Freedom is not gutting our mountains

To the editor:

As Alaskans, we are lucky to have thousands of acres of unspoiled land in our backyards. Alaska is one of the last places on Earth where we have that freedom. With overpopulation, overproduction and overconsumption of our world, we have lost the true meaning of what freedom really is. I can tell you what it is not.

Freedom is not gutting our mountains, stripping natural land, threatening our health and infesting clean rivers and salmon habitat for dead, dirty energy like coal. I grew up in Sutton and can’t help but feel that Ranger Alaska’s lease for a coal mine is a real threat to our freedom.

Why has the Mat-Su Borough Assembly ignored every proposal for a study on the impact of coal development like that in Jonesville, Wishbone Hill and Chickaloon? It appears they don’t care about the concerns of thousands of residents, so what do they care about?

Please keep Alaska safe, clean and free.

Rachel Overby

Sutton