Letter to the editor: Development is occurring too fast for North Dakota

Are there others out there who are as concerned as I am about what is happening to our great state of North Dakota in regardsto the current level of oil and natural gas development? Please understand that I am not an anti-oil drilling advocate. I am, however, a North Dakota citizen who is becoming very alarmed by what I have read, heard and seen regarding this unprecedented turn of events. Infrastructure problems, inflation, housing shortages, crime, traffic congestion, dust and safety issues, massive water and electricity consumption, environmental degradation, the list goes on. Public officials and politicians repeatedly stress the economic benefits being realized, but I ask, at what cost? It seems much of this monetary gain will be needed to solve the very problems being created.

Conscientious and cautious planning and visions for the future need to be in place to preserve our quality of life. Eventually, outside interests will have plundered and taken advantage of our resources and our beautiful countryside is going to look scarred. The very character that has made North Dakota one of the last great places in the United States, is going to be damaged to a point that reclamation is going to be a long and arduous process, if even possible. The acceleration has got to slow down to a more manageable pace. The oil will still be here when these problems and issues have been addressed. Public concerns and input have got to be heard and respected.

We all have a vested interest in what is transpiring in our state. It may not be monetary for everyone, but that does not make it any less valuable. The results are affecting each and every one of us now and future generations to come.

Janell Hermann

Dickinson

Tags: opinion, letters, development