Minn. County Approves 1-Year Moratorium on Mining for 'Fracking' Sand

RED WING, Minn. - A southeastern Minnesota county board has approved a one-year moratorium on mining for a type of sand used in oil and gas exploration, saying it wanted to study environmental and financial concerns raised by area residents.

Oklahoma-based Windsor Energy Resources Inc., which reportedly purchased 155 acres of land in the county to extract sand, expressed its disappointment in the Goodhue County Board's Sept. 6 vote, but said it would continue to utilize third-party suppliers.

The ordinance approved by the board noted that it has not received an application to mine "silica sand" from Windsor or …