[rellimpank]

--we always are told the the "environment is very fragile" and will never recover--(note Exxon Valdez "disaster" and the BP Gulf of Mexico spill)--within a few years there is no real damage --nature has cured the problem.

--as far as the second point ,most of us know full well that "competence" has nothing to do anymore with government hiring----

[grania]

Colorado's environment is very dry and the soil easily absorbs the pollution. A lot of the vegetation is very fragile and would take decades if not centuries to grow back, if ever.

Years ago, (1997 or so) I was in RedCliff for a few days, an almost-abandoned mining town, very cute houses, trendy types taking up repopulating it. It's in the mountains just off the road that goes south toward Leadville. Even now, decades after its mining history, the water is still poisonous. The half-life of the stuff that comes out of those abandoned mines is forever.