Minn. Names Member Of Silica Sand Advisory Panel

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources have named a mix of local government officials, citizens and industry officials to a new 15-member silica sand advisory committee.

The panel will advise state agencies as they consider regulations for silica sand mining, processing and shipping facilities in Minnesota. The industry supplies silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing. Critics have raised concerns about potential environmental, health and infrastructure impacts.

The committee will first convene Jan. 29 and is expected to meet monthly until new rules or revisions to existing rules are proposed, a process the MPCA says is likely to take at least a year.

The members include local government officials and residents from southern Minnesota, including critics of the silica sand mining industry, as well as company representatives.