Protecting the Environment
Dateline 11/30/98
I strongly beleive in protecting the environment, but I think some groups go to extremes - doing more harm than good at times. Below is a letter I sent to Bass Times in response to an article last summer. The letter was published, in part, in the recent issue. What do you think? Post to the thread about this on the message board. Get your two cents worth in!
July 3, 1998
Editor Bass Times P.O. Box 17141 Montgomery, Al 36141
Dear Sirs:
An article in the June issue is the perfect illustration of why I worry about environmental fanatics. The article "Georgia Power wins Sierra Club lawsuit" said the Sierra Club had sued Georgia Power because of fish kills from the hot water discharge at Lake Sinclair.
Georgia Power built Lake Sinclair to serve as a source of water for its coal fired generating plant and as a place to discharge hot water. It was not built to create a happy habitat for fish, and the shad and other fish killed by the hot water would not have any place to live without the lake.
The hot water discharge makes Lake Sinclair just about the best bass fishing lake in central Georgia during the winter. There are more club tournaments there during cold weather than anywhere else I know of. That is an unintended consequence of the discharge, but I like it!
This is exactly why I oppose most environmental groups - they are extreme. To try to protect a few fish, the Sierra Club makes my power bill go up and, if they had won, would have messed up the fishing for me and thousands of others. All this because they want to protect some fish that are living in a lake created to do what is being done. This does not make sense to me!
I once belonged to the Sierra Club but no more. I do not like many of their goals or tactics. I also question your support of Bruce Babbitt. I distrusted him from the beginning based on his record and on the president that appointed him. Too many of his programs are extreme. I hate to see BASS support him even if he did visit! Some of those programs may be worthwhile, but all need to be examined carefully.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Garrison
Any comments on this letter or environmental issues? Tell me about any experiences you have. Do you have a problem or issue to discuss? Do you have any stories about it? If so, you can also post information about it for others on my message board - you must register to post but can read the board as a guest. Also, if you have a story about environmental issues, let me know about it at fishing.guide@about.com. for a "Fishtale"or discuss it in the chat room on every night at 8:00 EST. Tell others what you like.
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