RED WING — Goodhue County is extending its moratorium on silica sand mining by 180 days, rejecting a one-year extension sought by mine opponents.

Board members listened to about two hours of testimony Tuesday before deciding on the compromise.

Windsor Permian bought 155 acres of land near Red Wing in 2011. The land includes sand that’s used in the hydraulic fracturing process, or fracking, in which natural gas and oil are extracted from deep within the earth.

Many counties in southeastern Minnesota are dealing with the silica sand mining issue. Concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of sand mining.