Minnesota Legislature
Impacts of oil boom on Minnesota focus of energy hearing
The growth of hydraulic fracturing mining — or fracking — in North Dakota’s Bakken shale oil fields has slowed from its 2012 peak, the Legislative Energy Commission heard on Wednesday, but the industry continues to have impacts on Minnesota's railways, industry and environment.
Energy and transportation experts briefed the joint House and Senate panel on fracking, telling the commission oil train traffic has increased on the state’s railways as a result of the shale oil industry in western North Dakota, an oft-discussed concern of both Gov. Mark Dayton and lawmakers.
Officials also briefed the panel on how the Bakken boom and subsequent slowdown have impacted Minnesota’s budding silica sand mining industry.
Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the biggest producers of high-quality sand used in the process of extracting oil from the shale fields, mining roughly 28 million tons of the material in 2014, the commission heard. Growth in those industries have slowed, however, as oil prices have fallen and production in North Dakota has plateaued.
MORE: Find full video of the hearing Thursday on our YouTube channel
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