The Herald editorial staff has been on a roll with some good positions lately. That’s why I’m sorry to be writing to take exception to the recent editorial “Water testing: La Plata County did the right thing in conducting its own tests on the Animas,” (Sept. 11). In fact, the county’s actions undermined the very institution it represents.

There was an opportunity to instill trust in government. Instead, the county’s actions played into conspiracy theorists’ ludicrous idea that the EPA “did this on purpose” and demonstrated little support of the role of government in protecting public health and the environment. An unregulated mining industry is what left this mess in the first place. The private sector is not the panacea when it comes to who you can trust or who is going to do it better.

For the Herald to suggest that it was natural to be suspicious of the EPA’s findings because the agency caused the accident only reinforces, not refutes, distrust of government. To fund independent studies when other organizations were already doing independent testing, and to dismiss the EPA, CDPHE and San Juan Basin Health in fulfilling their public health and environmental protection charters undermines, not supports, our government institutions. That includes La Plata County.

Sure, the county can get reimbursed for these expenses and I hope it does, but the bigger point is that these political times call for leadership that underscores the important role of government in protecting public and environmental health and safety. We need all sectors, especially the EPA, to come together to marshal resources for whatever comes next. Most of all, we need trust.

Maybe the testing restored trust for the conspiracy theorists, but I doubt it. Why are we using public resources to placate this thinking anyway? We should be using limited public funds to coordinate, not duplicate, efforts with other partners to address numerous other needs that require attention and investment. Big problems require big resources and multiparty solutions. Government, and the not-for-profit and private sector, is central to our success.

Ellen Stein

Durango