September 18-20: Newport Silicon Smelter Hearings

The Washington Department of Ecology is conducting a September 11 to October 26 environmental review of the PacWest Silicon smelter proposed for 180 acres near Newport, on the Washington-Idaho border [1-3].  The facility would produce up to 73,000 tons of silicon metal each year, from B.C. quartz rock heated to extremely high temperatures with wood chips, coal, and charcoal.  The Ecology Department is seeking public input on the scope of its environmental impact study and statement (EIS), analyzing potential project effects and options for protection of the natural environment and nearby communities, including air and water quality, plant and animal habitat, cultural resources, and regional transportation.

The state agency will provide its subsequent, draft EIS for public review and comment next summer, followed by a final, impartial, comprehensive EIS in late 2019, for decision-makers and the public to evaluate PacWest Silicon’s permit applications.  Various organizations have compiled information to assist public and expert testimony asking that the department address the widest possible range of concerns in its EIS [4-6].  The public can examine proposal information, request comment period extension to 90 days, and offer scoping comments in-person at four public meetings and/or online:

* Tuesday, September 18, 6 to 9 pm, Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, Washington

* Wednesday, September 19, 6 to 9 pm, Newport High School, 1400 Fifth Street, Newport, Washington

* Thursday, September 20, 6 to 9 pm, Priest River Event Center, 5399 U.S. Highway 2, Priest River, Idaho

* Thursday, September 27, 3 pm, online webinar

September 19: Monthly Sandpoint WIRT Meeting

Invite your friends and families, and join the regional, climate activist community, #No2ndBridge group members, and Wild Idaho Rising Tide (WIRT) organizers for the September, third-Wednesday, monthly, WIRT gathering at the Gardenia Center, 400 Church Street in Sandpoint, Idaho, at 7 pm on Wednesday, September 19.  Action planning will discuss #No2ndBridge information and public records research, petition, coal collection, benefit concert, and crowdfunding, in support of the WIRT lawsuit opposing the state permit for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) bridge expansion, facilitating fossil fuels and hazmat pipelines-on-wheels across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek. Continue reading →