Posted 7 months, 6 days ago in 
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I, and everyone I know, is sick and tired of the whiners and belly-achers that spout on about, “Not in my back yard,” “I’m here, now close the gates,” “I moved here because I liked what I saw; then all these other people moved here and changed the setting entirely,” “Don’t allow that new subdivision across from me; it will change the rural flavor of my view.”
Just a couple points about this kind of self-centered philosophy.
My cousin and I used to take our 22s out on the dirt hills along F Road to plink a few cans. Then all you people moved here and changed our entire life style.
We have fine examples of environmental stewardship from the energy companies in western Colorado, but the gripers won’t be satisfied until we drive them all out. Never mind that hundreds of young couples have improved their lifestyle and are now able to send their kids to college. And the God-forsaken country where most energy exploration and retrieval takes place, looks very productive in its temporary state of “disturbance.”
When they put it all to bed after the well runs dry, the land will be better than before. Instead of two mice per section, the carrying capacity will improve to two jackrabbits, one cottontail and three mice. If you don’t like what you see along the I-70 corridor, I suggest you either quit driving there or move. Believe me, you’d never be missed.
J. R. THOMPSON
Grand Junction
2 Responses to “Growth and development is happening: love it or leave it”
Posted March 5th, 2008 at 6:46 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
There may be people locally who don’t want any energy extraction activity at all but I sure don’t know any and I know a lot of “environmentalists”. The issues are the space between drilling activity and peoples homes, making sure that our watersheds are adequately protected from pollution and coming up with baseline air quality standards that are monitored and enforced. All of these things can be done without ruling out gas drilling. It’s a matter of ensuring that the energy companies pay close attention to being good citizens. They have proven elsewhere in many cases that when there are minimal standards and concern for the environment short cuts will be taken that are costly to governments–you and I– to mitigate. It is our community and we are not out of line to try to protect it from greed and carelessness.
Posted March 5th, 2008 at 5:56 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Good point John about the air quality, standards and monitoring. How do we get that? We haven’t had the ability to monitor the components of the air other than Carbon monoxide and dust. What about the nitrous oxide, VOC’s, the same things they look for on the east slope.
With evaporation ponds to be placed up wind of us and under the inversion, what will be in that air? They have ozone in Pinedale Wy from drilling activity even during the winter and they don’t have the same environment as we do to trap the same stuff from the same activity.
Is this something our County Commisioner Craig Meis with his background could answer?
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