# EOG, town of Howard (Chippewa County) - Google Fusion Tables

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Name: Larry Schindler
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When Larry Schindler first heard a mine was moving onto a nearby property, he decided to look into the frac sand mining industry. He drove an hour south to another company’s mine and came back satisfied that he would have no problem living next to one.

Although he was not one of the landowners to receive a property value guarantee, in his yard next to the road Schindler said he constructed a sign reading, “Got sand Let’s mine not whine.”

Now his house is about a quarter mile from the EOG mine and he says not a lot has changed. Every now and then he hears blasting, but he said the company notifies him before they do it. He owns less than an acre on land that he said had been in his family for 150 years.

In Larry’s words: “I see no reason why (the mine) is going to bother the land value because it’s not on any one else’s property.”

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Name: EOG (owned by Robert Schindler)
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Texas-based EOG Resources has three mines in Wisconsin. The mine in the town of Howard is one of two in Chippewa County, where the company also has a combination processing plant and rail loading facility. The third mine is located in Barron County.

The town of Howard negotiated a property value guarantee as part of its agreement with the company. Under the agreement, if nearby landowners cannot sell for fair market value, EOG will pay them the difference. If a property does not sell in six months, EOG will buy it. The agreement expires in 2031.

The company declined to comment.

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Name: Wayne Schindler
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Wayne Schindler does not like frac sand mines in general but is particularly unhappy with the one next door. He lives on a 1.2-acre property southwest of the mining site and received a property value guarantee. He says the truck traffic has increased since EOG started mining across the street and another mine opened up nearby.

He no longer lets his young son play in the front yard.

In Wayne’s words: “The land has been in family for three to four generations. It is not something you want to readily give up. … I’m 90 percent sure that EOG is the only one that would buy it.”

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Name: EOG (owned by Jeffrey Sikora)
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Texas-based EOG Resources has three mines in Wisconsin. The mine in the town of Howard is one of two in Chippewa County, where the company also has a combination processing plant and rail loading facility. The third mine is located in Barron County.

The town of Howard negotiated a property value guarantee as part of its agreement with the company. Under the agreement, if nearby landowners cannot sell for fair market value, EOG will pay them the difference. If a property does not sell in six months, EOG will buy it. The agreement expires in 2031.

The company declined to comment.

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Name: Frances Schindler
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The Schindlers own almost 300 acres, mostly farmland with some woods and pasture. About 100 livestock inhabit the property. Frances grew up about three miles east of where they now live in rural Colfax. The couple was one of 11 recipients of a property value guarantee from EOG, the Texas-based company mining across the road — though they are not planning to move any time soon.

In Frances’ words: “If we do want to sell the place it’s there. But for us, this is our home, this is where we live and we aren’t looking to sell. So I guess it’s kind of irrelevant to us right now.”

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Name: Jeffrey Bennesch
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Jeffrey Bennesch, a longtime resident, says he does not hear the mine nearby but does experience increased truck traffic, which can make pulling out of the driveway challenging.

Before he got the property value guarantee, he said his bank was reconsidering renewing his farm loan using his property as collateral. The bank thought his property value might go down, he said, but with the guarantee the loan was renewed.

In Jeffrey’s words: “I’m fourth generation. I don’t intend on selling. I’m sure there will be a day when I decide to retire and sell but I hope that’s a long time in the future. But at that point, I’m glad there is somebody else that is going to foot the bill for loss in value because I believe I won’t be able to sell for as much as it’s worth.”