A whiteboard with lists of non-violent tactics sets in front of a semi-circle of people from all walks of life. Maps printed on colored paper are placed on tables around the room, alongside newspaper clippings about frac sand mining and pamphlets on peace. People are gathered in groups actively listening and brainstorming. Votes are being taken.
This was the atmosphere I walked into as a group of Catholic Workers from the Midwest gathered for their annual Faith and Resistance Retreat. This was the first year they deviated from their normal direct action related to war/non-violence and embraced an environmental issue. The response to the shift was overwhelmingly positive, and the energy level was high throughout the weekend as workers collaborated and formed a plan. They would shut down two of the nine frac sand mining sites in Winona.
Winona is a small, college town located between state parks and lakes in eastern Minnesota. As we hiked the trails of their infamous bluffs, we were able to see the town’s port where frac sand is shipped by boat, the bridge that allows thousands of semi-trucks to carry the sand to and from Wisconsin, and the railroad cars that carry it over vast areas by land. Winona reminds me of the town I grew up in- the people were friendly, but distrustful of outsiders and clearly has a blue collar majority. As the economy of the small town declines, Winona, much like my hometown, wants to bring in new industry- jobs for their townspeople. So it was no surprise to me that many of the people wanted the frac sand mining industry initially- the truck drivers made $1,000 a day, the city made just under $1 for every ton of sand was taken out of the city, and the constant activity gives the illusion of economic security and viability.
Unfortunately, the people of Winona are beginning to experience many of the negative things that come with frac sand mining. Many of the mines and operating areas are buying up land that was previously used for residential areas, causing neighbors and families to move and lose the value of their homes. The land that could previously be farmed is now being robbed of its topsoil and of its purpose. Children that live close to the mining are experiencing asthmatic symptoms and workers are developing lung cancer from the carcinogens in the silica dust. Water aquifers are being contaminated and local water is used for cleaning at an alarming rate of millions of gallons per month. Once the industry has taken all it can, it will abandon the town. Along with the jobs and trucks, the bluffs, natural wetlands and farmland will have disappeared as well.
While I cannot condone the fracking damage being done to our natural places- the bluffs in Minnesota, the plains of Kansas and Oklahoma, the wide spaces of the Dakotas- it is difficult to know what the best alternative is. Our society is incredibly disconnected from others: if we don’t see it happening, it isn’t. We refuse to acknowledge that our plastic toys are made in China, our clothes are sewn in sweatshops, our bananas stolen from Central Americans and diamonds mined by children and war lords in Africa. My main concern is that the American public doesn’t have a problem with fracking- it’s that they have a problem with fracking here. The problem only exists so long as it’s in our backyard. Why have we not protested the mining of fossil fuels in the Middle East? In Africa? It is because we want to consume the same amount of fossil fuels, but we don’t want the consequences. The effects of those decisions exist, but we do not see them. That means the average person will not acknowledge it is happening. Honestly, the average person doesn’t want to know. We can continue to buy SUVs, drive separately to and from every activity, travel great distances, work and live in separate cities, and exploit our brothers’ and sisters’ land (as long as we can’t see it).
What then are we called to do? What should be our answer in the complex system of obtaining fossil fuels? I believe we should advocate to remove our option to drill anywhere but in our own backyard. We should be forced to see the damage we cause by our consumption, and should not be allowed to damage other people’s land and way of life. When we see how much drilling is necessary to sustain our consumption of fossil fuels, maybe we will pause. Maybe seeing our bluffs disappear, our children wearing dust masks and our water being contaminated will wake us up to the cost of our ‘needs’. Maybe we will even ask ourselves hard questions about our lifestyles- we will carpool, bike or walk, we will buy fuel efficient cars and share with our family members, we will use less heat in the winter and research renewable energy. Linking our lifestyle to the problem at hand will do incredible things for the earth, for our neighbors and for ourselves. We will see the natural resources we possess and things that are precious, instead of commodities. It will improve relations with nations that we have exploited in our search for fossil fuels. It will give us the ability to see positive results from changes we make in our lifestyles. We will change.
As Catholic Workers linked arm in arm across property lines to the frac sand mining sites, Winona residents were given a visual of the support and solidarity offered from other communities. Workers and locals held signs reading ‘We ❤ Winona’ and ‘Bluff Sand not Frac Sand’. Food was shared as a way of opening dialogue between opposers and employees. Local police officers were exposed to the conflict between special interests and their residents. After direct action was taken, the group gathered for one last meal together at a house in the neighborhood. Joining in fellowship, a shared meal, music and reflection, I experienced for the first time my need for such a community. A visual symbol of progress, direct action on both our society and ourselves, and a love for unity and peace.
