The area surrounding Lake Pepin is something special ... it's hard to describe to people until they see it ("Mr. Sandman brings a dream to a river town in Wisconsin," Jon Tevlin column, June 20). It's even harder to describe the effect it has on people once they do see it.
There is a reason the Huffington Post named the area the prettiest drive in America. Yahoo Travel was not mistaken when it called Stockholm one of the top 10 fall color destinations in the country, nor were Midwest Living, Minnesota Monthly or AAA magazines in their recognition of the uniqueness of this place.
Hwy. 35 is a federally designated scenic byway, and the Great River Road is considered a national treasure. I understand why the "Sandman" wants it. It's convenient; it's relatively cheap, and it has the things the hydraulic fracturing industry wants -- rail and water.
I even understand that the need is there for better ways to transport the sand that is being used in the industry. But some things in life are more important than the bottom line of a headquarters in Connecticut.
We welcome and encourage sustainable investment and jobs. Sacrificing the river, the environment, our health and safety, and the tourism economic engine that so many of us have worked to nurture is not a sane or reasonable thing to ask.
ALAN NUGENT, STOCKHOLM WIS.
