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We must be good stewards

A fenced-off half-acre lot within the boundaries of the Upshur County Youth Camp stands as a reminder why we must strive to be good stewards of our environment.

More than 100 years ago, Buckhannon Chemical Co. used the area for waste disposal. The company produced charcoal, wood alcohol and calcium acetate.

In the process of their day-to-day operation, they created what has essentially become a tar pit. Now, the area is fenced off with chain-link and barbed wire, and the pit has been capped. Around the area, the Upshur County Youth Camp was developed, a 46-acre facility that is home to everything from cabins and campgrounds to walking trails. Each year, thousands of campers visit the area.

The pit is a relatively small area within the camp. It is off by itself and is not used, posing no threat to human safety. It was capped in the mid-1980s by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Superfund program. Covering and fencing off the potentially contaminated area was their answer to any possible immediate hazard.

Out of sight, out of mind, but what a Band-aid measure.

Now, in order to actually clean up the site, the county is applying for a grant that would allow all of the possibly contaminated soil to be removed. This removes any potential contamination and would allow the property to be used for recreational purposes, along with the rest of the camp.

Hindsight is 20/20. There’s no way the operators of Buckhannon Chemical could have known their practices would have such a far-reaching impact. Additionally, environmental regulation at the time was a shadow of what it is today, at best.

But it’s a good reminder of why we have to be better now. Even in our modern society, the impact humans have on the environment is often downplayed in favor of business and politics.

This isn’t an anti-energy rant. I’m not going to rail on the pros and cons of fossil fuels versus renewable resources. The situation is liquid, ever-changing. The fact is, a diverse energy structure is what our society requires at the moment. That likely will change in the future, when, like it or not, renewables will be commonplace.

What we must do is strive to ensure we’re doing the best we can with what we have at the present time and with an eye on the future. That means following best practices to mitigate our current and future need for energy versus the immediate and long-term impact on the environment. Whether we’re building a pipeline or a windmill, we need to look at what impact our actions may have 100 years, or more, from now. We need to do what those before us did not — think in terms of generations and not just what is required to meet our current needs.

Roger Adkins is city editor at The Inter-Mountain. He can be reached at 304-472-8302 or radkins@theintermountain.com.

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