BLAIR, Wis. -- Tucked behind a hill in rural Trempealeau County, farmland undergoes an industrial transformation. Outside this city of 1,300, Preferred Sands turns Wisconsin's sandy soil into a hot ...

Unbeknownst to many, Wisconsin has played a key role in driving down prices at the gas pump thanks to its abundance of “frac sand,” a specialized silica sand required for the fracking process. The ...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state appeals court on Thursday refused to reinstate a permit for a proposed $75 million frac sand operation in western Wisconsin, a victory for environmentalists who have been ...

Jan. 7—EAU CLAIRE — After more than a decade of alternating boom-and-bust cycles, the regional frac sand industry appears to be stabilizing — at least for now. That's the assesssment of UW-Eau Claire ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Doug Losee can sum up the differences between Minnesota's and Wisconsin's frac sand mining regulations by describing how much room the two states' environmental studies take up in ...

MADISON (AP) — Some energy producers are still willing to pay more for Wisconsin’s high-quality fracking sand despite increasing competition from Texas producers. Mining industry publications estimate ...

In a clash of old and new industries, Wisconsin frac sand producers say their business is threatened by a handful of railroads operating under outdated regulations. Wisconsin produces about a third of ...

Wisconsin’s frac sand mining industry isn’t going away, but industry experts say not all mines will survive as market forces change the business model.