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Going to twist my County Commissioner's arm!
Commissioner Janak,
I was out in the orchard this evening after the rain. You could almost hear the collective sighs of some very thirsty pecan trees. My father, my family and I spent many long hours over twenty years planting, grafting, pruning, watering and fertilizing our orchard. There is a lot of sweat equity here. In the last several months I've planted Naval orange, lemon, Mexican lime and peach trees to add to the fig, orange and grapefruit trees we planted several years ago. I've also planted Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
As you might have guessed water is of central importance. Without water this place whithers away and dies! Recently the summersible pump finally gave it's last and had to be replaced. As I prepared to pull the pump I realized the entire plumbing assembly had to be replaced also. Three days later and $530.00 poorer I was showering with my well water again. Sweat equity!
Our orchard and various gardens have benefited, over the years from many pickup loads of horse manure hand shoveled and spread in an effort to mulch and use less water and commercial fertilizer. Many pickup loads of leaves and grass clippings picked up on the curb around Victoria have been composted and spread by hand. Lots of sweat equity.
I helped my father build the house I live in and five generations of my family have drank from one or the other of two wells on this place. Yes, Commissioner we have sweat equity in this place.
This place, however, as you know is in danger. An insidious danger of being destroyed by the greed and careless irresponsibility of others. I am only six short miles and down-dip in the Chicot Aquifer from the area in Mission Valley being looked at by uranium miners right now. If exploration alone has already damaged eight neighboring wells in Goliad what will happen when the mining permit is approved?
What happens to me-my sweat equity-when exploration and mining makes my well water undrinkable? In Goliad the first line of defense for the property owners was their county commissioner. In Goliad at least, the Commissioner's Court, to include the individual commissioners, did the right thing! They realized the value of sweat equity!
My Great, Great Aunt Myrtle Davis, on my Mother's side late of Talladega, Alabama was a loud, outspoken woman who always said exactly what was on her mind and so did my Grandfather, Walker Haywood. My Great Grandmother on my Father's side, Mary Dowe was the same way. Trust me, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!
So I'm telling you here and now you're going to have to come down of that safe perch on the fence and decide whether you're going to represent the 99% of rural landowners in your precinct who don't want uranium mining or the 1% who do!
Kevin Janak, you are our first line of defense. This is your precinct! We entrusted it to you! I entrusted it to you when your opponents called me and asked for my support! What are you willing to allow in your precinct? Will you stand by silent while the same thing going on in Goliad happens here?
TCEQ has abandoned the people of this area in favor of permit fees! We still have Ron Paul who'll oppose the EPA Aquifer Exemption. Our Groundwater District, God Bless them, has tested a grid section of wells and proven up our historic water quality, however, we're almost a year into this mess and our Commissioner is still on the fence!
Is there not enough information out there? How about the 100% failure rate of the RailRoad Commission and TCEQ to protect us? TCEQ is about to grant an aquifer exemption basically telling those already damaged that their water was never fit to drink to begin with! That agency is a pollution justification agency for anyone with the money to pay for a permit! All of this has happened and we still don't know where our Commissioner stands! What will County Commissioner Kevin Janak do to protect my sweat equity?
I understand the political grist mill of the Commissioner's Court grinds very slowly and exceedingly fine but I believe the public record, national, state and local provide enough justification for a resolution from the Court to oppose uranium mining in Victoria County.
Perhaps I need to bring some of the brown and yellow water John Caldwell asked the UEC executive to drink so you can decide whether you want your mother drinking it! Your wife? Perhaps, your children? No! I don't want to drink it either! Nor does Mrs. Arnecke or Mr. Klotzman! Nor do the local posters on the Advocate who defend uranium mining! No one wants to drink that water! Well, guess what! I don't want to either! Nor do I want to water my trees with it! Nor would I like to shower in it!
What, Commissioner Janak, will you do to protect my sweat equity! At least the Duderstadt's Commissioner stood up! Where do you stand?
I shall remain:
Wondering,
Kenneth Don Schustereit
1 comments from 1 users
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posted by
GoliadChica
on Jul 8, 2008 at 01:03 PM
I recently read a statement from someone who works for the uranium company who was griping that "10 loudmouthed people" got TCEQ to hold up drilling in Kingsville. Maybe there is hope yet that TCEQ will do the right thing. I'm on the other side of Goliad County but this drilling is still too close for me. Keep fighting the good fight.
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