October 08, 2009 - 10:13 am
By Aravis Kurtiz
Mora County has a long history of agriculture and farming—and was once known as the “breadbasket” of Northern New Mexico. Mora County has abundant wildlife, a clean water supply, a functioning acequia system, and a uniquely pristine environment. This sustainable way of life may soon crumble under industry's footsteps. Recently there has been an interest in drilling for natural gas in Mora Co...
Drilling Mora County is a growing group of citizens concerned about the proposed drilling in Mora County. Our mission is “To protect and preserve the water, land, air, health, and culture, of Northern New Mexico by educating people about the adverse impacts of oil and gas exploration and production within our region.” We hold public meetings in Mora at Tapetas De Lana at 6:30 P.M on the second Thursday of every month and at the Ocate Community center in Ocate at 6:30 P.M on the fourth Thursday of every month. The public is welcome to attend. On August 20th, we were featured on Cultural Energy's show airing on KTAO, which can be accessed in their website archives (http://www.culturalenergy.org/listenlinks.htm).
The oil and gas industry came to Mora County offering wealth in tax contributions and questionable mineral leases in exchange for a degraded water supply, damaged environment, and a multitude of health risks. While we may not be a monetarily wealthy community, we are rich in our water, health, wildlife, and clean environment.
continued..........
