This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

At last month's Utah Eagle Forum convention, Sen. Mike Lee vowed to fight for Utah's right to develop the natural resources on public lands within the state because by exploiting its oil and natural gas deposits, "Duchesne County would become the envy of the world."

Conservatives like Lee have forgotten the biblical command to "replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:18). Without the Earth and everything it has to offer, there would be no human animal.

By contaminating our air and our water, we are destroying the very things that allow our existence. Eventually, when we have depleted the Earth's oil supply, we must look elsewhere for energy. Before we have completely destroyed our tender ecosystem, why not begin that search now?

We are slowly destroying the future, without regard for our great-grandchildren. Let's quit this insanity while we're ahead.

Robert G. Anderson

West Valley City