DENVER, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Colorado miners say they're anxiously awaiting decisions by Gov. Bill Ritter on forest protections that could affect their jobs.
A plan considered by Ritter would remove protection from 457,000 forested acres the federal government wants to keep roadless while providing protection for 410,000 acres Washington initially was not proposing to include under the roadless designation, The Denver Post reported Sunday.
The decision will affect the livelihoods of 353 miners working for Oxbow Mining's Elk Creek mine, and 700 more at neighboring coal mines, who need the roads for drilling bore holes to vent explosive methane from the mines.
"You can't lock up the country and expect us to have jobs and businesses!" belt operator Seth Russell, 23, of Paonia, Colo., told the newspaper.
"I hope (Ritter) decides soon," added John Ormsbee, 43. "Hope he does what's best for the working man."
"When you're talking about jobs in Colorado and the West, it's not just about logging or mining or drilling anymore," Jane Danowitz, director of the public lands program for the Pew Environment Group, told the Post, noting that outdoor recreation supports about 100,000 jobs and contributes $10 billion per year to the state's economy.
