Dear Editor,

One of Mr. Kozera’s weekly advertisements for the shale gas industry on the editorial page of the Sunday Times Leader referred to environmentalists as Dream Killers … begging the question, “Who, in their right mind, would not want a petrochemical corridor all up and down the Ohio River Valley?”

Well, me, for one … because I feel like I’ve been living out a dream all my life. And cracker plants and their spin-offs would be the real Dream Killers.

Let’s take inventory.

When I was a kid, strip mining for coal was leaving thousands of acres worthless for agriculture and burying millions of board feet of timber. Today, it is mostly a thing of the past.

When I was a kid, Captina Creek ran orange due to acid mine drainage from underground coal mines. Today it is recognized as one of the most pristine streams in Ohio.

When I was a kid, driving east to Wheeling you would drop into a valley that might not see the light of day ’til noon because of smoke and smog. Today skies are clear.

When I was a kid, I saw this strangely graceful animal leap a fence down in the valley below the milk barn. I had never seen anything like it before — a white-tailed deer. Now they are back in their native Belmont County as are the eagles, bobcats, and the occasional black bear.

I can see in one lifetime the amazing progress that has been made to clean up the environment and make Belmont County a great place to live.

When considering future development, here are two facts everyone needs to consider: From Baton Rouge to New Orleans is a petrochemical corridor … and Louisiana has one of the highest cancer rates in the USA. And the radioactivity of gas well cuttings is an underreported health hazard. Check out the February issue of Rolling Stone magazine for information that came from right here at shale gas central.

With all due respect to those that feel jobs, any kinds of jobs ­– regardless of what they do to God’s creation and future generations — are all we need to improve life in Belmont County, I say the petrochemical corridor would be the real Dream Killer.

If you share these concerns and want to get active, contact Concerned Ohio River Residents on Facebook or www.NoCrackerPlantOV.com.

Leonard Guindon

Jerusalem