Sold down the river in Oakwood Hills

The elected politicians showed their colors at the Oakwood Hills meeting supposedly held to discuss the "invasion" of a highly controversial natural gas project in the little, quiet town of approximately 2,000.

The upset politicians looked at their audience of red shirts there opposing the construction of a Oakwood Hills peaker plant in their rural backyard and without the courtesy of even addressing the concerned citizenry, issued a continuance for Oct. 9.

For those elected officials to sell out the quiet community for a hosting fee from Enventure and Northland Power of Canada without regard for the guaranteed safety of the residents is unconscionable. The effect of the water from the Ironton-Galesville Sandstone Aquifer, from which the community's well is fed, will clearly be affected, even though the vague promise of possibly using reclaimed water is being mentioned without written certainty, or are they looking to the nearby Fox River connected to the Chain of Lakes and involving numerous townships and cities.

The controversial word "fracking" isn't being said aloud, either. Why not, if the truth is told before the project goes forth as it is being "pitched" to begin early 2015? Enventure Partners is already listing Oakwood Hills Gas-Fired Peaking Power Plant on its website along with their other accomplishments in Mozambique, British Guyana and Honduras.

Why pick quiet Oakwood Hills? Perhaps because we have greedy politicians here? Perhaps they believe we are sleepy "bottle-heads."

Judging by the number of citizens at the July 31 meeting, we are not. We would at the very least demand a referendum vote of all the communities nearby as the toxicity put into our air, water aquifers, wells, and the noise will affect all.

Marlene Sanderson

Island Lake