One of my fondest memories as a kid in the 60s and 70s was packing into my Dad's 2 door, 2 tone, '55 Chevy Belaire and driving through the Colorado mountains.
At first we'd look at the scenery, go to a museum, hike up to a waterfall, and stay in a hotel. Soon my parents bought an Apache solid side camper and they'd attach that to the Chevy and off we'd go. Now in addition to everything else, we'd fish too.
One of the things I'd see as I gazed at the tall mountains was the old buildings perched on a hill indicating a mine once hummed along there. And along with those buildings were the mine tailings. Mine waste that turns streams acid.
Many times we'd go to the same places, especially to fish. Rarely would you hear my sister and I sigh in protest, "we've been here before." Or beg my Mom and Dad to take us somewhere else.
There were always mine tailings; sand, peddles, rocks, streaks of orange, white, black and brown cascaded from them down to the valley and often the stream below. The rocks in those streams were stained the same colors. The colors of acid, of poison.
(from USGS)
(from USGS)
I asked many questions. Joined my schools environmental clubs, and when Environmental Science was first offered by my junior high taught by one of my favorite teachers, Kenneth Lane, I took it.
We learned about the damage unregulated mining could do (still does), learned about the poisons in the tailings.
I just finished watching Gasland on HBO about an hour ago.
Well water is being contaminated with poisons from the hydro-fracking process and from the natural gas itself. Thousands of people are currently being affected and millions more in New York City, etc. could be.
Energy companies hydrofracking are exempt from the Clean Water and Clean Air acts and a host of others, thanks to George Bush, the Republicans and specifically, Dick Cheney.
I remember all that Mr. Lane, Mr. Wuth, Mr. Muntz and Mr. Crookham taught me in clubs and classes. It's Deja vu
We've been here before.
In 1978 Love Canal exploded on the national news.
Hooker Chemical had stored drums of chemical waste below the ground. While the wikipedia article is in dispute as to it's neutrality, the drums containing the toxic waste would have corroded anyway and the chemicals would have seeped into the ground water.
Residents, men, women and children, contracted asthma, leukemia, birth defects, epilepsy, urinary tract infection, miscarriages and cancers higher than the national average and chromosomal damage too.
We've been here before.
In 1991 we moved to Massachusetts, I once took a ride from Northampton to Williamsburg, MA, some 8 miles away. Along the route we took ran us by a stream. Along a section of that stream where everything was stained orange, it looked dead. Dead as the day the now abandoned factory further up dumped chemicals into it.
We've been here before.
Dailykos has had countless dairies over the years about Mountain Top Removal, a practice of mining coal quickly and the most environmentally devastating way possible.
Local wells have been fouled due to the dumping of the mine waste, filling up valleys. The waste is leaching into the soil and poisoning the water.
Even with the brakes applied to MTR, the water is still poisoned. It hasn't been cleaned up yet.
We have been here before.
We're killing our literal life blood. It is so important that in the 1800s and early 1900s wars were fought over water in the western US.
Historically communities were founded were there was water.
Also historically a way to kill your enemy was to poison their water. After 9-11 everyone became concerned with the nations water supply. Was it safe from terrorists?
Maybe we should have been asking "it's it safe from George Bush and Dick Cheney?"
Our EPA is still on crutches since the Bush administration cut it's legs out from underneath it.
We are going to have water shortages, we are having them now.
We have been here before. . .
and we can't turn the '55 Chevy around and go some place else.
.
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*****
Updated to add:
When this diary was rescued it prompted me to look up the teachers mentioned in this dairy. I wanted them to know the lessons they taught me have stayed with me and meant a lot.
In so doing I have discovered that Geoff Muntz died March 3, 2006 of multiple myeloma, he was 57.
It saddens me more than I can say. He and Mr. (Alan) Wuth published a book in 1983 entitled, "A path through time: A guide to the Platte River Greenway." I may be back here to post the passing of another one of those fine group of teachers.
To Mr. Muntz, thank you.