Tuesday, September 13, 2005

The Same But Different

The Albuquerque Journal's editorial this morning on Heather Wilson's protective attitude towards saving the Valle Vidal was confusing at best. I am glad Heather wants to protect that heavenly piece of northern New Mexico. She needs to after signing on with bush to make a joke out of most of this nation's environmental laws over the last five years. This Valle Vidal position of hers is good, but she has a long way to go.

The Journal Editorial says that the Valle Vidal should not be compared to the proposed Otero Mesa Wilderness protections that many New Mexicans feel should be enacted. They are right in that, but only so far as the ecosystems of each of those pristine areas are concerned. They are certainly different but they should both be protected. Yes, one is more beautiful than the other because it has trees and lakes and water.
However, Otero Mesa's Chihuahuan grasslands are just as important for the species it harbors.

I think the real difference in these two New Mexico Landscapes is that big contributions to our Republican congressional delegation comes from Yates Petroleum. They are the ones who want to drill the hell out of Otero Mesa.

The Journal's environmental editorials lately have been consistently pretty good. This one is not.

No comments: