Hydraulic fracturing has been tied to earthquakes. It forces sand, toxic chemicals and water that becomes contaminated into the earth to release oil and gas. It leaks methane in the process. If that wasn’t bad enough, there’s been a sand rush for the silica sand.
Some areas have been devastated with sometimes multiple mines that scar the landscape within miles of each other. Governor Walker opened the doors wide for development in the state of Wisconsin, but even with a friendly administration the industry trampled over rules and regulations. Last November, the Land Stewardship Project in neighboring Minnesota released a report, “Breaking the rules for Profit: An Analysis of the Frac Sand Industry’s Violations of State Regulations and Manipulation of Local Governments in Wisconsin”.
The report states “24 out of 47 frac sand companies have seriously violated state regulations, manipulated local governments or engaged in influence peddling and conflicts of interest.” It goes on to show 20 of the 47 required substantial regulatory action to come into compliance.
http://landstewardshipproject.org/