KINSEE MORLAN: CITY MEETINGS AREN'T EXACTLY THE MOST EXCITING EVENTS TO ATTEND ON A REGULAR BASIS. EVEN THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ONES, LIKE A RECENT LA PLATA COUNTY COMMISSIONER MEETING ABOUT NEW OIL AND GAS PROVISIONS, ONLY BRING OUT THE FEW WHO ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE:

SANDY YOUNG: MY NAME IS SANDY YOUNG AND I'M HERE TO DELIVER SIGNED PETITIONS FROM THE LA PLATA COUNTY CITIZENS THAT SAYS, WE THE UNDERSIGNED REQUEST THAT THE LA PLATA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DECLARE A SIX-MONTH MORETORIUM ON THE PROCESSING OF PERMITS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF GAS WELLS AND FACILITEIS IN SUBDIVISIONS WITH LOTS OF TEN ACRES OR LESS .

KINSEE MORLAN: AND FOR THE REST OF US WHO WANT TO GO TO THESE MEETINGS AND VOICE OUR OPINIONS, BUT CAN'T, THERE'S THE SAN JUAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE. FOR THIS MONTH'S COMMUNITY VOICES FEATURE, KSUT'S LOCALLY PRODUCED PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTING NONPROFITS IN THE FOUR CORNERS REGION, WE TALKED TO A FEW FOLKS AT THE ALLIANCE ABOUT THEIR WORK GETTING PEOPLE INVOLVED IN ISSUES AS DIVERSE AS WATER PROTECTION AND AND OIL AND GAS TO IMMIGRATION AND AIR-QUALITY.

MARK PEARSON: BUT A LOT OF THOSE THINGS TIE TOGETHER, BECAUSE THINGS LIKE DESERT ROCK POWER PLANT, PLANT NEAR FARMINGTON, IT'S CERTAINTLY GOING INTO AN IMPOVERISHED LOCATION AND ONE OF THE REASONS IT WAS TARGETED FOR A POWER PLANT IS HERE'S A POOR PLACE, WE CAN MAKE THEM TAKE A DIRTY POWER PLANT BECAUSE THEY'RE DESPERATE AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER OPTIONS.

KINSEE MORLAN: SO WHAT MARK AND HIS STAFF OF SEVEN DO AND HAVE BEEN DOING FOR DECADES NOW, IS SOMETHING THAT BARACK OBAMA RECENTLY POPULARIZED. THEY'RE COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS AND THEIR JOB IS TO LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT AND GET THEM TO COME TOGETHER AND ACTUALLY AFFECT CHANGE THEMSELVES THROUGH THINGS AS STRAIGHT-FORWARD AS A PETITION OR A LETTER TO A POLITICIAN. THE ALLIANCE IS A GROUP OF WATCHDOGS, TOO, WHICH MEANS THEY'RE OUT THERE ATTENDING THOSE MEETINGS WE CAN'T AND MAKING SURE BIG INDUSTRY, LIKE OIL AND GAS, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, LIKE THE FORREST SERVICE, AREN'T DOING THINGS THAT MIGHT NOT BE IN THE INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY. S-J-C-A PICKS AND CHOOSES THEIR BATTLES WISELY, WHICH IS WHY THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO CLAIM QUITE A FEW VICTORIES FOR THEMSELVES, SUCH AS THE BLOCKING OF THE SO-CALLED DESERT ROCK ENERGY PROJECT ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION.

MARK: YEAH DESERT ROCK IS DEFINITELY ON THE OUTS. THE EPA HAS DECIDED TO RECIND THE AIR QUALITY PERMIT THEY ISSUED FOR IT A YEAR AGO. AND THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT HAS RESCINDED APPROVAL FOR THE TRANSMISSION LINE THAT WOULD TAKE THE POWER AWAY FROM THE POWER PLANT. SO

KINSEE MORLAN: A SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CAMPAIGN IS ACTUALLY HOW THE ALLIANCE FIST FORMED. IN 1986, A GROUP OF UPSET NEIGHBORS CAME TOGETHER TO PUT A STOPLIGHT AT WHAT WAS THEN A VERY ACCIDENT-PRONE ELMORE'S CORNER.

MARK: IT WAS A PRETTY SIMPLE CAMPAIGN TO WIN BASICALLY: SHOULD WE KEEP KILLING PEOPLE HERE OR SHOULD WE DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT? THE NEXT THING WE GOT INTO AT THE SAME TIME WAS ALL THIS COAL-BED METHANE THAT WAS STARTING TO HAPPEN. AND THAT OBVIOUSLY HAS BEEN A MORE COMPLICATED CAMPAIGN THEN GETTING A TRAFFIC LIGHT INSTALLED, SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT EVER SINCE, I'M AFRAID.

KINSEE: AND THE SAN JUAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE WILL KEEP UP THEIR WORK ENCOURAGING BETTER OIL AND GAS REGULATION IN THE FOUR CORNERS REGION, BUT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK PEARSON WON'T BE WORKING WITH THEM. HE RECENTLY RESIGNED, CITING A THREE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND A NEED FOR CHANGE AS HIS NUMBER TWO REASONS. SO AS THE BOARD CONTINUES ITS SEARCH TO FILL WHAT THEY CONSIDER SOME MIGHTY BIG SHOES, THE REST OF THE S-J-C-A STAFF IS HARD AT WORK AS USUAL, FIGHTING THEIR RESPECTIVE FIGHTS.

MEGHAN MALONEY: MY NAME'S MEGHAN MALONEY AND I'M THE RIVER CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR FOR THE SAN JUAN CITIZEN'S ALLIANCE. AND THE RIVER CAMPAIGN, THE MISSION OF THE CAMPAIGN IS TO PROTECT OUR FREE-FLOWING RIVERS AND STREAMS, MEANING TO PROTECT BOTH THE QUANITY OF WATER AND THE QUALITY OF WATER IN OUR LOCAL STREAMS.

JOSH JOSWICK: MY NAME IS JOSH JOSWICK, I WORK WITH THE SAN JUAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE AS THE ENERGY ISSUES COORDNATOR FOR LA PLATA COUNTY AND COLORADO, OR SOUTHWEST COLORADO JOE GRIFFITH: THIS IS JOE GRIFITH SPEAKING, I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD FOR SAN JUAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE WE MAINLY TAKE ON ISSUES THAT NOBODY ELSE IS DEALING WITH AT THE TIME.

KINSEE MORLAN: AND THERE ARE EVEN MORE STAFFERS AND MEMBERS OUT THERE WORKING ON OTHER CAMPAIGNS IN OFFICES IN DURANGO, FARMINGTON AND CORTEZ. THE ALLIANCE HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE PUTTING IN THAT STOPLIGHT AT ELMORE'S CORNER. THEY'VE BECOME A RESPECTED AND RELIABLE ARMY THAT TAKES TO THE BATTLE FIELD WHEN BECKONED. AND THEY PLAN ON CONTINUING THEIR WORK EVEN IN THE FACE OF HARD ECONOMIC TIMES FOR ALL NONPROFITS. AT THAT COUNTY COMISSIONER MEETING A FEW WEEKS AGO INVOLVING WHAT THE ALLIANCE SAYS STRIPS AWAY PROTECTIONS OF PROPERTY OWNERS WHEN IT COMES TO DRILLING, JOSH JOSWICK SAT BACK QUIETLY, PLEASED THAT ALL HE HAD TO DO THIS TIME WAS WATCH AND LISTEN.

JOSH JOSWICK: THE PEOPLE WHO WERE BEING IMPACTED BY THIS, THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED TO SAY AND THAT'S GREAT. PEOPLE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THIS. THEY DON'T NECESSARILY NEED ME UP THERE TO PRESENT THERE CASE FOR THEM. THEY WERE VERY ELOQUENT ABOUT WHAT THEY WANTED. THEY DON'T NEED TO HEAR ME.

KINSEE: JOSH, WHO, ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS, CAN BE FOUND HELPING LANDOWNERS WEED THROUGH SURFACE-USE AGREEMENTS - OR COMPLICATED CONTRACTS OIL AND GAS COMPANIES GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROPERTY WHERE THEY WANT TO DRILL - IS ALSO CURRENTLY WORKING ON GETTING ONE OF THE CONTRACTS ON THE S-J-C-A WEBSITE SO PEOPLE CAN START FIGURING OUT THE FINE PRINT FOR THEMSELVES. HE'S ALL ABOUT SELF-EFFICACY, AND HE SAYS IF A BORING CITY, TOWN OR COUNTY MEETING ISN'T IN YOUR CARDS, THEN MAYBE SOME OTHER LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT IS.

JOSH: YEAH, IF YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT US, GET TO KNOW US. COME BY THE OFFICE, WE'RE RIGHT ABOVE CARVER'S. GO TO THE WEBSITE, CHECK IT OUT, WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR AWHILE AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE HERE FOR A WHILE, AND, IF THESE ARE THE SORT OF ISSUES YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT, GET INVOLVED.

KINSEE: AND THAT WEBSITE IS WWW.SANJUANCITIZENS.ORG. FOR KSUT PUBLIC RADIO, I'M KINSEE MORLAN.

DJ OUTRO: THE SAN JUAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE HAS LOTS OF WAYS YOU CAN GET INVOLVED. THEY'RE WORKING ON AN AIR-QUALITY SYMPOSIUM COMING THIS FALL, THEY HOLD GREEN BUSINESS ROUNDTABLES THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AND ANYONE CAN DONATE OR JOIN S-J-C-A AT ANY TIME. © Copyright 2009, ksut