Kalispel Tribe Rejects Invitation "Offer" from Pend Oreille County Commissioners

Kalispel Tribe Rejects Invitation "Offer" from Pend Oreille County Commissioners

Everyone should be carefully studying the shenanigans going on with our County Commissioners. I've seen enough to know that Steve Kiss, Karen Skoog and Mike Manus are directly involved and supporting the smelter development. You can read their crimes activities here.

In early October, 2017 the Kalispel Tribe was invited to participate in a "HiTest Executive Committee" scheme devised by the Commissioners. The Tribe saw through this immediately.

This is their response: (link here - http://pendoreilleco.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Kalispel-HiTest-Exec-Comm-Invitiation-Reply.pdf)

Copy of the letter is below (bolded emphasis is mine):

Thank you for the invitation to serve on the HiTest Executive Committee and for recognizing the Kalispel Tribe as a sovereign nation and valued community partner. The Tribe is committed to working with you and other community leaders to evaluate the potential risks and benefits of the proposed smelter; however, it would be premature for us to serve on a committee whose stated objective is to support an industrial development we know next to nothing about. The Tribe has done a considerable amount of research on existing silicon smelter and has yet to identify one that does not generate substantial amount of air pollution. We feel the burden is on HiTest to earn the community’s support by providing data that proves the smelter will provided good jobs without compromising the air and natural resources that are central to our way of life.

If we have misunderstood the objective of the Executive Committee, please let me know. The Tribe is willing to appoint a Council member to sit on the Executive Committee if other Committee members are willing to reserve their support for the the smelter until HiTest proves that it belongs in our community.

Glen Nenema
Chairman, Kalispel Tribe of Indians

Now that is a fantastic letter. The Kalispel Tribe has indeed done considerable research, and has reviewed the Preliminary Air Quality Report contracted out by HiTest that proves they fudged the data, and misrepresented numerous critical facts.

The Tribe is clear on what we must all remember - Pend Oreille County Commissioners have totally failed to represent a fair, unbiased, uncompromising perspective regarding the hazards and dangers of a silicon smelter over the town of Newport and the surrounding region.

The Kalispel Tribe's support for a healthy, safe community is admirable. They've been fighting not only for their nation, but for ours too. And we should thank them for their continued efforts.

You also need to know this fact - Pend Oreille County Commissioners have tried to sabotage the Tribe's request for Class 1 Air Quality designation:

There is no merit in the request for the air quality redesignation. A new classification may discourage companies from bringing their business to Pend Oreille County. We ask that you consider the adverse effects of this designation could bring to our county as well as bordering counties.

All three Commissioners are colluding against the Tribe. Moreover, there is no merit to the constantly claimed "net environmental benefit" which has totally failed to consider the full environmental and health impacts, the actual amount of pollutants emitted, the life cycle carbon footprint of silicon processing and the further full effects upon the environment and human health by the required additional processing into silicon chips suitable for solar panels.

This is not a “green” industry in the slightest - silicon and solar panel processing is extremely pollutive and causing enormous environmental damage with a large carbon footprint when correctly measured. There is no net environmental benefit - which means that the "threshold" required of HiTest Sands, Inc., was really never met and therefore, invalid as a qualified company to meet the Project of Statewide Significance requirements. The only way to demonstrate a "net benefit" is to selectively choose what is measured, which is exactly what happened.

The whole silicon scam being foisted on Pend Oreille County and how it came to even be is based on endless lies and deceptions, County collusion with a foreign corporation, Washington State officials ineptitude and incompetence and more then a little "grease" in the form of grants, public money, and cheap electricity promises.

The "HiTest Executive Committee" is a joke (already) and will be staffed with smelter supporters who fully intend to come to the pre-determined conclusions already set - build the damn thing and poison the town. Don't fall for it.

Pend Oreille County officials are continuing to proceed without honesty, integrity, or disclosure - despite the facts. It's time for a recall - on ALL THREE COMMISSIONERS - NOW.