Northern White Sand terminated a lease with a LaSalle County barge loading facility along the Illinois River.
The company shuttered its Utica mine in March of last year and wanted to renegotiate the lease, citing a struggling business climate. However, the County held them to the original terms, which would have required a payment of at least $90,000. Board Member Tom Walsh says the effects on the County are limited.
"The only change is going to be that the County won’t receive the funds that we would have in relationship to the lease, but they’re still in operation," he said.
Walsh noted Northern White Sand still has infrastructure throughout the County.
“They have a sand pit here in LaSalle County, and they have a processing system that they’re working on to a loading facility on Route 6 where they can load trucks," he said, "and they have other connections down in Peru for rail shipment."
The company hasn't said if it will reopen its Utica mine.