Report by Pamela Morris on the August 7Havre meeting with EPA on the EIS permit   

 

7 PM hearing  

Approximately, of the 56 audience members, 35 testified, with about equal numbers for and against.  We had to leave before the last ten spoke, but of the 25 I heard, speakers for the plant included: 3 GFcity reps. incl. John L. and Colleen; several SME officials; a local electrical engineer, a couple Colstrip area residents, and a few Central Montana farmers.  

Speakers against included Curt Vincent, HavreÕs sanitation engineer, Rep Jonathon Windy Boy and 4 Stone Child College instructors, Vicki and Mert Freyholtz, and Aart/Stuart/Kathy/ Pamela.  All of whom are to be commended for their testimony. I especially applaud the contribution of Jonathan Windy Boy and The People toward preserving a clean and healthy environment and planning for the future seven generations. Their testimony was particularly impressive.

 

 

What we learned: 

á       We four who rode together (Aart, Stuart, Kathy, and Pamela) agreed that we CCE people, as individuals, need to communicate our concerns to the EPA board about particular details in the Environmental Impact Statement.  These have to be postmarked by August 30.   

                  (I will make disk copies of the draft EIS for anyone who wants one.  Email me at     pml@imt.net      .)

á       SME will loose its energy contracts between 2008 and 2011 and, therefore, feels a pressing need to have the coal plant in production without delay.

á       Because concerns have surfaced about the #1 siteÕs location as it is on the Lewis and Clark portage route, attention has turned toward the #2 site, the Industrial Park (the malting plant area).

á       We citizens of Great Falls need to take our city back.  Our elected and appointed officials have developed Òselective hearingÓ and are not hearing us!  We need to make ourselves more vocal and more visible.

  

My assessments:   The 5-7 pre-hearing reception was significant in as much as the EPA hearing officials were very much present and listened intently in on the various conversations.    The overall tone of the gathering left me with the decided opinion that SME parties are feeling threatened (offering numerous accusations and fear-based statements); this was in sharp contract to the positive, caring and poised attitudes reflected by CCE people.                   -Namaste,   Pamela