SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Your Letters "Gas association questions CMC's compressor position"

What and how Marianne Ackerman, associates and others launched as the 'Great CMC Compressor Station Scandal' was  outrageous behavior.  Below the belt, uncalled for and an embarrassment to us all.

It was disappointing and disheartening to watch our CMC Trustees cave to that kind of display and pressure.  Especially to know read in recent articles that they are 'revisiting' what is nothing more than simply a new approach for the same end result.  We have far greater needs at CMC to spend limited funds on than attorneys and wasted time.

In the absence of our Garfield County Commissioners doing anything,  how very good it is to see an authoritative and highly respected power in WSCOGA stand up and raise their voices.  Calling a spade a spade.

David Ludlam, Executive Director West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association:
"The West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association, in a recent letter to the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, expressed its confusion and frustration over the board's decision to vacate a contractual agreement with SourceGas to add a natural gas compressor station desperately needed to continue delivering home heating fuels to residents and businesses between Rifle and Avon.

The letter, available on our organization's website (www.wscoga.org), highlighted a special ongoing partnership between the energy industry and CMC's funding. According to Garfield County Assessor records, CMC receives up to $13 million annually from the oil and gas industry based on assessment of local oil and gas production. This is in addition to millions of direct philanthropic and curriculum contributions made to CMC by oil and gas companies.

Building and expanding energy infrastructure in America is challenging, in part because public constituencies are resolute in not wanting to be inconvenienced with infrastructure required for energy delivery and a modern standards of living. With this challenge in mind, WSCOGA communicated its frustration to the CMC trustees over their decision to vacate an established contract with SourceGas, which had made a significant financial investment including the full prepayment of the 20-year lease with CMC.

Local businesses and homeowners have the most to lose with this decision. In our view, the real losers are commercial customers, such as the Aspen Skiing Co., as well as upper Roaring Fork Valley homeowners, who will be inconvenienced if natural gas supply is disrupted during the coldest months of the year.

We also find it inconsistent for a public institution such as CMC, which is a major SourceGas customer and consumer of natural gas heating fuel, to be philosophically opposed to hosting commonplace infrastructure required to delivering the very fuel necessary for living year-round in the mountains of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Finally, what is the message the CMC trustees have sent to students about the sanctity of contracts and the importance of the collaborative process by failing to honor its commitments and engage with SourceGas on this matter?...."  (Read more?  Click title)

To read related stories and listen to the flow of public commentary, click following links:
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-glenwood-springs-post_9386.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-glenwood-springs-post_30.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/04/sandboxblogs-kdnk-garco-commissioners.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/04/sandboxblogs-glenwood-springs-post_20.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/05/sandboxblogs-glenwood-springs-post_5619.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/05/sandboxblogs-glenwood-springs-post_15.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/06/sandboxblogs-glenwood-springs-post_82.html