I think there is a Hunt Talker who is living this problem in his everyday life of trying to make a living on the land.
montanafreepress.org
Bad deal for the ranchers and farmers whose water quality has been damaged. I am sure they would like to say, "Told you so." as many of them voiced these concerns in the 1970s-1990s when these permits were issued.
As the one farmer says, it is almost as if eastern Montana is "expendable." History says he's correct, which is BS. Yet, when you have a small handful of ranchers and farmers bearing the brunt of huge industry activity, the consolidation of political power towards the "economic progress" surely makes his statement valid.
And yet this morning, we read that the BLM is going to reduce reclamation/cleanup bonding of oil and gas wells by 95%, as if in these times of inflation the cost of remediation has somehow went down 95%. And with that, another local, likely a rancher or farmer or a small community water supply, will see water quality issues arise a generation from now and nobody will be there to help them, further solidifying the idea that these local producers are "expendable."
Pisses me off. We know this shit is happening. We know there are consequences for our insatiable energy demands. Yet, we refuse to pay the true costs. Instead, by lowering standards, reducing bonding, reducing royalty rates, we just hand the problem off to the younger generations. I guess that should come as no surprise from a country that refuses to tax its citizens commensurate with the government services those citizens demand, and just borrows more money to burden future generations.
In southeast Montana, a history of coal mining haunts farmers and ranchers
In southeast Montana, ‘salt flats are getting bigger,’ wreaking havoc on crops, fisheries and rural livelihoods.
montanafreepress.org
Bad deal for the ranchers and farmers whose water quality has been damaged. I am sure they would like to say, "Told you so." as many of them voiced these concerns in the 1970s-1990s when these permits were issued.
As the one farmer says, it is almost as if eastern Montana is "expendable." History says he's correct, which is BS. Yet, when you have a small handful of ranchers and farmers bearing the brunt of huge industry activity, the consolidation of political power towards the "economic progress" surely makes his statement valid.
And yet this morning, we read that the BLM is going to reduce reclamation/cleanup bonding of oil and gas wells by 95%, as if in these times of inflation the cost of remediation has somehow went down 95%. And with that, another local, likely a rancher or farmer or a small community water supply, will see water quality issues arise a generation from now and nobody will be there to help them, further solidifying the idea that these local producers are "expendable."
Pisses me off. We know this shit is happening. We know there are consequences for our insatiable energy demands. Yet, we refuse to pay the true costs. Instead, by lowering standards, reducing bonding, reducing royalty rates, we just hand the problem off to the younger generations. I guess that should come as no surprise from a country that refuses to tax its citizens commensurate with the government services those citizens demand, and just borrows more money to burden future generations.
