Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:
I am writing in regards to Jamie Walker’s comments about the pipeline, specifically:
“I’ve drank probably out of every creek in this county at some point in time. Ain’t none of it killed me yet. I’ve watched the trees grow. But ain’t none of that put one single dollar in my pocket.”
The fact that the water here is clean enough for you to drink is exactly the point Mr. Walker. How many places in this country do you think can still say that today? That is something to be proud of and to work towards preserving. Not to take advantage of. Not to sell out. I invite you to go to one of the rivers in our great state that has recently had a pipeline explode and leak upstream. Would you want to drink out of that river? There have been so many leaks and spills into our waterways lately we need to preserve our headwaters. Our drinking water. Our fishing holes. Our future.
And as for your last statement, I thought you were a commissioner to do the best for our county. Not put money in your pocket.
Very disappointing.
Lindsey Hayes
Durbin

Dear Editor:
In 2012, several organizations in this county came together to ask the county commission to take a stand against fracking. The commission was on the verge of doing so, but meetings at the courthouse made it clear that the citizens of this county were divided on the issue of whether industrial development was an appropriate direction for the future of this county to take.  With the citizenry and the commissioners themselves divided on the issue, the commission declined to take a stand one way or another. 
Now we have three commissioners who all favor the industrialization of our county, but the people are still deeply divided.   At this point, an appropriate action on part of the commission might be to poll the citizens to understand the level of support  and opposition for the proposed pipeline project before taking any action. Also appropriate might be to recognize the divide, and do nothing, as the first commission did.  Instead, our commission, knowing there is deep dissent, presumes to speak on behalf of all of us and issue a letter of support for the pipeline. Voters in this county, remember this in the next election; even if this isn’t an issue you care about, next time it might be.  
Elected officials should at least respect democracy, don’t you think so? 
Carla Beaudet
Green Bank