Don't turn our area into a Third World country

By Sabrina Moody

Ever feel like you were living in a Third World country? Like most Bozemanites, I pride myself on my choice of locale in which to build a life: clean air, beautiful mountains, artistic amenities, and recreational nirvana are the cornerstones of my existence. Since starting a family, I have never felt so fortunate to be living "the good life" here in Bozeman, Montana. But all that is about to change. Holcim is about to start burning tires at their cement plant near Three Forks, and if we don't speak up now, we will wake up one morning in a regional toxic waste incinerator with about as much control over our health and future as the laborers of Mexico City.

Most of us aren't here to get rich, and we didn't come here for the high pay. We came here for the beauty, the safety, the panacea of "The Last Great Place." Or, we stay here because of the down-home lifestyle we've come to depend on with great ranching and growing. But pretty soon a decision may be made that strips away the most basic freedom we hold dear: the right to a clean, safe place to live. Holcim is about to start burning tires, and your children's chance of getting cancer is about to dramatically increase.

It's hard to believe that the Montana DEQ is not protecting us from this health hazard, but at this point, they have not required Holcim to even complete an environmental impact statement. Clearly, the DEQ is operating in industry's interest at our expense. Yet, perhaps we have some role to play in all this: Until we insist on regulating industry to protect our basic right to clean air and water, we have not progressed in our thinking. We are living in a third world country mentality.

Sabrina Moody

1426 Ash Drive

Bozeman

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