Not in MY Backyard!
Boulder County, Colorado contains a wealth of minerals that the United States is 100% dependent on foreign nations to supply.
An interview on a Denver television station recently aired, concerning a homeless shelter program in Boulder Colorado. The reporter was interviewing a neighborhood representative on the issue. The well dressed lady, in front of her Prius, holding her tablet computer, thought the project should be stopped. She stated that there should be a more appropriate area found for the homeless shelter. Not in my backyard!
Boulder County, Colorado contains a wealth of minerals that the United States in 100% dependent on foreign nations to supply. Many of these nations are not friendly to the U.S.. Russia, China, Pakistan, Kurdistan, among others. Yet every effort to mine these minerals in our own country is met with the same cry… Not in my backyard!
The irony is that the same people who drive their electric cars, talk on their cell phones, and use their computers and tablets are the very people who are most dependent on these minerals. Lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements—all are essential to modern technology. All must be imported because we refuse to mine them here.
Meanwhile, these same nations continue to mine without any of the environmental protections we demand in the United States. The pollution doesn't disappear—it just happens somewhere else. Out of sight, out of mind.
It's easy to be opposed to mining when you don't have to look at it. But our modern lifestyle depends on mining. Somewhere, someone has to dig these minerals out of the ground. Why not here, where we can ensure it's done safely and responsibly?
Not in my backyard, they say. But isn't the whole Earth our backyard?
Johnny Walker
Johnny has been prospecting Colorado and Arizona for over 20 years. He runs Prospector Center with his wife Laurie, sharing practical knowledge gained from countless hours in the field.
