Bee County’s Commissioners Court has only begun to consider a resolution to support in-situ uranium mining here and the debate is heating up quickly.

That’s a good and healthy thing that needs to occur. It is only right and important that both sides of the issue be heard and concerns explored.

To that end, the debate deserves more than hearsay and anecdotal testimonials from either side. Outcomes of lawsuits should carry more substance than simply lawsuits filed because anyone can hire a lawyer and file suit over anything.

We welcome letters to the editor and other comments but ask that statements of fact cite named sources. It’s not enough to simply say “scientists have determined” because there are scientists on both sides of most issues. Please cite specifics and where said scientist determined this.

We don’t want to stifle debate, but we’d like to keep it as close as possible to a factual plane.

This is a nation in dire need of energy independence stemming from issues of pure economics to national security. Yet we’re also a nation that wants the other guy somewhere else to produce that energy, whether it be nuclear, coal, petroleum, or even wind power.

Before we toss aside a viable energy option, we’d like to see it fully and rationally vetted. The commissioners need not rush into any endorsement and the community would be wise to withhold judgment until more information is collected from all sides and impartial sources.