Nearly twenty area groups joined together to form the Alliance to Ban Frac Sand Mining and Address Climate Change to counter a frac sand mining conference in La Crosse on May 9 and 10. The conference, hosted by Frac Sand Insider invited people to, "explore the opportunities," of opening a new frac sand mine in Western Wisconsin. The conference included support of the Heartland Institute, a right wing organization long known for its climate change denial.
Counter activities began with a May 9 press conference held at the La Crosse Cener, venue of the sand conference. Participants included
- Land Stewardship Project, Lynnea Pfohl
- Citizens Against Silica Mining, Mike Kennedy
- Coulee Region Climate Alliance, Kathy Allen
- Ho-Chunk Nation, William Greendeer
- Houston County Protectors, Bryan Van Gorp
- Winona Catholic Workers, Diane Munson
- Save the Hills Alliance
- Coulee Region Sierra Club, Pat Wilson
- Sacred Water, Sacred Land, Juliee de ls Terra
- Crawford County Stewardship Alliance, Forest Jahnke
- Act Now Jackson County, Sheila Danielson
- Families Resisting Energy Extraction, Linda Riddle
- Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, Al Gedicks
- Neighbors First, Inc, Marie Anderson
- Jackson County Residents for Clean Air, Clean Water and Open Government
- The Coalition to Protect New York, Maura Stephans
- Houston County Government Accountability Project, Robin and Ken Tschumper
- Community Rights Groundworks, Laila Johnson
Local and regional media covered both events. The best covereage included some mention at least some of the reasons people are so opposed to frac sand mining. The worst was a recitation of shallow facts that makes frac sand mines sound like flower gardens.
Media coverage included:
La Crosse Tribune:
- Wisconsin frac sand industry weathering economic storm (May 7)
- Anti-frac coalition calls for mining ban (May10)
- Frac industry experts: Not all Wisconsin mines will survive (May 11)
- Anti-frac coalition calls for mining ban (update) (May 11)
La Crosse Channel 8:
La Crosse Channel 19:
- Coverage of press conference (May 9)
- Coverage of sand conference and rally (May 10)
WIZM (local talk radio in La Crosse - line up includes Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity)
- http://1410wizm.com/index.php/
item/27630-groups-protesting- frac-sand-conference-in-la- crosse-on-tuesday -
http://1410wizm.com/index.php/
item/27639-activists-speaking- out-before-frac-sand- conference-in-la-crosse -
http://1410wizm.com/index.php/
item/27647-group-gathers-to- protest-frac-sand-mining
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