Letter: Tragedies mount when we ignore dangers

To the Editor:

In a recent story on Minnesota Public Radio, Rich Budinger, regional manager for Wisconsin Industrial Sand, a company that mines frac sand in Maiden Rock, acknowledged that some surface mines will turn what are now scenic bluffs into flat farm fields. He then brushed that off as a minor inconvenience by saying that it’s only a small part of the overall landscape.

“It's not like we’re mining all the state of Wisconsin,” said Budinger in the interview.

That statement is nothing more than the simplistic logic that one might expect out of a little child who has not yet learned that there are consequences to his actions. “I mean, gee mom, It’s not like I bit EVERY kid at school.“

This kind of adolescent approach seems to be running rampant throughout the sand mining industry. Bite where the biting is good. Take without consideration.

Apply Budinger’s statement to other topics. It’s not like everyone who smokes gets cancer … . It’s not like every mountaintop in Virginia has been removed … . It’s not like every bridge is going to collapse … .

Here in Minnesota sand mining companies such as Windsor Permian continue to buy up bluff land despite the moratoriums and unanswered questions. They aren’t worried about our trivial ordinances. They are indifferent to our health, traffic and landscape concerns.

But then again, why should we be bothered? It’s not like they’re going to flatten ALL the bluffs.

Or are they?

When we accept such a cavalier attitude from so-called professional adults then we as a human community give ourselves permission to ignore the painful fact that there is a serious problem. Meanwhile tragedies mount as the problem is allowed to spiral out of control.

We have to be better than that.

Michelle Meyer

Red Wing

Tags: opinion, letters