A spiritual perspective

To the San Miguel and Mora County Commissioners:

I’ve been doing a lot of research on fracking and I’m alarmed at the dangers this will have on our environment, and our health. Reports from government agencies that have been studying the issue, and testimonials from people residing in communities back east and from communities in Colorado and Wyoming are horrific. Particularly frightening are the impacts on our water, air, livestock and human health.

As a pastor, I  look at this issue from a spiritual perspective. In the Biblical narratives, long before we are told by God to “love the Lord with all our heart and strength,” long before we are told to “love our neighbor as our self,” in chapter 2 verse 15 of the Book of Genesis, shortly after the creation of the first human being, God tells Adam that he is to be a guardian of the earth. In the original Hebrew, the name for the human being Adam is contained in the Hebrew word for Earth, Adama. The teaching here is that the one cannot exist without the other. As God’s representatives on the earth, our sacred role as caretakers of creation is one of our first job descriptions. Life involves not only the satisfaction of material needs, but also the satisfaction of a divine need for human justice and nobility.

As public servants, you are charged with an awesome responsibility that will have repercussions not only on our lives but that of our children and grandchildren. You may not share my perspectives on the Bible as  guidance for right living, and if that’s the case I most certainly honor that choice. However, you will have to live with the consequences of your upcoming decision for the rest of your life. If you’re not ready to completely ban fracking in San Miguel and Mora counties,  which I believe is the best long-term course, at least vote for an extension of the  moratorium until the EPA has completed its current study on health and safety concerns.

This may well be the most important decision you ever make as a county commissioner. Please do the right thing.

Rabbinic Pastor Andrew Gold
Las Vegas