Big Oil in Small Town America

About the Book

This book started as a result of four ordinary people seeing something wrong in their small tourist community and tried to right it. Who would have thought that our government would subject its own people to the damaging emissions of the oil and gas industry? This book is about the fight of four people fighting the oil companies and the Local, State and Federal governmental agencies charged with protecting its citizens. It is seen through the eyes of one of the group, who has had a stroke and contributed to the “fight” by sending out hundreds of email newsletters almost weekly. The fight to save a community’s way of life was marred with disillusionment and frustration, but they continued to fight. In Lewiston and surrounding area there are roughly 5000 gas and oil wells along with their associated facilities. The particular offloading facility the group focused on was emitting illegal amounts of Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfur Dioxide and no one was stopping them. Lewiston was downwind from this facility most days. The local, state and federal governments were fighting us. They threw up road blocks every way we turned as if they didn’t want us to know what was really going on. Why? Because of the many lies that the group uncovered as to what was really happening at the facility. Local citizens were looking the other way. Others were calling us crazy or to just leave the problem alone! Did they have oil/gas wells on their property, possibly collecting royalties? The group has hundreds of pages of transcripts, videotapes and photographs to prove otherwise. The Citizens Against Environmental Destruction, as we came to call ourselves, were fighting an uphill battle, but battle we did and are continuing to do to save our lives and our community. Too many health problems. Too many deaths. Why? Read and hope this never happens to your community. The knowledge of how our government works to protect us (they don´t) was so disappointing.

About the Author

I am a 48 year old woman who had a stroke at 45, partly due to the oil and gas activities, we allege, in our small tourist town of 2,200. I was very active in my community I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for 16 years before being struck down with a stroke. Now, I have channeled my frustration from the stroke into writing. I live with my husband, John, and children Sean and Brianna. This fight has been difficult but it has made us much stronger people. May it end with a good conclusion. In the meantime, the newsletters will continue. If it wasn’t for John and my friend Kim editing this, I would not have been able to write it. Ronnie L. Smith of Writer’s Relief, Inc. told us that “We wish you strength and success in your good fight.”