A truck hauls coal from the Colowyo mine in Craig. The mine faces a federal court ruling that could close it. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)
Re: “Moffat County facing fate of the changing West,” June 28 news story.
You can’t help but feel small and insignificant in the face of the regulatory and legal onslaught outlined in your article. Residents of Craig are at fault for nothing more than making a quiet living for themselves. But according to WildEarth Guardians, “There are a lot of chickens that have come home to roost in Craig!”
Colorado’s economy is weighted heavily towards energy and agriculture. Itap a harbinger for what the rest of the state can expect should the Colowyo coal mine close and the sage-grouse listing impact everyone the way residents fear. States and local communities simply can’t fight back against overlapping layers of federal regulation, punctuated with activist lawsuits.
If only federal officials and activist lawyers were as concerned with that as the rest of us are.
Shawn C. Martini, Lakewood
This letter was published in the July 6 edition.Your article highlighted the impacts federal policies have on rural areas that tend to be overlooked. As a landowner and farmer in the San Luis Valley, I know our economy is still largely reliant on natural resources like mining and agriculture. What happens in Moffat County will affect everyone in the state. Groups like WildEarth Guardians have no regard for the lost jobs, increased prices and pure destruction of the local economy that their actions cause.
Those of us who make our living from Colorado’s natural resources love our state. We manage our operations in ways that help preserve the land and water, support Colorado’s economy, and employ our neighbors.
Sheldon Rockey, Center
This letter was published in the July 6 edition.
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