Letters to the editor Feb. 28
Grizzly population
In regards to Derek Goldman’s letter about grizzly bears, I would say that there never will be grizzly recovering due to our state’s people population.
This is not the Lewis and Clark days of old. The state population is going to determine the bear population. The more grizzly/people interactions — and especially injuries or deaths because bears are living close to homes — the more bear deaths. This is the current issue because more people come into Montana to be in the “Last Best Place.”
The state has more than enough bears to delist them. If you think that the bears need to interact (breeding) with the opposite side of the state then I would suggest that Fish, Wildlife and Parks start trapping the problem bears in the Glacier Park area and transport them to the Yellowstone area, and visa versa.
— Jim Thramer, Kalispell
Ohio train wreck
On the East Palestine, Ohio train wreck, a few questions:
What caused the train derailment?
Could it have been prevented?
Why were the hazardous chemicals burned instead of siphoned off into tanker trucks?
If there was enough time and safety to drain these toxic chemicals from the derailed tank cars into a ditch to be ignited, wasn’t there enough time and safety to siphon them into tanker trucks?
Why was the decision to burn these highly toxic chemicals left with Norfolk and Southern railroad and not with the EPA?
Why weren’t the tracks closed to train traffic until all the chemicals were removed and the site thoroughly cleaned up?
Where is the federal government — DOT, EPA, OSHA, FEMA?
Why is the federal government and its mainstream media apologists AWOL on this disaster?
Where are the HAZMAT professionals and safety instructors from Norfolk and Southern railroad to advise and assist the residents?
Is the EPA assessing the short- and long-term environmental impact of this toxic spill and burn? Is it monitoring the health of the watershed and the fall-out from the toxic burn cloud?
On whose desk does the buck stop for this catastrophic disaster, and who will compensate the residents for their pain, suffering and financial losses now and in the future?
Are the people of East Palestine, Ohio being sacrificed on the altar of the almighty corporate dollar and political CYA?
Why are the people always the victim of corporate greed and government malfeasance?
— Richard Grozik, Kalispell