, even though a number of prominent Republicans are staying away. A state news editor talks about this and other major stories from around the state this week.

  • Davenport, Iowa's The Multiple Cat Are Pushing A River Town Renaissance.

    Led by a founding member of Daytrotter, the Iowa band The Multiple Cat recently stopped by the WPR studio to play songs from their latest album, Intricate Maps, talk about the evolution of the band’s changing cast of musicians, and assess the impact Daytrotter has had on the Quad Cities music scene.

    Video highlights and audio of the band’s entire performance in WPR’s Buck studio.

  • Environmental Groups Cast Doubt On DNR's Report On Frac Sand Mining

    The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently released a draft of a report that analyzes the state’s industrial sand mining industry. We find out why an environmental group says the report understates some of the risks of fracking.

Episode Credits

  • Judith Siers-Poisson Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Haleema Shah Producer
  • Karl Christenson Producer
  • Sarah Geers Guest
  • Rob Mentzer Guest
  • The Multiple Cat Guest

Related Stories