Carefully study proposed leases...
Aug 30, 2012 | 1132 views | 0 0 comments | 15 15 recommendations | email to a friend | print
I would like to respond to Paula Bertwell’s letter from last week, which was in support of approving new oil and gas leases near Moab.

First of all, the phrase, “The oil companies have regulations and safety procedures to follow. They are not going to jeopardize Moab or the water...” is laughably naïve. The potential effects of hydraulic fracking on ground water are real and well documented.

By now, most of us have seen the clips shown on many national news outlets of people lighting their tap water on fire. Do we know these wells would produce that result? No. But isn’t it reasonable to study the potential effects before we allow drilling within the boundaries of Moab’s aquifer?

Ms. Bertwell’s letter came across to me more like a personal attack than a well-informed opinion. She criticizes Kiley Miller’s letter from the week prior, and anyone who may be alarmed, emotional or overreacting to the threat of oil and gas drilling, by saying, basically, if you don’t like it then leave. I feel like I’ve been running into this attitude a lot in Moab lately. Something along the lines of, “I’m more local than you, so shut up.”

I’ve only lived here for 18 years and I come and go a lot, so I’m not sure if I’m entitled to this opinion, but I think these oil and gas leases should be looked at very carefully. Certainly, they should not be fast-tracked. The BLM is establishing a comment period from late September to late October, and you are free to comment, whether your family has been here one year or a hundred.

Some oil and gas development in the area is obviously a fact of life, but not all drill sites are created equal. If they fall within the Moab and Spanish Valley drinking watershed, they may pose a threat to our most precious resource.

Please ask the BLM to do a full environmental impact statement and allow plenty of time in the process before we allow an irreversible mistake.

–Mike Bassett

Moab
Share This Article |

Copyright 2013 The Times-Independent. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

report abuse...

Express yourself:

We're glad to give readers a forum to express their points of view on issues important to this community. That forum is the “Letters to the Editor.” Letters to the editor may be submitted directly to The Times-Independent through this link and will be published in the print edition of the newspaper. All letters must be the original work of the letter writer – form letters will not be accepted. All letters must include the actual first and last name of the letter writer, the writer’s address, city and state and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Letters may not exceed 400 words in length, must be regarding issues of general interest to the community, and may not include personal attacks, offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or attacks on personal or religious beliefs. Letters should focus on a single issue. Letters that proselytize or focus on theological debates will not be published. During political campaigns, The Times-Independent will not publish letters supporting or opposing any local candidate. Thank you letters are generally not accepted for publication unless the letter has a public purpose. Thank you letters dealing with private matters that compliment or complain about a business or individual will not be published. Nor will letters listing the names of individuals and/or businesses that supported a cause or event. Thank you letters about good Samaritan acts will be considered at the discretion of the newspaper.