League Opposes Application

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is calling on DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp to reject the application for Green Tier status by Smart Sand, Inc. During the official comment period, nearly 2,000 citizens submitted their opposition to the prospect of awarding Green Tier status to Smart Sand Inc., an out-of-state frac sand mining company with a history of environmental violations.

The DNR claims it received more comments on this particular Green Tier application than any in the program’s 10-year history. Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters supporters alone generated 1,932 comments.

The Green Tier program was created in 2004 to reward companies for superior environmental performance. In order to qualify, it requires that companies have a demonstrated commitment to protecting the environment.

“Not only does Smart Sand not meet the Green Tier criteria, they are guilty of violating air pollution standards already. Awarding them with this special recognition would be nothing less than greenwashing. And that’s not going to sit well with Wisconsin citizens, past Green Tier recipients, or us,” said Anne Sayers, program director for Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

Smart Sand has a processing capacity of more than one million tons of sand per year on its more than 1,000 acres in Oakdale. In the two short years they’ve been in operation in Wisconsin, they were already issued a notice of violation for failure to comply with Wisconsin air pollution standards.

“The decision of whether to undermine the integrity of the Green Tier program or not rests in the hands of Governor Walker appointee Secretary Stepp. We join thousands of others in asking Secretary Stepp to stop delaying and reject the Smart Sand Green Tier application,” concluded Sayers.