Superior Sand Systems Inc., the same company that hired a public zoning administrator to scout land in Minnesota and Wisconsin for frac sand mining, has won a key battle in Wabasha, Minn., for a truck-to-rail loading facility.

The company said it will consider mining frac sand in Minnesota to go with three quarries in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. The rail hub has capacity to ship 1.2 million tons a year of finished frac sand.

The 11.5-acre project near the Mississippi River, about a mile from the National Eagle Center, won't generate any new tax base for the city, which has worked hard over the past 20 years to attract tourists. It will produce 18 new jobs at the site and could create truck traffic of up to 600 trips a day.

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