Controversial Frack Sand Operation Advances In Clayton County

ELKADER — The Clayton County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval Tuesday of a request to rezone 746 acres from agricultural to heavy industrial to facilitate underground mining of the silica sand used in the hydraulic fracturing process of extracting oil and natural gas.“We are pleased with the result,” said Kyle Pattison, president of the Pattison Sand Co., the state’s only frack sand mine, which requested the zoning change late last year.The 11-member commission declined to include in its recommendation any of the 16 restrictions proposed by the five-member Mine Reserve Expansion Study Committee, which during the past eight months met 12 times for 31 hours of input and discussion.Those proposed restrictions covered topics ranging from air and water quality to noise, traffic and impacts on natural scenery.Pattison said some of the proposed restrictions would put the company at a competitive disadvantage and “others are already covered by existing laws.”During the public forum portion of the meeting, several speakers urged the commission to include the proposed restrictions in its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.“There is a broad consensus that the restrictions are needed,” said Daryl Bruxvoort of Elkader, a spokesman for the “Say No for Now” movement, which has gathered more than 300 petition signatures urging county officials to conduct more in-depth research before ruling on the rezoning request.Mike Finnegan, a member of both the study committee and the Planning and Zoning Commission, moved that the commission recommend that the Board of Adjustment consider adding two of the proposed restrictions regarding water quality and well testing.