Discussing oil and gas as an important economic security and not discussing the importance of clean water as a life security is disturbing. It’s important also to mention that while we are experiencing a category D3 drought, allowing oil and gas companies to drill in the Mancos/Hesperus valley is being considered. It takes 7 million gallons of water to build one well, plus lots more during production. There’s a land and water grab going on here under the disguise of pleading scarcity.

With $331 million profited daily within the first quarter of 2013 by oil and gas, is it really intelligent to be selling out our life-giving resources, while blindly falling into their trap of dependence on oil and gas big money as our source of revenue?

As news continues reporting the serious toxicity around the effects of oil and gas drilling more people may not want to risk visiting or even living here. The public is beginning to understand more clearly the consequences of drilling, and the corruption that comes with it. They are buying less into the propaganda about its safety and becoming rightfully concerned about long-term health for their families. Banking on oil and gas will temporarily provide money, but the trade off will be their profit for our beautiful land, water, air, visitors, those relocating and health.

Also, more domestic oil production will not lower gas prices, which have risen 15 cents a gallon in the past week. We need to focus more on protecting our water, land and health, and stop believing the manipulation that to give carte blanche to oil and gas drilling will lower our fuel prices. It’s already been proven to be the lie we must stop believing.

Our commissioners could stand reading the March 2013 issue of National Geographic which focuses on the oil and gas industries and the very agenda they are attempting to shoehorn into this area.

It will be too late if we wait to see what happens when there are those who have gone before who can tell us the dirty truth.

Sheila Wheeler

Dolores