To the Editor:
The April 2 issue of this newspaper featured on page one, a cock-a-mammy scheme to reduce Carroll County to a no-man’s land by mining a three and one-half foot thick lode of coal approximately 350 feet under the surface in a room-and-pillar method. Such method is touted as “advantageous”. For whom? Certainly not county residents. It was mentioned this type of mining will damage water springs, water wells, oil and gas wells besides creating huge sinkholes throughout the county in a hundred years or so.
When questioned as to who will pay for all this damage, the answer was: “the residents will!” What? They are going to create all this damage and we have to pay for it? Over my dead body! You will see Carroll County looking like a monstrous waffle with huge sinkholes everywhere, houses atilt (if not sunk down three feet or more) and your water damaged or cut off. Who knows what other damages lurk ahead? Can you imagine trying to live in a tilted house with no water and no heat, historical properties lost, the courthouse in a huge sinkhole, damage to the McCook House and other treasures. Can you imagine a farmer trying to till his fields with sinkholes all over his land? He will be forced to leave, which is probably what the mining companies want. Who will pay the taxes on all these sinkholes?
God endowed us with brains to think and He also gave us domain over the earth as “Stewards of the Land,” not just in our lifetimes, but for eternity. Are we being good stewards by selling our land and/or mining rights to these companies who obviously do not have our welfare at stake, nor those of our future heirs or assignees?
Project yourself into the future: would you want to live under these conditions? These companies will become billionaires and you will become a pauper and our heirs will be shackled with tremendous debt. It is impossible to insure such a mess 100 to 500 years into the future.
Wake up countians! Unite! Don’t sell your land or mining right for any amount of their worthless dollars. Wake up! This proposal involves everyone in the county and should be brought before the people as a referendum to decide. The time has come to N.I “X” = Not in Carroll County and keep our county pristine as it is now and for the future.
What is going to happen to all the biota when the soil compacts and the forests die and scrub takes over and has been shown in many areas east of us?
The May 13 issue of the Sugarcreek Budget has compelling article about sinkholes and a stunning picture of a house literally being torn apart. The owners had to abandon the house because the cost of repairing it would have been very costly and more than the original cost of building. The house was rendered unlivable.
God challenges us to quash this proposal.
Arnold Savage
Carrollton, OH
<<Back>> |
