Trempealeau County regulators say wrong company cited for sand mining violations

Regulators in western Wisconsin say they took action against the wrong company after discovering permit violations at a fracking sand mine.

Trempealeau County's Department of Land Management earlier ordered Texas-based Superior Silica Sands to cease mining activity at the Guza mine in Arcadia after inspectors said they found permit violations.

The county said Tuesday that further investigation showed that the mining activity was being done by Cameron Rail Site, of Winona, Minnesota, not Superior Silica Sands. The county said Superior Silica Sands was conducting construction work on the site, but wasn't mining.

"We are pleased that the record has been corrected," Superior Silica Sands CEO Rick Shearer told the Star Tribune (http://strib.mn/1CjFASO ). The stock of its parent company, Emerge Energy Services, dropped following the county's action.

The county said it first investigated activity at the Guza mine Oct. 6 at the request of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The DNR had received information that someone was working the mine without a valid land reclamation permit.

The county provided Cameron Rail Site with a corrective action plan. A message seeking comment from Cameron Rail Site could not be left because its phone mailbox was at capacity.

Sand mining plays a key role in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com