For more than 50 years, a mine has been operating in the northern Brazos Valley east of Kosse.
U.S. Silica has owned the sand mine since 1987. But the mine goes back to 1964 and its roots have been traced to the area’s first settlers.
On Tuesday, there was a dedication of an $8 million dollar investment to increase production for at least the next 30 years.
That includes a state of the art sand dryer system that will increase production from 50 tons per hour to 120.
There is also a new silo that is capable of holding 3,000 tons of sand.
U.S. Silica also upgraded several employee positions, providing a higher level of training and opportunities for advancement.
Vice president for investor relations Mike Lawson says major customers are oil producers in the Eagle Ford Basin in south Texas and the Permian Basin in west Texas.
Lawson says the improvements at the Kosse mine follows the opening of a new mine and plant in Crane County in west Texas and a new plant in Lamesa, south of Lubbock.
Click below for comments from Mike Lawson, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.