An overflow crowd applauded Monday night, when the Trempealeau County Board voted to stop issuing new permits for frack sand mining, for at least one year.
The county has reportedly approved more permits than any other county in Wisconsin during the last three years. Twenty-six companies are extracting and processing silica sand.
Supporters of the moratorium say it will enable the county to study the impacts sand mining has had on the region, including on air quality. Mines now occupy nearly 5,000 acres there. Trempealeau County borders the Mississippi River.
The moratorium will begin late this month and apply to both new mining operations and expansions of existing mines.