There has been a lot going on here in Gem County. The Gas & Oil Ordinance has moved out of the public committee and into Gem County Planning & Zoning. Public meetings are being held monthly as P&Z goes through the ordinance line by line. After they are done the ordinance will go to the Gem County Commissioners for them to read and hold public hearings.
A local group of concerned citizens are putting on a Community Gas Forum here in Emmett on Tuesday June 9. It will be held at the Calvary Chapel, 498 W Idaho Blvd, 6:30pm-9pm. They plan to have 3 guests from Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Texas who will speak about their experiences with the Oil & Gas Industry when they leased their lands to them.
The local paper printed a notice that the Idaho Department of Lands will hold an auction on June 10, for state oil and gas leases in Cassia, Owyhee and Twin Falls Counties. This will not just be a Gem County issue in the very near future as drilling will come to other counties in Idaho.
We would recommend in these counties for those concerned about what the effects of the industry in your area could mean to contact your local officials to see if base line water testing can be done before the industry starts to drill in your county. Idaho’s water is it’s most precious asset. If groundwater is contaminated by drilling who will pay for clean up? If it can be cleaned up. If infrastructure is damaged who will pay for the repairs? The taxpayer should not be on the hook. Protect your county and it’s citizens.
Jan & Wayne Montano
Tea Party Gem County
