SandBoxBlogs: Citizen Telegram "Time to take stock"

A special thank you goes out to Mike McKibbin down on the Citizen Telegram.

Why?

For taking a look around at his beloved City of Rifle, Colorado and with near effortless (appearing as effortless) ease, restoring that lost voice of the folks, The Citizen Telegram.

Finally, we all have at least a chance at hearing the news in  Garfield County.  Facts, details and diverse voices rather than just the voice of reporter John Colson covering his version of the county.

McKibbin has taken the reins of editorial and publishing control, with the end result after only a few publications being an entirely new feel to the Telegram. 

Letters to the Editor are coming in, columns are appearing again, data on the lives of folks in the West End and an overall sense that maybe trust in the output could be on the horizon.

Well done.  Today, another 'McKibbin's Sribblin's'.  Down on the Citizen Telegram.

Mike McKibbin:
"Change is constant and never-ending. Sometimes there's good changes,, sometimes bad changes. It's often up to your point of view.

That's how it seems for the natural gas industry over the past decade. Ten years is how long Encana USA has held Energy Expos at the Garfield County Fairgrounds in Rifle. This Saturday's event is a good time to look back at how natural gas development, and our lives, have changed in that time.

I was here during that time, as were a lot of folks. We saw how the changes affected us, our neighbors, perhaps even the air we breathe and water we drink. Definitely in terms of the nice, new buildings, roads and other amenities made possible by either taxes or generous donations from the companies involved.

I must have written hundreds and hundreds of stories about the industry and its impacts on the area and people, especially leading up to the Bureau of Land Management's leasing decision for the Roan Plateau a few years ago. I remember the people who had bought or even built their dream homes out in the country around Rifle, Silt and Parachute. And how many felt violated or even saw their health suffer after huge drilling rigs arrived and big truck after big truck drove up and down in front of their homes. Others welcomed the industry with open arms.

Many people left for what they felt was a better quality of life. That's their right. We all live where we want to live.

I also remember how all the white pickup trucks would line up in Parachute each morning to get on Interstate 70 and the county roads that led them to their next well site. All those trucks equaled a lot of money for a lot of people. A lot of good, beneficial projects many of us will always enjoy.

Just a few facts from Encana you can learn more about at Saturday's Expo...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."