THE PRICE OF SAND Silica Mines, Small Towns, and Money
Food, Agriculture, Forestry, Soil, Minerals and Natural Resources
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58m
“The Price of Sand” is a documentary about the frac sand mining boom in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Due to a rapid increase in demand, pure silica sand has become a valuable commodity, and mines are opening here at a rapid rate.
The silica used in hydraulic fracturing (aka : “fracking”), has other uses– glass manufacturing and toothpaste, for instance — and a few established mines have been in operation here for decades. But now, new companies have arrived, and land with accessible silica deposits is selling for high prices.
In addition to a bonanza for a few lucky landowners, the new mines promise jobs and economic stimulus for the small towns and rural areas nearby.
Midwest Pictures, LLC
Director/Executive Producer: Jim Tittle
60 minutes
2013
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