A Chippewa County sand mine has applied for a permit to expand from 176 acres to more than 1,000 acres, according to county documents….
This article by Sarah Seifert appeared in the Chippewa Herald, June 7th, 2018.
A brief commentary by Community Rights US Media Team Member Curt Hubatch: I finished reading this article with one question in mind: Why are the citizens in Cooks Valley Township and surrounding Chippewa County not being allowed to vote on whether or not they want to take on the potential harms and benefits of a project of this magnitude and longevity. They are the ones that will have to live with, and look at, this project everyday of their lives, not the people who currently sit as the board of directors of the Chippewa Sand Company.
A Chippewa County sand mine has applied for a permit to expand from 176 acres to more than 1,000 acres, according to county documents.
Chippewa Sand Co., which mines 142 acres of a 176-acre site near Bloomer in the town of Cooks Valley, estimates mining the expansion would take 60 years.
If the 1,084-acre permit is granted, Chippewa Sand Co.’s would be the largest active sand mine in the county, county project engineer Christien Huppert said.
That permit estimates a 60-year timeline, but that may change, Huppert said.
“They project deposits and expansion to last approximately 60 years, but language in there (states) it’s completely dependent on market conditions,” Huppert said. MORE…