Mail box: Oil and gas needs more regulation, not less

Letters to Editor
May 8, 2008

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I thought the county commissioners were supposed to speak for all of Weld County residents instead of just the oil and gas companies and mineral right owners. Do any of the commissioners own mineral rights? Evidently, there are not enough oil tanks, separators, well heads, pipelines, large trucks and drilling rigs in Weld County.

Get real, commissioners. Weld County is a gold mine to these folks. Do you actually believe jobs are going to disappear because we put some checks in place? That these folks are going to pack up and drill in California or something? The gas and oil fields will be here a long time and aren't going away, unless we squander this resource to the lowest bidder.

By the way, they drove out the wildlife from Weld County long ago by putting their tanks and separators in places that wildlife could have used as habitat. Now these companies are working on frustrating the landowners enough to make them move out, not to mention the loss of farm acreage.

Commissioners, you need to rethink and speak for all of Weld County residents, and recall your letter to the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The oil and gas companies need more regulation, not less. Besides, I would rather pay all my property taxes then let these companies on my land.

Tim Wojahn, La Salle