Hope legislators make right choices

Editor,

We the people, concerned citizens of the High Country Peace and Justice Group, extend the following thoughts to all of our elected representatives.

Representatives, we thank you for taking time out of your lives to attempt to represent the voters. Hopefully, you each are concerned about actually being a representative for all.

Our vision of the future includes more sources of sustainable energy such as wind power and solar power.

We are alarmed that the environmental laws already on the books are being ignored to provide the way for more mercury-emitting coal burning plants.

In our neck of the woods, the Flathead and Lower Clark Fork drainages and the Mission Valley, the Department of Environmental Quality seems to be ignoring their own rules concerning a coal-burning power plant in Thompson Falls called Co-Gen.

The DEQ seems to be allowing Co-Gen to proceed without first paying past fines for pollution, relaxing the rules and agreements under which the Co-Gen plant was permitted, and generally ignoring the threat mercury emissions pose to those of us downwind and downstream.

We feel that clean water and air are more important in the long run than the profits made from sending this power out of state. Montana generates almost twice as much electricity as it needs and exports the surplus. Why shouldn't the places that need more power generate it themselves?

As tourism continues to grow in importance to the state of Montana, we wonder if this segment of our economy will be adversely affected by poor air quality and fish that anglers shouldn't eat because of mercury contamination. The Clark Fork, already stained by mining runoff from as far away as Butte, doesn't need any more toxic heavy metals.

Since we already meet our energy needs, why compromise our health and the cleanliness of our environment? Please make the right choices for us all.

Jeff Morrow, et al

High Country Peace and Justice Group

Hot Springs