Huerfano County is worried about Fracking and the works of Shell Oil. The Guardian had a really good article on it here. I see this as such a double edged sword. Here we are in a depression cycle and yet this is a possibility for work or income. Yet again, it could destroy the very area we love and adore.
Which to choose? Or, is there a choice? Hard to tell with all the people debating it and Shell rolling in with their seismic equipment. Yes, we have coal and methane in the area. We have methane boiling to the surface and leaving dead zones in some areas of the county. No one says anything about those, as they are byproducts of the mines. “Old news” so to speak. Yet they damage our lands, our lives. Shell and fracking though is a much more visible danger. It’s a current danger. A new one. So, while we don’t care about the methane pouring into the air and the small dead zones we have right now, we are worrying about new ones. It’s an odd disconnect.
Oh, and we can’t forget that while we vilify the men from Shell, they are here spending money in our town at hotels, shops, fast food places, etc. They are actually helping our economy at the moment. Weird. Like snakes with shoes. Or, is that what we will get if they do their fracking? Hm… Sounds like we are damned if we do and if we don’t. As a small community that depends on tourism for a large part of our income, we have some very difficult choices to make.