Suddenly, this region is getting its fair share.

There is a general and growing sense in the region that we are becoming the dumping ground for things that the coastal regions don't want. I don't think that there's any requirement or inherent obligation that the valley take waste products from other regions. Every region should have to take care of its own waste, and exporting it to a region that is poor is inherently unfair.

The fact of the matter is that the process MCAG went through a few years ago gave them the background to do this.

It's a necessary evil. There's no question the more people in the area, the more stress there is on the environment, but the higher the fees on housing, the harder it is for people to buy homes.

What we have to do is envision not tomorrow, but 20 years from now. Our shortcoming has always been not having that vision.

The problem is having a vision that's big enough.