Energy is everywhere. It’s in the electronics we use, the vehicles we drive, the things we eat, and even the clothes we wear.
Even though energy is essential to our livelihoods, there exists a disconnect between how energy is used and where it originates. Although we may have a conception of how energy is created, we have little to no knowledge of where our energy comes from. The unfortunate part is that we cannot really know where our energy comes from unless it is directly from local renewable sources.
Energy is produced somewhere, conglomerated into an abstract grid, bought by regional energy companies/co-ops, and is finally used by residents. We think of energy production as being somehow removed from us–- as this faraway thing we don’t have to think about. However, energy production and its effects hit much closer to home.
The somewhat recent removal of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments in southeastern Utah from the public to private domain has caused a lot of outrage. Regardless of the legality of President Trump’s actions, the motives remain the same. The interest in oil and gas exploration by corporations was central to the decision to remove over 85 percent of land reserved for Bears Ears and over 47 percent for Grand Staircase Escalante.
Energy exploration and development has been predominately focused on culturally significant Native lands and has had devastating impacts on the environment and people’s wellbeing.
Our energy comes from sacred lands. Please use it wisely.
Amaya McKenna
Durango
