Attorneys representing opponents of the Pac West smelter proposal for a facility near Newport have sent a letter to the Washington Department of Ecology, with concerns about the process for permitting the smelter.
Last month, Pac West Silicon, a Canadian company, asked the Department of Ecology to begin the State Environment Policy Act , or “SEPA”, process, an environmental review of the proposal.
The Environmental Law and Land Use Clinic at Gonzaga University has sent a letter to Ecology on behalf of the group Responsible Growth Northeast Washington.
Of primary concern is the fact Ecology has proceeded to start the regulatory process without an actual application from the company seeking written permission for a state agency to move forward on the project.
“We don’t know what they’re proposing. We don’t know the size of it, we don’t know the process, we know nothing about the facility,” said Rick Eichstaedt, director of the law clinic.
Eichstaedt believes it is unprecedented for Ecology to start the SEPA process without the specifics that would be outlined in such an application by a company.
He says the public would need to know more about it before the scoping process, where public input in taken about how such a plant may affect the environment.
“I’m not sure if the applicant wants to avoid some of the costs associated with its own environmental review or if it's frankly some speculation by the company whether or not they are going to build the project so they don’t want to spend the time and money necessary to apply for the permit,” he says.
Eichstaedt says they are also asking Ecology to consider a pending lawsuit over whether a portion of the land sold to Pac West was invalid. He says a detailed environmental review may have to wait until that matter is settled.
Ecology officials say they plan to review the letter before offering any comment.
