More Deceptions and Dishonesty to Newport Residents

Thankfully, there is already a growing resistance to the smelter.

Local residents are concerned - about air quality, dust, environmental pollution and toxic waste, traffic congestion and the actual, real intentions of HiTest Sand. Oddly, to date, HiTest has not been forthcoming on their actual project proposal. No information has been publically shared regarding the process they intend to follow (plant operation and design).

This is a gigantic and alarming omission. Silicon smelters DO produce toxic byproducts and utilize many different hazardous chemicals, which must be safely transported, stored and disposed of (see Usk / Newport Resident Risk Alert)

Dangerous chemicals are used in the processing step, including: Hydrochloric Acid, Trichlorosilane, Hydrogen, Silane (extremely explosive). Many of these chemicals will arrive by truck or by train (community risk).

Toxic amounts of particulate dust (to humans and wildlife) are created (even respirators are insufficient for workers). Tremendous amounts of waste are also generated and will require long-term safe storage (somewhere).

Wastes included silicon tetrachloride (extremely toxic), processed impurities (aluminum, iron, copper, selenium, etc.) and are often simply stored in open unlined pits exposed to the environment. The location is in close proximity to the Pend Oreille River and guarantees eventual leakage into the environment. Fish and wildlife are also at risk from shifting winds. Any downstream / downwind residences and communities will be exposed to dangerous air-borne particulates, chemicals and fumes. Up to 80% of the materials used in processing can be discarded as wastes.

Extremely dangerous and toxic gasses (volitiles) are also used and created during processing, including Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen, Sulfur Hexaflouride (SF6), Silicon Tetrafluoride (SiF4), Sulfur Difluoride (SF2), Silane (SiH4), Tetrafluorosilane (SiF4), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2). Fugitive gasses can and do escape processing facilities.

HiTest so far has refused to disclose the proposed design of the smelter - and has NO EXPERIENCE in smelting operations. This is a gigantic warning sign for local residents because we are not dealing with a company that even understands what it is proposing to do.

Do we want to take this sort of gamble with our health, our children and our environment?

The company has also been dishonest about the claimed "jobs" figure that will supposedly employ locals. The Newport Miner has reported that about 100 new homes would need to be built to house employees. But we were told that these jobs would go to local residents - who already have places to live. This is clearly an indication that they will hire outside of the area as I have explained several times before.

Job skills at silicon smelting operations are not in Pend Oreille county's labor pool. If there are any local residents that have these skills, it would be very, very few. Therefore, it is not the current residents of Newport that will benefit (at all) from the smelter, but they're expecting us to live with the toxic effects. They can't even get this monstrosity built in Canada, so why should anyone allow this here?

Greg Dohrn, a Spokane 'consultant' that has been hired to help guide this process had claimed that "clean coal" will be used from Kentucky. This is absolutely dishonest. The term is totally false.

There simply is no such thing as "clean coal". All coal contains the same elements with differing levels of sulphur. Burning coals produce toxic by-products into the atmosphere. HitTest has not stated that they will use carbon capture technology to scrub the emissions, and it's extremely unlikely that they ever would.

From "Clean Coal: Fact or Fiction?" we learn -

Does it work?

So far, not well. Clean coal technology has not been widely deployed at a large scale in the U.S., and many clean coal projects have ended in failure. There are also ongoing debates about whether several common deployments of the technology actually reduce overall emissions.

And from "Is There Really Such A Thing As Clean Coal?" we learn -

• Sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain.
  • Nitrogen oxide that creates smog, and can burn lung tissue, make asthma worse, and leave people more susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases.
  • Particulates, or haze-producing soot or fly ash, that are a source of chronic bronchitis, make asthma worse, and which can even result in premature death. 
  • Mercury, a heavy metal that causes brain damage and heart problems. Half the man-mad mercury in the U.S. comes from coal.

There are thousands of website that discuss this (Google links) - but they all conclude that clean coal is a misnamed term generated by the coal industry to make the false claims that "coal is clean". Coal is not clean.

Moreover, HiTest has also claimed that "wood chips" would be burned in the silicon smelting process, which is another source for toxic emissions in the atmosphere. Atmosphere quality in Pend Oreille county is already at the limits, especially during fire season. HiTest proposes to make this even worse.

Why should we allow this so that a foreign company can make profits while ruining our environment and exposing residents to additional risks? The concept is patently absurd.

There is also the water quality, and usage of water. Once again, Dohrn makes a utterly ridiculous claim that the plant would only use about 300 gallons of water per day. This also reveals that Dohrn is totally unqualified as a consultant, because the average employee water use per day is 20 - 35 gallons per day. Office use is estimated at 15 gallons per day, per employee. Pend Oreille county already has some serious water violations - EWG Tap Water Database (for zipcode 99156, Newport).

While these are not significant numbers for the proposed employee size at the smelter, this only includes their personal use. HiTest has no idea how much water the plant itself will actually require - or how it will be safely disposed of (a huge issue) and how it will affect the watershed (this was a giant concern when they were considering the Usk location). Silicon smelters not only pollute the air with toxic chemicals, the also ruin the water. We do know that the amount of water used at other silicon smelters is far, far higher then what Dorhn has claimed.

Everything about this proposed project sends up repeated alarm bells to local residents. An inexperienced company who having been repeatedly rejected by their own neighbors in Canada, then Usk, then Addy is now trying to force their proposal upon Newport residents. And be warned - some State officials and County officials are going along with this.

The watershed for the new, new, new, and finally new location they desire is within the Spokane watershed. Spokane is already at acceptable air quality standards too and can't handle any more pollution.

HiTest has still avoided the entire topic of the Material Safety Data Sheets too. See this link for a brief introduction. HiTest proposes to transports hundreds of thousands of tons of coal, wood chips and sand through our communities and down our roads (including now, through Idaho, making this a far larger problem). Silicon smelters use and produce and array of toxic chemicals that must also be safely transported and disposed of.

The problems and logistics with this are immense and the risks to local residents are just as great. So far, HiTest has issued nothing but misleading statements, empty promises and vague claims on how they intend to handle all of this.

No, I absolutely do not trust this Canadian company to do right by Pend Oreille residents. They have been deliberately deceptive in Golden, B.C., then Usk, then Addy and now Newport. It's a pattern folks, again and again and again and again.

They've already demonstrated that we should kick them out of this county as being a toxic, unhealthy, environmentally hazardous company.

I absolutely do not trust Greg Dohrn (incompetent) or Mike Manus either (its already clear they are doing this for the money and have withheld information deliberately). They have aligned themselves against the wishes of local residents who live here.

"No Red Flags" - Are They Kidding? What do you call a toxic smelter being built in your backyard?

"No Red Flags" - Are They Kidding? What do you call a toxic smelter being built in your backyard?

The Newport Miner reports that HiTest Sands is still studying the Newport location for the toxic silicon smelter. Canadian company president Jayson Tymko says “We’re still in our due diligence phase”. Apparently, they claim they are getting the results of a number of studies connected on the Newport site to “decide if they go ahead”.

What incredible arrogance. It is not up to a Canadian company to build a toxic smelter in our backyard. It is up to the people of Newport and Pend Oreille county.
Currently county officials have been “less then forthcoming” about their plans and intentions - or notifying the public. Very few people seem to be aware of what is underfoot here. We only have county representatives to blame for this - and the media.

But this is typical behavior anytime something that might be unpopular or harmful is being built. It’s always easier to ask forgiveness later (or weakly apologize) then to gain permission from the people first.

We need to ask ourselves: Who’s county is this? Do county officials “own” Pend Oreille county? Or do we? We pay the taxes and elect these clowns to government - but so far, they’ve done a piss-poor job on keeping the real owners of this county informed.

If you read their comments (if you can find them or attend a meeting) there is little resistance to the intentions of HiTest Sand and the construction of a toxic silicon smelter that will absolutely ruin environmental quality here. We all know that air quality is a huge problem - but did you know that emission standards for Pend Oreille are already repeatedly violated? What do you suppose a silicon smelter will also do? They have a long track record of repeated environmental and air quality violations - everywhere they are built and operated.

Are we to suppose that HiTest Sand will be any different? I think not. The track record of the industry is to do what they’re trying to do here - build these toxic plants “somewhere else”. The residents of Golden, British Columbia well realized this fact - and rejected the HiTest plant there. So did Addy, right here in Washington.

Do you know the reason almost NO SILICON SMELTERS have been built in the United States? It is because once they are sited for proposed construction, they meet resistance at every level. Nobody wants this kind of operation anywhere around them. Multiple strategies have been tried to get this to pass "standards", but that's just one part of the process. Residents REJECT these things because there is just too much evidence against them.

Do you really want the "largest energy user in the state [Washington]" to drive up electricity prices here? Or suffer through the massive construction of what this will mean? (more damage to the local environment, power corridors and impact upon roadways, train traffic, dust, congestion and air quality).  Do we really want trainloads of COAL to be tracked through our county?

Newport residents had BETTER WAKE UP to what county officials are advocating. Their greed for a larger tax base is NOT NEEDED. The miniscule number of “promised jobs” will make no local residents or businesses any happier. Most of those jobs will be given to people who do not even live here due to the technical skills required.

The underhanded way that this proposed smelter is being “offered” to Newport is despicable. You NEED to call your county representatives and city representatives NOW and voice you objections to this entire sordid mess.

NOT IN MY BACKYARD - This is the voice that all Newport residents needs to shout out now (while you still can). This monstrosity is nothing to marvel at - smelting operations are toxic to the environment and will create lasting, long term health effects on everyone that is exposed. This Canadian company needs to leave Americans alone and go away.

Don’t accept the crumbs from the table of “offerings” they’re claiming. This is not good for Newport, not good for tourism, not good for local businesses, not good for your health and not good for the environment. Just say NO - and INFORM your representatives that NO is your firm answer.

If they go ahead with this - inform them that they will be REMOVED (elected or not - especially Mike Manus). Anger does go well when dealing with non-responsive, unaccountable people who go against the public they were hired to support.

Read the supporting documents on this website to understand what is at stake, the toxic chemicals that are involved and the long-standing health concerns that have already affected other people.

Pass this blog link on to other so that every resident is informed.