Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted by James Ostdick, a retired San Benito High School Earth Science teacher and Dr. Katherine Foster, president of the SBHS Teachers’ Association.
Dear San Benito County; The San Benito High School Teachers Against Fracking consists of 98 teachers concerned about the risks that fracking poses to our community. We endorse a “Yes” vote on Measure J, the anti-fracking measure for the following reasons:
We care about the health of our youth and do not want them exposed to harmful chemicals. We know that students need to be healthy and free of illness to perform at their highest level. We do not believe that it is worth the risk. We care about our environment. We care about water and do not want to take any chances with a resource more valuable than oil.
We do not want to jeopardize the safety of our ground water for drinking. We care about the seismic activity in our area and do not want to take a risk that we might destabilize any of the many faults in San Benito County that might threaten our aged high school facility.
We support Measure J because it DOES NOT BAN all oil recovery in the county, only the non-traditional methods including fracking and acidification. Please help us protect the things that are really important to our way of life in San Benito County; healthy children, a clean stable environment, and a safe and adequate supply of water for drinking, farming and ranching.
Thank you,
The San Benito High School Teachers Against Fracking
YES ON MEASURE J