Today's Opinions

It is time for a Luna Community College state audit. After noting problems that have been brought to light by the Luna Community College board in  recent years, I feel it is important for the newly elected board to clear the air publicly and ask the state for an audit of all tax funded programs.

If money for certain programs has been misused then those at the helm must be held accountable, starting at the top. The losers if mismanagement is proven to have taken place is not only the taxpayer but more importantly the students who attend LCC.

On the front page of the April 8-9 edition of the Optic there was a good story on the wildlife study that Highlands will be able to conduct as a result of a generous research grant. However, I noted that the grant was from one of those mean old capitalist oil companies. Now what?

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of columns addressing issues associated with oil and gas development in San Miguel County. The articles were written by participants in PROTECT San Miguel county, a local all-volunteer grass-roots organization. The group has been working with the county’s oil and gas task force for three years, has toured several existing oil and gas producing facilities, and has been collecting extensive research on the issues. More information is at http://PROTECTsmc.org.