While their analysis focuses on the specific conditions of Buffalo County (comparison with other counties should be done with caution), the report raises some important questions that are relevant to the broader region. Some of the highlights:
An anthropologist documenting the social, economic, and environmental impacts of frac sand mines
Showing posts with label sustainable development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sustainable development. Show all posts
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Economics of Sand Mining in Buffalo County
I recently learned about a report on the economics of sand mining prepared by Carl Duley, UW-Extension, and Steven Deller, UW-Madison/Extension, for Buffalo County:
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Sand doesn’t equal community well-being : Dunn County News
Sand doesn’t equal community well-being : Dunn County News
Here is a much shorter version of my article about the socioeconomic impacts of frac sand mining, published in the Dunn County News on Wednesday, September 5. (The Dunn County News website includes a head-shot photo with the article, but the photo is ridiculously huge... not sure why.) My hope is that some of the questions I raise in the article will contribute to the broader debate about the future of frac sand mining in this region. Do local decision-makers read the Dunn County News? I hope so. I've heard many local officials and frac sand advocates make simplistic and misleading claims about the presumed economic benefits of industrial frac sand mining, with local officials invoking "economic development" as a rationale for their decision-making. There may be benefits for some, but also costs, often imposed on others or on future generations. These are serious issues that require accurate information and careful assessment, not wishful assertions backed up by the empty guarantees of mining companies striving to profit from frac sand.
Here is a much shorter version of my article about the socioeconomic impacts of frac sand mining, published in the Dunn County News on Wednesday, September 5. (The Dunn County News website includes a head-shot photo with the article, but the photo is ridiculously huge... not sure why.) My hope is that some of the questions I raise in the article will contribute to the broader debate about the future of frac sand mining in this region. Do local decision-makers read the Dunn County News? I hope so. I've heard many local officials and frac sand advocates make simplistic and misleading claims about the presumed economic benefits of industrial frac sand mining, with local officials invoking "economic development" as a rationale for their decision-making. There may be benefits for some, but also costs, often imposed on others or on future generations. These are serious issues that require accurate information and careful assessment, not wishful assertions backed up by the empty guarantees of mining companies striving to profit from frac sand.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Does Frac Sand Create Socioeconomic Well-being?
by Thomas W. Pearson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Stout
The recent boom in frac sand mining in Wisconsin has been touted as a source of economic growth, and especially job creation. Some frac sand corporations have adopted the slogan "sand = jobs," a phrase repeated by many sand mining advocates. But the role of frac sand in community economic development is much more complex. Local elected officials, policy makers, economic development planners, and citizens need to think more critically about the claim that “sand equals jobs.”
The recent boom in frac sand mining in Wisconsin has been touted as a source of economic growth, and especially job creation. Some frac sand corporations have adopted the slogan "sand = jobs," a phrase repeated by many sand mining advocates. But the role of frac sand in community economic development is much more complex. Local elected officials, policy makers, economic development planners, and citizens need to think more critically about the claim that “sand equals jobs.”
‘Job Euphoria’
In the wake of the economic recession and in a highly charged political atmosphere where the economy remains a hot button issue, “job creation” has become empty political rhetoric. Often it's nothing more than an obligatory phrase for elected officials seeking support among voters or corporations seeking the consent of economically battered communities. Who would possibly be against job creation, right?
We regularly hear people say that sand mines create dozens, hundreds, even thousands of jobs, with the assumption that any amount of jobs must be a good thing. But what does that mean? Has the euphoria of job creation become a rhetorical smokescreen that obscures other issues we should be talking about instead?
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