U.S. Silica Receives Certificate of Inclusion into the Texas Conservation Plan

FREDERICK, Md., Oct. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA) today announced the Company has received a Certificate of Inclusion into the Texas Conservation Plan (TCP) for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (DSL). This move preserves important DSL habitat and also helps assure the company's future operations in the area.

The Certificate of Inclusion (CI) for the Company's Crane County frac sand mine was issued by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, demonstrating that U.S. Silica is voluntarily and proactively taking steps to protect the DSL, which is indigenous to parts of New Mexico and Texas.

"For more than 100 years, U.S. Silica has operated as a sound, responsible steward of the land. Joining the TCP affirms our commitment to protect Texas' wildlife and landscape while providing assurances that our Crane County operations will be able to meet the needs of our customers," said Bryan Shinn, president and chief executive officer. 

In June, the company announced the construction of a new, state-of-the-art frac sand mine and plant in Crane County to serve the rapidly-growing Permian Basin. The four million ton-per-year facility is expected to be online by the end of this year. The Permian Basin represents 40 percent of all frac sand demand in the United States.

U.S. Silica's approach in West Texas is to both avoid and minimize impacts to sensitive DSL habitat. Under this CI, the company will not mine in DSL habitat or buffer and has also agreed to fund DSL habitat research.

In 2012, Texas stakeholders, including the Oil and Gas industry, created the voluntary plan to protect DSL habitat while facilitating continued and uninterrupted economic activity in the Permian Basin. The TCP is cited as a key factor in U.S. Fish and Wildlife's decision not to list the DSL as federally-endangered.

About U.S. Silica

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc., a member of the Russell 2000, is a leading producer of commercial silica used in the oil and gas industry, and in a wide range of industrial applications. Over its 117-year history, U.S. Silica has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver over 260 products to customers across our end markets. The Company currently operates nine industrial sand production plants and eight oil and gas sand production plants. The Company is headquartered in Frederick, Maryland and also has offices located in Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas.

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.
Michael Lawson
Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
301-682-0304
lawsonm@ussilica.com

Nick Shaver
Investor Relations Manager
281-394-9630
shavern@ussilica.com   

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SOURCE U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.