Dear Editor,
What comes to mind when you think of Denver or Salt Lake City? Many think of shopping, traffic or sporting events. Lately, it’s difficult not to think about the air quality. Regardless of your political party affiliation, one thing Wyomingites can agree upon is their love for the big blue skies and wide-open spaces for recreational use. Many of us tune into local news stations from the Salt Lake and Denver areas, and air quality seems to be one of the headlines each day. On beautiful summer fishing days or fall hunting days people in Denver and Salt Lake are confined to the indoors because of this issue. It confuses and saddens me that Wyoming voters decided to put a congressional candidate into office who is not an advocate for the issues of public land use and air quality control.
These issues should transcend politics and political party in our state. Instead, a congresswoman was elected who is an advocate for privatization of our public lands and does not believe in air quality health standards. To set the record straight, I am not a “greenie or tree hugger” nor am I anti-coal/mineral industry, but I do believe balances must remain in place to preserve our pristine Wyoming environment. Our newly elected congresswoman stated that she would like to repeal clean air acts for the state, which encompass carbon and mercury. Sportsmen have been aware for sometime that mercury has impacted much of Wyoming’s fishing, making consumption of their catch dangerous due to the mercury levels rising in the water already, as a result from air contamination. Why would we continue to subject our wildlife, let alone ourselves to these toxins? It is my hope that the coal and other mineral industries in our state flourish; and that all Wyomingites will keep in mind that air quality regulations provided by agencies are not to punish the industry or “go to war” with these industries, but to keep Wyoming’s skies blue, our water clean, and our wildlife and ourselves healthy.
I personally don’t want to have to check the air quality report before stepping outside to enjoy our public lands—that is, before our congresswoman sells them to the highest private bidder.
Nicholas Marocki Hastert
Green River
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