Over 1400 TONS of toxic air pollution to flood the Pend Oreille River Valley and surrounding region with just these two gasses! The real number is actually higher – but they won’t tell us!
As it is, we already know that Sulfur dioxide is a highly toxic, colorless, nonflammable gas. It is an environmental air pollutant with a pungent odor, dissolving in water very easily, adversely affecting water quality.
Both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide cause acid rain, as well as being central to the formation of fine particles (PM) and ground level ozone, both of which are associated with adverse health effects. Full details here on this:
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/1119#section=Top
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/1119#datasheet=lcss§ion=Top
http://www.icopal-noxite.co.uk/nox-problem/nox-pollution.aspx
Here are the facts - In their own words (HiTest Sand PSD Modeling Protocol)
1.1.1 Criteria Pollutant EmissionsWhat this means is air pollution will be significantly higher then what is normally allowed, polluting the entire town and region - these are their current estimates in tons per year:
“Preliminary calculations of the PSD pollutant emission increases attributable to the proposed project are presented in Table 1, with the applicable Significant Emission Rates (SERs). These preliminary calculations indicate the project’s NOx, CO, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, and greenhouse gas emission increases are expected to be greater than the applicable SERs.”
Right now - none of the toxic gasses and greenhouse emissions are being produced from the Newport site, but if HiTest has their way, our town will become a significant source of air pollution, greenhouse gasses and acid rain, affecting the quality of life for thousands of people.
There will also be a dramatic rise in particulate emissions as shown in this table. These particulates are also dangerous to human health (already covered here on this blog).
The lasting and toxic environmental effects from thousands of tons of these gasses being dumped into the atmosphere every single year will be our legacy to our children. This is not any kind of an exaggeration either - add up the columns for yourself, the number is staggering (in tons per year) - and they want to dump this shit right on top of our heads.
There's more - the primary Air Sampling Modeling data for Newport, Washington was erroneously based upon Deer Park, Washington – which has significantly different air quality and wind patterns then Newport!
Topographically, the Pend Oreille Lake and River Valley, which is surrounded by mountainous terrain is considerably different then Deer Park!
There are significant problems for this inaccurate data representation for Newport area residents. The input data used is not “spatially representative of the project site and also collected with known precision and accuracy”, nor does it represent 5 years as claimed.
This deception appears to be deliberate on initial inspection and is, at the very least, a gigantic oversight by the contracting company Ramboll Environ and HiTest, Inc. and more evidence that either they are being deliberately deceptive again – or have no idea of what they are doing.
Non-conforming modeling data was used - “The meteorological data planned for the modeling is inadequate and does not conform to the applicable regulations and modeling guidelines”
There is also concerns over the secondary ID41 instrumentation sited in Old Town, ID with “serious doubts on the overall ID41 data representativeness and data quality.”
Comments on Hi-Test Sand PSD Modeling Protocol Submitted by Kalispel Tribe of Indians
https://9b37abdd1c3135d9659b-298f012ea728efea7c302ad9a6f7bba0.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/knrd/Kalispel-Tribe-HiTest-Modeling-Protocol-Written-Comments-OCT-2017.pdf
Thousands of people in the surrounding communities feel as if we are being railroaded by HiTest, Pend Oreille County and State officials into forced acceptance of the silicon smelter in our town – and this “modeling protocol” is yet another example of the egregious disregard for Pend Oreille County and Bonner County ID residents.
It is beyond ridiculous to “assume” that the process being followed to date is remotely fair, honest, accurate, timely and representative of the entire community and how the silicon smelter will impact each and every one of us.
There is much more that we must all factor in – such as the gross misrepresentation of jobs to be represented in the local community, zoning violations, the impacts upon community life, traffic, noise and light pollution, the silicon dust hazard and the danger of silicosis for workers and residents.
Did you know that HiTest is not even planning to mitigate the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions? They intend to dump tons of these toxins directly into the air above Newport and Oldtown which will pollute the entire region.
HiTest has assumed that “jobs” are enticements enough for the Newport community to accept a smelting operation on the edge of their town – they are grossly mistaken. Very few jobs will be offered to local residents (under 35), while outsiders will take all the other jobs.
Nobody wants to be anywhere near a smelter, not even after they are shut down. They are unsafe, toxic and pose hazards to workers and residents, the environment and wildlife for decades.
You must fight for the quality of the air that you want to breath! If you don't - your town and your community will be saddled with a toxic smelter plant that will utterly ruin this community and what it is known for.
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