Editor:I was born and raised in Michigan, but have migrated south to the farms and flatlands of Ohio. It does not take a wizard to look around that state and see that it is somewhat lacking in the kinds of environmental treasures that make Michigan the great state that it is.
Unfortunately, it seems that with the return of the robber barons to power in Washington, Michigan has jumped on the bandwagon and is doing everything possible to prostitute itself in the rush for easy money in the energy business.
Case in point: On a recent trip to the Atlanta area, I could not help but notice the proliferation of activity by the oil and gas industry. It was readily apparent that these folks were working real hard at turning the local landscape into a pincushion with their gas wells. And it's not just the disruption of the drilling process that is so offensive.
Have you ever had the pleasure of being near one of the wells that has a compressor going at full tilt? I use the term "pleasure" in jest, because it would be less painful to stand directly in front of an engine on the Concorde.Gas wells will come and go and so will the income they produce. On the other hand, the environmental damage caused by this activity will be around for a long time. I find it hard to believe that vacationers like me are going to be drawn to an area that has been turned into a moonscape by energy industry.
Hey, the message is simple: We do not own the land. We merely hold it in trust for future generations. How good are you going to feel telling your grandkids that you were around while the beautiful land of Michigan was ravaged and, great citizen that you are, you just stood by and did nothing to prevent it?
Don't sell out the future for a few quick bucks. Look at the big picture and do what you can to tell the energy industry that we are bored by their same old drill, that we are well aware of their lousy environmental record and that we are going to do our bit to save the land and our future.
Yours truly,
Jim Ottarson
Elida, Ohio