Who gains from smelter?

Would to like a smelter in your back yard?

That’s the question people in the Newport area are wrestling with right now. For starters, who wants to look at this monstrosity with five-story-high smokestacks? The aesthetics (scenery/serenity) that drew many of us to this area could be just a memory.

Canadian HiTest Sands Inc. wants to expedite permitting process. Gov. Inslee calls this a “project of statewide significance,” which means thorough environmental studies may not be required.

This company has purchased 192 acres three miles south of Newport in a residential area. It is promising jobs (highest paying will go to engineers/professionals). Is it worth risking our residents’ health and destroying aesthetics to bring in a few jobs?

There are many issues that need to be addressed: health, property values, increased truck and rail traffic, air, noise and light pollution, water source, transparency and the experience of this company (its first smelter).

Who gains from this project? The few who get jobs, Newport (taxes) and the public utility district (providing electricity). How about the rest of us? I am trying to figure that out, and so far I can’t find anything that will add to the quality of our lives.

Christine Bishop

Blanchard