CBM Development – Thoughts From The Middle of Nowhere

I have talked before about being opposed to the Coal Bed Methane (CBM) development that is proposed in my area of the state. There has always been one thing that has made me real uneasy about opposing such development and has kept me from being more vocal about the issue. By opposing CBM development I am on the same side of the street as the Northern Plains Resource Council (<acronym title="Northern Plains Resource Council">NPRC</acronym>) and this worries me since <acronym title="Northern Plains Resource Council">NPRC</acronym> has some radical positions. n n<blockquote>The petition says the <acronym title="Northern Plains Resource Council">NPRC</acronym> "has gone to excessive and obstructive lengths" in its "self-assumed watchdog role in the development and utilization of various natural resources in our state." It accuses Northern Plains of aligning itself with "radical environmentalists" whose goal is to wipe out agriculture with the aim of "rewilding" large areas of land. </blockquote> n nI seen this in the paper this morning about a group who <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/05/20/build/state/35-coalbed-plan.inc">supports</a> the CBM development and while I don't support the development, I do agree with the quote that <acronym title="Northern Plains Resource Council">NPRC</acronym> is in bed with the "radical environmentalists" and has a goal of reducing the agricultural potential of the land. n nI know quite a few of the people in the <acronym title="Northern Plains Resource Council">NPRC</acronym> mostly by reputation and their views about agriculture and the environment are flat scary. While I don't support CBM development, I will continue to be fairly quite on the issue because of the <acronym title="Northern Plains Resource Council">NPRC</acronym>'s involvement in the issue. I don't want to be seen in bed with such a radical organization. n nA radical generally meant a man who thought he could somehow pull up the root without affecting the flower. Gilbert Keith Chesterton