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Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter

Protecting the Future of Our Community

You are here: Home / Legal Efforts / CANSS Press Release

CANSS Press Release

June 7, 2018 By CANSS Chair

Citizens File Lawsuit to Stop Illegal Sale of Public Land to a Canadian Company for a Heavy Industrial Silicon Smelter

Contact:  CANSS Attorney, Norman Semanko 208-863-7921

June 7, 2018 – Spokane, WA – Two citizen groups have joined forces to file an action in State Superior Court, seeking to set-aside a series of illegal land sales from Pend Oreille County and the Pend Oreille Public Utility District (PUD) to a Canadian Company, HiTest Sand, Inc.  HiTest has proposed building a Silicon Smelter on the property, which is located just south of Newport, Washington, on the Washington-Idaho border.

Citizens Against Newport Silicon Smelter (“CANSS”) and Responsible Growth*Northeast Washington (“RG*NEW”) have filed a lawsuit, making good on their previous ‘Demand Letter’ to the PUD, in which the citizen groups requested that the illegal land sale to HiTest Sand, Inc. be unwound and the public land be returned.  Instead of declaring the land transactions void, the PUD responded by hiring an attorney and adopting a resolution, seeking to ‘cover up’ its illegal actions after the fact. Hundreds of individual residents of Pend Oreille County and PUD customers joined the two citizen groups in filing the complaint in the state court.

“It is a sad day when constituents of a local PUD have to take their District into litigation in order to have a voice in a public land transaction where their rights to vote were clearly violated,” said CANSS Board Chairman Deborah Barker, referring to a Washington State statute that requires an election to be held when a PUD seeks to sell non-surplus land. The Pend Oreille PUD did not hold an election before selling the property to HiTest.

“Pend Oreille County tax paying citizens had to file a legal complaint against their county in order to have a voice regarding life – altering decisions made by those whom they felt were trustworthy by voting them into public office,” added Barker. “Pend Oreille County sold property to the PUD, with full-knowledge that it would simply be passed-through to HiTest by the PUD for the planned smelter.”

“HiTest Sand, Inc. , a  Canadian Company, has been given a green light by a so called environmentally-minded Governor, State Senator and local officials to build a heavy industrial silicon smelter within feet from a dense rural residential area.” Barker said.

“But when those ‘back room’ deals – the ones that were kept on the ‘down low’ were revealed – citizens became outraged and rallied to fight for their rights, fight for their community and fight for their lives,” Barker concluded.

To view the press release click here –> Press Release

Filed Under: Legal Efforts

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We need your donations more than ever to keep moving forward! Please partner with us to protect our clean air, water, and rural way of life by using one of these convenient ways:

1. GoFundMe Campaign available at https://www.gofundme.com/STOPTHESMELTER
2. Deposit direct into our CANSS account at any Spokane Teachers Credit Union branch.
3. Mail your CANSS check to: PO Box 1347, Newport, WA 99156
4. PayPal below:

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Together, we say “No Newport Silicon Smelter” Not here! Not now! Not ever!

Our Mission

Stop Hi Test Sand (now known as PacWest Silicon) from building a proposed smelter in our dense rural residential area.

Our Purpose

Bring public awareness by providing factual information, host public meetings, and maintain a Lawyer to aid in this cause.

Our commitment

CANSS is ready to do everything legally within our means to stop the proposed silicon smelter. Through generous citizen support, we have retained legal counsel taking our cause into the judicial system.

We are happy to work alongside other groups and individuals determined to stop the smelter; each of us being responsible for our own actions, intentions and agenda.

As we stand firm to protect our clean air, water and rural way of life that draws people to this area, CANSS continues to encourage growth not detrimental to the populace or environment.

CANSS is dedicated to serve the citizens in our area. We are the voice of the people!

No Newport Silicon Smelter!

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