When the Hills Are Gone: Frac Sand Mining and the Struggle for Community

Description

Fracking is one of the most controversial methods of fossil fuel extraction in the United States, but a great deal about it remains out of the public eye. In Wisconsin it has ignited an unprecedented explosion in the state’s sand mining operations, an essential ingredient in hydraulic fracturing that has shaken local communities to the core. In When the Hills Are Gone, Thomas W. Pearson reveals the jolting impact of sand mining on Wisconsin’s environment and politics. A source of extraordinary wealth for a lucky few, and the cause of despoiled land for many others, sand mining has raised alarm over air quality, water purity, noise, blasting, depressed tourism, and damage to the local way of life. It has also spurred a backlash in a grassroots effort that has grown into a mature political movement battling a powerful mining industry. When the Hills Are Gone tells the story of Wisconsin’s sand mining wars. Providing on-the-ground accounts from both the mining industry and the concerned citizens who fought back, Pearson blends social theory, ethnography, stirring journalism, and his own passionate point of view to offer an essential chapter of Wisconsin’s history and an important episode in the national environmental movement. Digging deep into the struggles over place, community, and local democracy that are occurring across the United States, When the Hills Are Gone gives vital insight into America’s environmental battles along the unexpected frontlines of energy development. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Introduction Magic Mineral......Page 8 1 Save Our Hills......Page 40 2 Low- Hanging Fruit......Page 62 3 Dangers Unseen......Page 84 4 Where You Live......Page 112 5 Neighbors......Page 134 6 In Pursuit of Local Democracy......Page 160 7 Confronting the Next Boom......Page 190 Acknowledgments......Page 206 Notes......Page 210 C......Page 246 E......Page 248 G......Page 249 L......Page 250 N......Page 251 R......Page 252 S......Page 253 W......Page 254 Z......Page 255