By Toni Gibbons NAVAJO COUNTY — Members from the Environmentally Ill (EI) communities east of Snowflake and south of Woodruff, spoke to the Navajo County Board of Supervisors at the meeting on Oct. 23, requesting that the county enact half-mile setbacks from any future helium drilling site as a result of the September sales of the oil and gas leases near Woodruff by the Bureau of Land Management. Melinda Wilson, who lives east of Snowflake, said that while she was a member of the EI community, she was not there to speak on the impact of drilling and fracking to her health, rather she wanted to address what she saw was the bigger issue. “Only a minority of Arizona land owners own their mineral rights, which means that if the people who do own the mineral rights decide they want to cash in on any kind of drilling, fracking or conventional, they can,” said Wilson. “The land owners who live on the surface virtually have no rights, unless state and local government set up strong regulations to protect the people who live on the land. “People can find that a fracking well is not only being put on their land, but very near their house. This has happened to other states where the regulations did not protect them. Everyone is at risk. It is not just the water, which is of paramount importance, but it’s on your own property there is that danger to and I don’t think people are fully aware of that.” Dorene Dougherty, who also lives east of Snowflake, gave her complete support of at least one-half mile setbacks of all properties from fracking construction sites. “As an EI, our health cannot withstand water contamination or air emissions that may result through the drilling, post-production processing and related infrastructure.” Dougherty went on to share how she had fled Pennsylvania in 2015 due devastation of fracking in her state that began as a result of the gas rich area known as the Marcellus Shale. “Northeastern Pennsylvania has been labeled the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. This area of Arizona, one of the least polluted areas in the United States, has been labeled the Saudi Arabia of helium. Such labels are a death sentence to every form of life. It is an illusion to think that anyone can go unscathed by fracking,” said Dougherty. Susie Molloy shared that she has lived in the area since 1992, moving east of Snowflake for her health, and has watched the failure of the wind farm to bring the millions of dollars that was promised. “Supervisors, please don’t use the argument that this new exploration and mining will do us any good. A few years back we were told the wind farm would make clean renewable electricity and that the project would support the local economy with tax payments expected to be in the millions of dollars. It did not provide 100 jobs for local people. Crews of workers were brought in from elsewhere to do the work. I haven’t seen a library, protection for Silver Creek, a park, nothing. I think they sold us a bill of goods and I would like us to be wiser this time.” Molloy went on to say that while she would prefer a five mile set, she also realizes that will not happen. “I will agree to the half mile setback if that is what we have to do.” One of the EI members near where the BLM leases were sold, Steen Hviid, shared that he needed a big setback of at least a mile for oil, gas or helium mining. Fighting severe chemical sensitivities, Hviid pulled off the respirator he has to wear when not in his carefully built, non-toxic home, in order to speak with the Board. “I moved here 10 years ago and had a house specially built with non-toxic material. Such a house costs more to build than a regular house. I can’t recoup my investment if I am forced to move out. The oil and gas industry is a dirty business. They just want to get the money out and go back to their high rises. I need a big setback, regardless of what they are drilling for, it really should be at least a mile set back.” Chairman Steve Williams thanked the EI people for coming, saying, “To those of you at the EI community, I know you came at great difficulty to come to a meeting like this and we appreciate what you have shared.” As this discussion took place during Call to the Public, the supervisors were unable to comment.
