Williams County approves Ramsey Hill frac sand conditional-use permit with bond, buffer conditions

Williams County commissioners on March 20 approved a conditional-use permit for Ramsey Hill Exploration to construct and operate a frac sand processing facility and phased mining operation in Houghland Township, contingent on county staff conditions, a reclamation bond and a buffer requirement should mining move south of 50 Second Street Northwest.

The permit covers work on roughly 1,109 acres of property, of which the applicant anticipates using about 593 acres; the applicant plans to mine in four phases and excavate to depths of about 20 to 50 feet. The processing facility would sit in the north phase, accessed from 110th Avenue Northwest; the applicant said the plant site is about three-quarters of a mile north of County 17 (50 Second Street Northwest).

The board’s decision followed a public hearing in which Ramsey Hill representatives described changes they’ve made after earlier public comment. Mike China, representing Ramsey Hill, said the company increased the residential buffer north of lakeshore homes "to a quarter mile to the north of the property lines of all those houses among the the lake there." Owner Chris Kuzlick said the company met repeatedly with landowners and that "I felt like the meeting went very well." Several local landowners and residents spoke in favor or to raise concerns about traffic, dust and reclamation.

Why it matters: commissioners tied approval to specific safeguards to address long-term reclamation and neighborhood impacts. Commissioners amended the approval to require a reclamation bond and directed staff to seek a bond amount consistent with county practice (an engineer-backed estimate plus 25 percent) calculated on the acreage actually opened for mining (the applicant said mining would proceed roughly 40 acres at a time). The board also added a condition that, if the operation expands south of 50 Second Street Northwest, Ramsey Hill must provide a berm and tree buffer "satisfactory to the county’s requirements." The permit also carries standard planning-and-zoning conditions, requires building permits and water district approval, and requires construction to begin within 18 months if approved.

During the hearing, company and technical experts addressed environmental and operational questions. Troy Zickert, a water-clarification specialist, said "the chemicals that we use in this industry are NSF certified for potable water clarification" and described how coagulants and flocculants bind clay and settle out in clarifiers. Ramsey Hill representatives said the plant will include a rotary kiln dryer, cyclone and baghouse for dust control and that sand storage and movement would be enclosed where possible. The applicant said they intend to slurry (pump) sand from some pit areas to limit truck hauling and expected the mining operation itself to run weekdays during daylight hours while the processing plant could operate 24 hours a day if needed.

Speakers raised traffic and safety concerns for the turn from Highway 1804 onto 110th Avenue Northwest and for local gravel roads. Residents asked whether a formal turning lane or other highway improvements would be required; county staff reported they had asked County Highway for comment but had not received comment before the hearing. Commissioners noted the county can revisit or revoke a conditional-use permit if complaints substantiate violations; staff said the county would follow its enforcement and appeal procedures if complaints arise.

The permit discussion cited North Dakota Century Code 38-16-011 (surface mining reclamation) and Williams County zoning provisions allowing conditions on conditional-use permits. Commissioners discussed different approaches for financial security: a county bond requirement, cash escrow, or letter of credit, and directed staff to follow the county’s standard bonding practice — an engineer-prepared estimate of reclamation costs with 125 percent applied — and to require bonds on acreage actually disturbed each year.

The final motion to approve the CUP, contingent on staff comments and a reclamation bond and amended to add the berm/tree buffer if mining moves south of 50 Second Street Northwest, was seconded by George (Commissioner). Roll call recorded eight affirmative votes (Barry: yes; James: yes; George: yes; Mark: yes; Dan: yes; Eric: yes; Brett: yes; Tate: yes). The board noted it could require additional conditions in future if the operation expands or complaints are received.

The county staff list of recommended conditions also requires obtaining any building permits, approval from the Williams County Water Resource District Board, and compliance with applicable state and federal codes. Cameron, a county planning staff member, told the board the planning and zoning division recommended five standard conditions and reminded the board that Houghland Township is governed by Williams County (so no separate township comment was solicited).