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Support Thompson Divide Coalition

Dear Editor:

As a resident of the Aspen area, I support the work the Thompson Divide Coalition (TDC) is presently doing to protect Aspen and Pitkin County from oil and gas development in the Thompson Divide area. Aspen and surrounding areas will be negatively affected both directly and indirectly by oil and gas encroachment.

The Forest Service maintains a monitoring station on Aspen Mountain and it is currently showing a degradation of our air quality from increase development pressures on the valley. This will only worsen with the influx of oil and gas development in such close proximity to our small community that values clean air. Most of Aspen’s weather arrives from the west and Aspen will become the dumping ground for the air pollution caused by the wells.



The gas industry uses a technique called “fracking,” which is currently exempt from federal regulation and uses millions of gallons of water brewed with toxic chemicals to unleash natural gas thousands of feet below the earth’s surface. The toxins are then released back into our water system and have been identified to cause serious health issue for residents and livestock living near the wells and severely damage the ecosystems in the rivers and streams. The Roaring Fork Valley will be subject to the deprivation of the watershed, which could potential be very costly for Aspen residents in the cleanup efforts from the damage caused by the poisonous toxins.

I encourage you to support the efforts of the TDC in their fight to protect Aspen’s clean air and water. Take action – sign the petition, contact your local official or donate at http://www.savethompsondivide.org.




Ruthie Brown

Aspen