ROCHESTER — Gov. Mark Dayton said he does not support a statewide moratorium on silica sand mining for now, but he backs tougher regulations.

Dayton said that he wouldn’t hesitate to call for a moratorium if the industry starts to spiral out of control. But he says he doesn’t think Minnesota has reached that point.

The governor also praised officials in the southeastern city of St. Charles for their recent decision not to move ahead with a major silica sand project.

Silica sand mining has been a hot topic at the Capitol this session. The round grains of pure silica sand under parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin are in demand from oil and gas drilling companies that use it for hydraulic fracturing.