I have been absent in the blogging world for awhile.
For a good reason I believe.
I have gotten myself wrapped up in our community over the proposal to build a sand transfer facility in my small town.
We had all heard rumors that the guys with suits and ties were looking at our area for a project to do with hauling silica sand.
If you are unaware of the new use for silica sand,
it is used in the oil and gas industry for fracking.
I am not going to go into the whole process of sand fracking for oil.
But I think everyone should take the time to learn what this process is doing to our land.
In my neck of the woods its not the oil they are after,
its the sand.
That pink shaded area in northern Illinois?
I am smack dab in the middle of it!
The big mines are all over Wisconsin.
Those poor people are just over run with all kinds of activities related to the mining business.
Now they are headed to our area looking for more places to mine.
One company is looking at my hometown to build a truck/rail transport facility.
This facility would haul mined and dried silica sand from a processing plant to be loaded onto rail cars on the BNSF rail line that runs through our town.
This proposed site is only a half a mile away from our local schools.
Our school children would be exposed to dangerous silica sand dust
(fugitive dust) every day they attend school.
Silicosis is a chronic lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica dust.
Chronic silicosis, the most common type of silicosis, usually occurs after 10 or more years of exposure to crystalline silica at low levels.
My sons farm house will sit 250 feet across the road from this sand plant.
This started as a hush, hush thing that the City Council thought they would hurry through.
Thankfully word got out and many of the area residents came to the meeting an voiced there concerns.
The Council members decided to hold off on a vote until November 12th.
I have been busy trying to read, learn, and contact others trying to get the word out that this facility is not good for our community.
This facility will sit on the edge of our little town.
The Council will actually have to vote to annex the land into city limits.
But the farmers living next door have no vote.
Nor does my son.
They don't live inside of the city limits.
I have stood up for a cause I think worth while.
Done things I never thought I could do.
Talk in front of the City Zoning of Appeals Board.
Questioning the representatives of this multi billion dollar company.
Speaking my mind at the last public meeting in front of the City Council members.
Starting a FB page against this facility.
I still have lots of things to work on before the vote.
Many more people to talk to.
We as a community need to unite and stand up for our next generation.
They will be left to clean up this mess.
Liz
