Wisconsin regulators cite wrong mining company

INDEPENDENCE, Wis. - Regulators in western Wisconsin say they took action against the wrong company after discovering permit violations at a frack sand mine.

The Star Tribune reports Trempealeau County officials said Tuesday mining activity at the Guza mine was being conducted by local company Cameron Rail Site. The county had issued a stop order to Texas-based Superior Silica Sands.

The county said Tuesday that Superior Silica Sands was conducting construction work on the site but wasn't mining. Its president and CEO says his company wasn't in violation. The stock of its parent company, Emerge Energy Services, dropped after the allegations were reported.

The county provided Cameron Rail with a corrective action plan. The company didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday from the newspaper.

Sand mining plays a key role in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.