ST. CHARLES, Minn. — The southeastern Minnesota city of St. Charles has rejected annexation that could have brought frack sand mining to the community and served as a catalyst for similar projects in the region.

The City Council passed a resolution at an overflow meeting Tuesday night that denies all annexation requests from landowners in neighboring St. Charles Township. They are aligned with frack sand developer Minnesota Proppant. The company wanted to be annexed to the city because township officials are against its proposed processing plant and rail depot priced at $55 million to $70 million.

The resolution passed by the St. Charles City Council stated several reasons for denying annexation, including “significant opposition from its citizens,” and environmental concerns, among other things.