Lost in the uproar over silica sand mining is a serious threat to Minnesota’s environmental-review procedures with potentially far-reaching implications. And it appears no one in state government or our congressional delegation is taking this threat seriously.
In the historic Mississippi River town of Wabasha, a clever and aggressive Canadian sand company found a way to flout Minnesota’s environmental-review measures. They leased land from a railroad and then claimed exemption from state and local review, using the railroad’s federal right of pre-emption over state and local zoning laws. This longstanding privilege basically says that state and local governments cannot restrict a railroad’s right to operate in interstate commerce.
In a cautionary tale for many communities in our region, this federal exemption was honored in Wabasha. And, the same could happen anywhere a railroad has a large enough rail yard to accommodate tenants and their operations. In this case, a local government was overwhelmed by a well-funded private company.
As background, in December 2012, a Wabasha citizens group asked the Planning Commission to require an Environmental Assessment before granting a permit for a Canadian company’s trans loading (from truck to rail car) facility that would bring 500 sand-hauling truck trips daily through this small river town from Wisconsin over a Mississippi River bridge. These residents felt there was too little information about safety and environmental risks to their community without an assessment to inform the conditions placed on a permit.
The US Senate rejected an effort on Wednesday to halt a contentious US Fish and Wildlife...
Melissa intensified into a hurricane on Saturday, Oct. 25, as it continued its slow slog across...
As Hurricane Melissa crept closer to Jamaica on Monday, Oct. 27, the island nation braced for...
The Trump administration has approved more oil and gas drilling across Alaska’s Arctic national wildlife refuge...
