Our View: Whose land is it anyway?

This newspaper has not taken a position on fracking. We are aware that new sources of natural gas have resulted from the process. That has helped our nation in pursuit of the goal of energy independence. It has also helped keep downward pressure on the cost of energy, and has had a positive effect on air pollution because natural gas burns cleaner than coal. But we have also listened to the fears raised by concerned residents. In our opinion, those concerns have not been adequately addressed.

But having the meeting 11 months after the initial protests leads us to think the government simply wanted the issue to go away. The time and place for the meeting appears to be planned in the hope that people will stay away.

The government needs to remember that federal lands belong to the people — not just to the politicians and agencies that manage them.   

You've got to be kidding.  They are referred to as Forest Service lands, BLM lands, Park Service lands, etc. and not People lands for a good reason.  The only real say people have over these lands is through the politicians they elect and the resulting appointments.

The people have a right to know how their land is used, and to express their opinions about how it is used.

If it was "their land" they would already know how it was used and they would be making decisions on  its use, not just offering their "opinions."

On your conclusion we agree:

The people deserve better.

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