This article was originally published by TheStreet on September 2, 2014.
By Sarfaraz A. Khan
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- U.S. Silica (SLCA) makes sand, a commodity which you might think is abundantly available virtually everywhere -- but this is not just any sand. This company is the biggest local producer of commercial silica sand, a special type used in drilling for shale oil and gas.
Silica sand, which is already in short supply, is used by energy companies as a cheaper alternative to expensive ceramics such as those produced by CARBO Ceramics (CRR) . Other companies such as Emerge Energy Services (EMES) and Hi-Crush Partners (HCLP) are also producing this sand.
