Jake
Hottle
Business Owner - Aztec, New Mexico
I
was born and raised on a farm located on the Animas River. I remember
as a child having clean water in our well. In the '50s, oil and
gas began drilling up and down the Animas River corridor.
After
graduating in 1965, I spent three years in the military in electronics.
I will always remember while here on visits, my mother standing
at the sink trying to drink the stinking water coming from our
well in the late 1960s. She passed away in 1974 at 64 years old.
I believe poorly cemented gas wells played a role in her early
death.
 Upon
returning home in 1979, my wife and I began to notice there was
a tremendous amount of cancer in the families who lived in my
neighborhood. Upon investigation, we found poorly cemented wells,
open pit dumping, and methane gas in 40% of the water wells tested.
We
found the industry to be inconsiderate, reckless and unsympathetic
to the families in the area. It seemed that the government was
letting the industry pretty well call the shots. That's when we
started the Clean Water Coalition to deal with impacts of oil
and gas development.
All
of this happened before the coal-seam gas development. Now, compressors
run night and day. Their constant roar interrupts sleeping and
dinner. The companies could muffle the sound if they want, but
they never agree to spend the little extra money it would take
to make people's lives easier.
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