Corporations lead fracking movement
Dear Editor:
Regarding the Thompson Divide community meeting, first I would like to thank everyone involved, especially George Newman, for putting on such a great event. It brought the whole Roaring Fork community together in a show of support against the compromising of one of the nation’s foremost wilderness areas by multinational fossil-fuel corporations.
The community was not only solidly against the destruction of our pristine environment but also in support of curbing the nationwide and worldwide destruction of the environment by these same companies. Almost everyone present was against fracking in Thompson Divide. There were two dominant reasons for this: No one wants fracking in their backyard because of its harmful effects on air quality, water resources and local businesses, and second, in this instance, we are truly talking about a unique, pristine environment.
There was also a very significant group that was against fracking in general because of its horrible effects on air, water and the ecosystems of the world in general. There were many, many speakers, and the atmosphere was overwhelmingly opposed to fracking – especially in Thompson Divide.
There was only one problem: We were “preaching to the choir.” Sure, we were in agreement; sure, we registered our opinion, but to whom? There were representatives from government agencies (the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service) and local, state and national political figures (or their representatives) – but who controls their decisions? The political contributions of the multinational corporations that must, legally, perform to enhance the bottom line for their shareholders. This means fracking and the further exploitation of our environment. We might stop them in this one instance (and we might not), but to get to the root of the problem, we must overturn the Citizens United ruling: Corporations are not people, and money is not speech!
Join in the fight to overturn this ruling by joining the Move to Amend movement, which is desperately trying to bring back real democracy to our country. That is the only way to save the environment and bring back some semblance of equality to our country.
Robert Bogner
Carbondale
Genstar’s Jean-Pierre Conte sued in Aspen by ex-girlfriend Hillary Thomas
The former girlfriend of Jean-Pierre Conte, the chairman and managing director of the private equity firm Genstar Capital, filed suit Thursday in Aspen claiming that Conte committed assault, battery, and violated the terms of a 2021 separation agreement. Hillary Thomas claims in her lawsuit that during her more than nine years with Conte, she helped parent his four children and her two children “whom they raised in a blended family.”
