The Journal, Mason County’s weekly community newspaper, has a distinctly arrogant tone and editorial policy toward critics of BioMassacre.  But in the 21st century, WE are the media!  The Journal is unlikely to be around in 5 years judging from the thinness of its advertising section, its antipathy toward its own readers, and pending legislation allowing legal notices on the internet.  Accordingly, this community blog/news site attempts to provide that which The Journal cannot or will not.

Having insufficient time to adequately edit the video tapes of the many speakers who contributed their views at the recent ORCAA Hearing held at the Shelton Civic Center, they will be uploaded to youtube.com with links to the same listed below in chronological order.  Any comments helping identify the unnamed speakers will be appreciated.  As uploads to youtube.com take considerable time, please check back often to monitor progress toward posting them all.

The public hearing was a legally required charade.  ORCAA can’t recall ever denying a permit application.  Adage imported a bevy of outside union members eager for the temporary jobs they anticipated building the BioMassacre scaffold on which the company seeks to hang the community for corporate profits.  The visitors ignored a plea to stand in solidarity with the community rather than adopt the corporate agenda.

Retired Health & Toxicologist Expert criticizes Adage proposal

One of the 1st speakers (name?) recounted her career as a health and toxicology expert who found the Adage proposal alarming and failing the standards needed to protect the health of the community.

Matt awaits reincarnation as Jay Hupp

Mr. Matoyoshi reads a prepared statement extolling ORCAA while advising any who may criticize it state their credentials while failing to mention the basis for his own exultation. He goes on to herald the jobs presumed but ignores mention of those that will be displaced along with the damage to the environment, our health, community and quality of life.

Retired Health and Toxicologist expert criticizes Adage BioMassacre proposal followed by Matt Matoyoshi, EDC director and  wannabe in waiting for reincarnation as Jay Hupp/Tim Sheldon.  (Tim is currently undergoing auto beatification.)  Matt attempts to divert attention from the negative health impact by focusing on 24 promised jobs while ignoring the 100’s that will be displaced/eliminated if the project goes forward.

Toxicologist vs. Matoyoshi

Shelton resident, Linda Brewer, questions ORCAA’s competency

Shelton resident, Linda Brewer, questions ORCAA’s competency and nebulous statistical references followed by expressions of concern for her family’s health and our air quality resulting from the proposed Adage BioMassacre project.

Linda Brewer questions ORCAA competency

Retired Construction lawmaker Marvin Slawson overstates Adage case

Retired construction lawmaker Marvin Slawson overstated the case for Adage’s BioMassacre incinerator by claiming its high temperatures and bag-house would eliminate any toxins and pollutants from its exhaust.  Mr. Slawson omitted mention of the fact that high temperatures exacerbate NOX emissions (contributing to acid rain and lung disease), while bag-houses fail to remove the most dangerous PM2.5 particulates, radioactive Cesium and Strontium 90 along with hundred of tons of other toxins/pollutants admitted in Adage’s own permit application.  Mr. Slawson destroyed much of his credibility by failing to acknowledge those facts.  He went on to characterize the BioMassacre proposal as a ‘money maker’ but never claimed residency in Mason County.  He wore a boilermakers union T-shirt like those worn by the other visitors from that labor organization.

Marvin Slawson overstates case for Adage BioMassacre proposal

Local resident Warren Hoffman challenges BioMassacre logic

Local resident, Warren Hoffman, argues the Adage SEPA permit application admits plans to discharge hundreds of tons of toxins and pollutants into the already compromised air and local environment.  He points to the effects the resulting acid range will have on our watershed, streams, and estuaries.  He asks if this will destroy shell-fish farming in our area.  Mr. Hoffman criticizes the overwhelming influx of diesel truck traffic expected to accompany a massive BioMassacre incinerator such as Adage proposes.

Warren Hoffman speaks against BioMassacre siting and pollution

Ralph Drexler reads vote of confidence in ORCAA from Realtors assoc.

Allen resident Ralph Drexler reads prepared statement attributed to Realtors association applauding ORCAA.  Allen will be downwind from the Adage BioMassacre incinerator’s plume if it is built.

Ralph Drexler endorses ORCAA

Leon Leonarard, air quality consultant and registered engineer

Leon Leonard, an air quality consultant and registered engineer criticizes the slack air pollution standards Adage proposes for its BioMassacre facility.  He contrasts these with the far more robust standards implemented in other biomass incinerators around the country.

Leon Leonard, air quality consultant, criticizes Adage

Paul Jones and Union visitors violate Hearing rules while plugging ‘jobs’

Paul Jones of Olympia, Union rep, and his visiting membership offended local residents with an orchestrated violation of the hearing rules while plugging for temporary ‘jobs’ they believe Adage will furnish them.  Scant attention was given by any of their scripted testimony to community sentiment, health, or quality of life.  It was entirely about the money.  The pleas of the community fell on the deaf ears of our visiting brothers and sisters in organized labor who turned their backs on local residents.

Paul Jones of Olympia, union rep, turns back on local community

Curtis Winters pumps ‘jobs’ from Adage in face of community opposition

Curtis Winters, a visiting painter by trade and native American, pumps ‘jobs’ promised by Adage from its BioMassacre planned project.  The words in Chief Sealth’s letter to the President have long been forgotten if ever encountered by this citizen.  Now, rather than the environment, it’s all about the money.  The corporate agenda trumps community values.

Curtis Winters, visiting painter & native American, disregards community values

Mike O’Connor foretells death of Oakland Bay

Mike O’Connor, environmental consultant, forecasts the effect acid rain and heavy metals from Adage’s BioMassacre incinerator will have on Oakland Bay, its shellfish and estuaries.

Mike O\’Connor, environmental consultant, foretells death of Oakland Bay

Steve Bloomfield, oblivious to Dioxin/heavy metal impact on his product

Steve Bloomfield, Oakland Bay shellfish farmer, remains oblivious to the economic impact heavy metals and Dioxin contamination will have on his product.  Despite Washington State Dept. of Ecology’s glib assurances, Shelton Harbor is a hotbed of Dioxin contamination…the highest in the Puget Sound region…with sediment samples ranging from 175 ppt to as high as 902 ppt.  Few distant markets are currently aware of this extremely high incidence of Dioxin contamination in our local bays and estuaries.  No monitoring of current stack emissions for Dioxin is being done or scheduled in the future.  No cleanup effort is envisioned.  The plan, according to Washington’s Dept. of Ecology is to simply leave the Dioxin where it lies.  The Army Corps of Engineers refuses to allow the Port to dispose of any dredging material in open water, requiring upland disposal at 10x/20x the cost instead.

Steve Bloomfield, shellfish farmer, incongruously welcomes Adage pollution

Mary Chilton protests impact Adage incinerator will have on her home

Mary Chilton, a resident goatherd and gardener in the Grapeview area, protests the impact Adage’s BioMassacre incinerator pollutants will have on her home and coming generations.  She is a retired school teacher who taught biology and health care, master gardener, and expert Nubian goat breeder.

Mary Chilton, resident goatherd & gardener, protests Adage pollutants

April Heron cites existing pollution & electricity needs

April Heron (sic?), local 26 pipe-fitter, argues existing pollution, electricity needs, and few alternatives justify Adage’s BioMassacre.  She also repeats the ‘jobs’ mantra.  She omits the adequacy of the Pacific NorthWest’s hydro electrical capacity for its needs while suggesting that because automobiles in the area aren’t required to undergo regular air pollution certification, BioMassacre is the answer to a problem we don’t have in western Washington.  Yes, Dupe Energy has a problem.  It’s a filthy, predatory, rapacious anachronism squatting on innumerable coal plants across the nation.  It’s CO2 footprint is monstrously huge.  It knows the jig is up.  It’s dying gasps for corporate immortality rest on burning NorthWest forests to acquire carbon credits in a regulatory Cap and Trade arena.  But BioMassacre is DIRTIER than coal!  That’s right.  Wood incineration generates MORE CO2 per kilowatt/hour produced than coal…by about a factor of 2x.  Carbon-Neutral?  Hardly!  Unless you’re in the habit of cashing post dated checks you’ll wait 50-100 years or more to have honored…if ever, assuming this kind of instant long term carbon debt is the height of folly straight from The Emperor’s New Clothes.  Yet educated fools repeat the fool’s refrain in every direction.  They will, unfortunately, continue to do so until the MONEY runs out…because that, in the end, is what this is all about.

Finally she resorts to the ‘jobs’ rationale, implying we effectively should sell our children and ignore community opposition to Adage’s permit application. Adage’s electrical generating capacity will be sold to California while local residents endure the pollution, decline in health, and environmental destruction.  April could be a soul mate of Interior Secretary James Watt, who believed environmental conservation was superfluous because Jesus was coming soon.  April’s reasoning goes something like this:  Things suck.  Until they’re better, there’s no sense in trying to make a difference now.  Besides (she says), she hasn’t had her car inspected when she buys tabs, so that means Adage should have a place at the table while the rest of us choke on its hubris.  April’s critical reasoning ability is now apparent…a single dimensional analysis that ignores the multitude of other critical factors including forest sustainability, community sentiment, health warnings from medical experts, existing Dioxin contamination, PM2.5 emissions, proximity to densely populated residential areas, non-point diesel truck traffic emissions, traffic fatality statistics, public infrastructure burden, forest based cottage industry and tourism displacement, real estate value decline, acid rain, and the bankrupting of the community’s quality of life.  April’s analysis is a bit like listening to a school girl’s evaluation of her maiden aunt’s virtue.  Don’t quit your day job, April!

If yours truly sounds more than unusually irritated with April, it’s because her argument is especially vacuous.  Residents deserve better from a young woman who should be thinking about the world she’s creating for the community’s children.

April Heron, local 26 pipe-fitter, adopts Adage and Dupe Energy agenda

dissembled residency from Lake Cushman vacation cabin

Mr. Letinich, a labor council rep from the Vancouver, WA. area implied he was a Mason County resident by mentioning ownership of a Lake Cushman vacation cabin.  He suggested that because laborers receive training in Kingston on how to dispose of asbestos, etc. the community should trust them and our government to protect us from the hazardous materials and toxins that will be emitted by Adage’s BioMassacre facility, so not to worry. He mentioned no special expertise in this regard and did not address the medical community’s warnings along with other health experts about the health impact on residents and children from the proposed incinerator and associated diesel truck traffic.

David J. Letinich, labor council rep from Vancouver, WA. embraces Adage

Bob Stone objects to ‘green’ washing as all about the money

Local resident Bob Stone objects to use of the misnomer, ‘green’ as simply a ruse for those standing to profit from the destruction of the local environment, our health, and quality of life. He asks that the Adage permit application be denied, and our quality of life be preserved. Unlike the visiting proponents waiting to profit from Adage’s BioMassacre scheme at the community’s expense, Mr. Stone has lived in Mason County 40+ years.

While the ORCAA hearing was designated as a forum to discuss air quality and Adage’s proposed permit application on the same, the visiting proponents repeatedly opined about the ‘jobs’ and money they might receive, disregarding community sentiment against it and the destruction of what residents hold dear.

Local resident Bob Stone objects to ‘green’ washing

Randy Netherlin pumps jobs & law, ignores call for quality of life & air

Randy Netherlin heralded ‘jobs’ promised by Adage provided its BioMassacre proposal meets legal requirements.  He emphasized no party or interest group should be above the law.  He made no comment on how the existing laws governing the permitting process were created under the likes of Tim Sheldon and other politicians corrupted by corporate money/consideration and conflicts of interest.  One resident called on him to address the pollution issues for which the hearing was being held.  Randy brushed her off and failed to do so.  For him, it was all about the money.

Randy Netherlin, Port of Allen Commissioner, focuses on jobs over air pollution

Ms. Schumacher, local shellfish worker, tells of weakened shellfish

Ms. Schumacher, a local farmer & shellfish worker, tells of weakened shellfish, polluted bays and estuaries, and reminds attendees of the recent Gulf of Mexico disaster.  She votes no confidence in our goverment agencies charged with environmental oversight of Adage’s BioMassacre scheme. She cites the poor track record of corporations and regulatory agencies in reaching her conclusion.

Ms Schumacher votes no confidence in agencies charged with environment

Jeff argues smokestack will improve environment, need for electricity

Jeff Nichols, a Montesano union electrician, argues Adage’s smokestack will improve air quality and the environment because he saw slash being burned in Ocean Shores.  The relatively tiny amount of slash currently burned in the Chehalis Air Gab (28,000 T/yr and slated to go to zero) escaped mention.  But Jeff found time to extol the virtues of the ALTA coal burning plant in Centralia.  After questioning local residents about their sincerity over air quality, he went on to pronounce the electricity anticipated from Adage’s BioMassacre scheme had to come from somewhere and claimed ‘we’ needed it.  Currently, the Pacific NorthWest does not need additional electricity and pays about 1/3 per kilowatt/hour what Adage will be demanding for its generating capacity.  Mr. Nicholson would be undaunted by the fact woody biomass incineration is dirtier than coal since he favors both irrespective of how the material to fuel either is extracted.

Jeff Nichols, Montesano union electrician, questions community sincerity

Kathryn Price objects to ORCAA’s failure to publish/acknowledge health warnings

Kathryn Price, local activist, resident, and blogger criticizes ORCAA’s failure to publish hearing in a local newspaper of general circulation or to acknowledge the many warnings from medical experts regarding the health impact Adage’s BioMassacre pollution of air quality will have on residents.

Kathryn Price objects to ORCAA\’s failure to publish/acknowledge medical warnings

Donald Jones rhymes for clean alternatives to BioMassacre

Local resident Donald Jones urges clean alternatives such as wind and solar to Adage’s BioMassacre scheme.  With rhyme and verse, he portrays a vision that could save the community from choking on the exhaust of criminal corporations such as Adage and Dupe Energy.

Donald Jones urges clean alternatives to Adage such as wind and solar

Charles Schwartz, union carpenter, says jobs trump seniors/retired

Charles Schwartz describes himself as a local union carpenter.  He disparages the concerns of seniors and retired residents as secondary to ‘jobs’.  Mr. Schwartz gave no mention of the children and community health residents sought to protect.

Charles Schwartz, union carpenter seeking work, disparages seniors/retired

Resident Debra Soper cites poor track record of agencies and industry

Deborah Soper, local resident, condemns government agencies and industry based on their poor track record, failure to protect, and inadequate safeguards.  She argues more emphasis needs to be given to preventing disasters such as the Gulf of Mexico disaster rather than management by crisis after the harm is realized. She pleads with an indifferent ORCAA to protect the community.

Connie Simpson cites government misfeasance, failure to protect

Local registered nurse Connie Simpson warns ORCAA of the death and sickness she has witnessed as a result of air pollution induced illness.  She opposes Adage’s BioMassacre project on that basis while pointing to children and the elderly as the most vulnerable. Connie cites expert medical opinion about the harm done by the pollutants Adage concedes it will be emitting.  She notes her own asthma didn’t materialize until she moved to Mason County.  Ms Simpson debunks the ‘slash’ burning myth by pointing out very little is now burned, even less will be in the near future.  She criticizes such projects as fueled by incongruous profligate government funding, characterizing Adage’s BioMassacre proposal as a cynical ‘greenwash’ sham.  Connie characterizes BioMassacre as caveman technology and calls for an EIS (environmental impact study).  The anticipated increase in diesel truck traffic is damned and the unspecified schedule of monitoring/logging pollutants is criticized.

Ros tells of husband’s tragic poisoning by ASARCO and lax regulations

Roslynn Reed (native American and local resident) tells of how her husband was crippled by air pollution and ASARCO when she and he lived in Ruston (the site of the ASARCO smokestack and smelter).  He incurred the injury while attempting to build a greenhouse, via the contaminated soil in their back yard to which he was exposed, for his wife by their home.  He suffers and continues to be in pain to this day. ASARCO ceased to exist when the lawsuits started to roll in.  She and her husband never received compensation from ASARCO or the government for the debilitating injury just as Adage as an LLC is poised to evaporate out of existence when efforts are made to hold it accountable.  Dupe Energy (Adage’s owner) has anticipated such liability and sought to insulate itself by creating a shell holding company…ADAGE.

Debra Soper condemns agency failures, Connie Simpson cites resulting deaths, Roslynn Reed tells of ASARCO poisoning husband

James Bell cites Dupe Energy’s poor record of honoring union agreements

James Bell, a Union resident, warns of a decline in tourism if the smokestack Adage proposes in its BioMassacre scheme is built.  He references Dupe Energy’s (Adage’s owner) poor record in adhering to terms reached with unions across the U.S.  He suggests they should not be trusted to keep promises made.

Resident paralegal John Smith invites union members to stand with the community against predatory corporate agendas.  He argues the community and unions are each others natural allies who should seek solidarity through common cause.  Natural rights/guarantees to Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness and how air quality is an essential ingredient under those designations are emphasized along with the sham ORCAA is orchestrating without any real consideration of community values/sentiments and objections.  He warns the community ORCAA can’t recall ever denying a permit application.

John Smith invites unions to stand w/community; James Bell argues Adage can’t be trusted

Ken questions numbers and doubts future of Adage project

Ken Latimer cites his family’s long history in the community. He challenges the meaning of ORCAA’s data while predicting a failure of Adage’s proposed project based on stale assumptions. Ken pleads for the health of the community and its children.  The audience applauds for his stirring expression of community sentiment.

Ken Latimer calls BioMassacre a dinosaur

Kevin forecasts forest fire disasters without BioMassacre

Kevin argues BioMassacre needs to be implemented to avoid disastrous forest fires.  He beams with reports of European nations and eastern schools burning their forests to extract energy/heating.

Kevin Morris supports BioMassacre

Dorothy and her family object to Adage proposed air pollution

Dorothy Miklin and family object to BioMassacre induced air pollution proposed by Adage. She suggests the community does not need another area air polluter.  She points out several other corporations are waiting to follow suit should the Adage incinerator be permitted.  Given Adage’s electrical generating capacity (but not the pollution which is dirtier than coal) will be sold in California, she asks why the facility isn’t being built there…or, she continues, are their environmental laws/regulations better than ours?

Dorothy Miklin and family condemn BioMassacre

Jane Clark miscalculates slash burning proportions

Jane Clark admits she isn’t as invested in the community as residents, but expresses an affinity for clean air.  Yet she bases her conclusions on the erroneous assumption that the BioMassacre Adage proposes would be fueled by woody material slated to be burned in our forests as ‘slash’.  In fact, only 28,000 T/yr are currently burned in the entire Chehalis Air Gap (Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Mason) which is slated to go to ZERO under proposed more stringent regulations.  Adage proposes to burn 604,00 T/yr which, combined with Simpson’s proposed 400,000 T/yr will total over a Million T/yr burned in our community alone.

Jane Clark miscalculates BioMassacre slash impact on air quality

Janice says ‘jobs’ not worth risk to community

Janice Charles expresses regret on having moved from Camano Island to an area considering BioMassacre siting.  She believes the ‘jobs’ promised are not worth the risk to the community.

Janice Charles regrets moving to BioMassacre site

Tammy cites sons taking out of area jobs as green light for Adage

Tammy St Paul appreciates clean air and trusts Adage’s BioMassacre scheme.  She feels the risk to air quality and the community’s health is worth the promised ‘jobs’ payoff.  She does not speak of the forest based cottage industries and tourism that will be displaced nor quality of life or community sentiment. She cites her sons taking out of area jobs as the basis for her conclusion.  Presumably they will be tempted to return to Mason County and Shelton once it becomes a gateway to industrial slums.

Tammy StPaul trusts Adage, feels BioMassacre jobs worth risk

Dianne emphasizes importance of seniors to community’s quality of life

Having moved here from California to retire, Dianne reminds listeners of the importance of seniors to the economy and well being of the community.  She states, had she known of a pending BioMassacre facility, she would never have become a resident.  She argues the regional quality of life is as dependent on seniors like her as the youth.

Dianne Rosler regrets moving to BioMassacre site

Joel says wood stoves and jobs justify BioMassacre incinerator

Joel Perry of 750 Pickering states he favors the Adage BioMassacre scheme because residents have wood stoves and some commute to out of area jobs.  He alleges area youth will find not only jobs, but careers with Adage despite the poor labor relations and pay track record of Dupe Energy.  Adage’s current PR reps, Jim Gaston and Tom DuPonte, are paid a relative pittance (~$35,000/yr?) for their work.  It is anticipated Adage employees will receive less than Washington State’s median income for their family size. One could ask for a look at their health care plan provided by Adage.  Judging by Mr. Gaston, it’s sub-par if it exists.  These assertions would be consistent with the criminal history and environmental scofflaw behavior of Dupe Energy.

Joel Pickering of 750 Pickering favors BioMassacre and Adage, cites wood stoves

Mr. Watson lists reasons why Adage incinerator will morph into monster

Harstine Island resident Conley Watson warns of how the ‘design & build’ specs submitted to ORCAA are subject to unregulated change orders.  He gives the example of how Adage now plans on using diesel as a startup fuel rather than the less noxious natural gas previously proposed.  Adage PR rep Jim Gaston defended the change by citing the cost of the cleaner fuel.  Before Adage has even left the starting gate, it is already cutting corners at the expense of the community and its air quality contrary to one proponent’s claim Adage would use only the ‘best’ technology in order to protect the environment.  The distinction between ‘BACT’ and ‘MACT’ technology was lost on that supporter.  Adage refuses to use the better more expensive MACT process.

Mr. Watson challenges ORCAA by asking how they can approve a boiler that has not been built or tested yet.

Resident Conley Watson warns of design & build changes in store

Ms Byrd recalls becoming violently ill swallowing government assurance

Resident Susan Byrd criticizes the slated BioMassacre and predicts the Adage incinerator’s obsolescence becoming a dinosaur with which the community will be stuck.  She recalls becoming violently ill as a child when swallowing government supplied fluoride tablets after receiving agency assurances.  Susan references the poor health and property values suffered by Tacoma residents as a result of becoming an industrial slum. She failed to mention Shelton is already the cancer capital of Washington State, i.e. has the highest incidence of that illness which experts reckon is caused almost exclusively by environmental hazards/chemical pollutants.

Visitor Todd Mitchell welcomes Adage, Resident Susan Byrd condemns it

James asserts slash will fuel Adage while meeting air quality guidelines

Local James Chavez reads scripted statement favoring Adage.  He argues ‘slash’ will fuel the incinerator and government regulations will protect the community.  He urges the permit be issued to allow it to be built.

Local James Chavez reads script favoring BioMassacre

Ms. Hartley cites and gives expert testimony against Adage project

Local Nurse Practicioner Deborah Hartles cites and gives expert testimony against the proposed Adage BioMassacre.  She warns there is no safe level of exposure to the massive amounts of PM2.5 particles which will escape Adage’s ‘bag house’ unimpeded.  She tells of how exposure leads to lung and heart disease as well as diabetes.  She describes the non-point unregulated pollution from the expected fleet of diesel trucks which are predicted to emit 7x the pollution from the Adage incinerator itself, how this will sicken children and the elderly among the most vulnerable.  Finally, Deb adds that Mason County ranks 35th out of 37 Washington Counties as almost the worst for the health of its residents.

Local Nurse Practicioner Deborah Hartley testifies against BioMassacre

Wendy concludes BioMassacre avoids shipping slash to landfills

Wendy Ervin recalled her family history in the area dating back to Teddy Roosevelt.  She reasoned disposal of forest slash involved shipping it to landfills which incurs transportation costs.  She cites the need to dispose of waste by some means, concluding incineration is just the ticket. It wasn’t clear whether she was including urban waste streams in her reasoning.

Local Wendy Ervin argues forest duff/slash is risky

Union Steward John Cox cites long term harm done for temporary jobs

John Cox, resident and union steward, argues too few temporary jobs don’t justify the long term (decades) harm and environmental disaster Adage’s BioMassacre scheme would visit upon Mason County residents.  John and his wife, Christine Armond, live downwind directly across the bay from the area’s worst current air polluting corporation (Simpson/Green Diamond) atop Puget Sound’s worst hot spot of Dioxin contamination.

Local John Cox opposes BioMassacre as too few jobs for harm done

Eric mis-characterizes BioMassacre as ‘green’ and carbon-neutral

Struggling to interpret Adage’s scripted talking points, visiting boilermaker Eric Grivin, lionizes BioMassacre as ‘green’, carbon-neutral, best technology, environmentally responsible and beneficial despite expert testimony to the contrary and obvious community hostility to the proposal. He labels residents’ complaints as ‘bashing’. Eric glibly asserts the craftsmen are concerned about air quality, calling them ‘environmentalists’. Basically, he asserts BioMassacre will improve/clean the environment through a smokestack built by union labor and Adage.

Visiting Boilermaker Eric Grivin struggles to lionize Adage from script

Tom Davis condemns ORCAA’s misfeasance and irresponsibility

Tom Davis, a lifelong union member and local realtor, challenges ORCAA to meet its responsibility to residents slated to be exposed to the BioMassacre and air pollution proposed by Adage.  He cites shifting regulatory requirements and the 3-year federal EPA moratorium imposed to consider the merits of biomass air quality pollution. Tom suggests ORCAA’s rush to judgment in the face of community opposition, expert medical opinion, new science on the devastating health impact of micro-fine particulates impossible to remove from wood fueled incinerator emissions, destruction of the local forest based cottage industries and quality of life reveal the agency is a sham subject to pressure from vested special interests, politicians, and wealthy corporations like Adage.

Lifelong Unionist & Local Realtor Tom Davis condemns ORCAA

(More as uploads progress…)

Because Adage is a limited liability company, by definition it is hedging its liability bets. Many arguments by its apologists were heard this night claiming the public was at little or no risk and it was going to be a boon to the community. But if that were so, why would Ariva and Dupe Energy feel compelled to distance themselves so completely from accountability for its impact? Like Asarco, when the damage is tolled, the company will vanish under law.

Packed Shelton Civic Center ORCAA hearing

Turnout was heavy (250+) for both the afternoon and evening session of the ORCAA Hearing held for public comment on 1-31-11 in the Shelton Civic Center.  The convenience of a local venue contributed to the numbers.

Visitors bored by community town hall meeting

Many familiar faces were present along with some not so much.  The least of these were the members of organized labor unions from surrounding counties urged by Adage reps to attend in a show of support it knew was lacking in the community.  The visiting union members were easily identified by their hard hats, orange T-shirts, union logos and Adage stickers liberally festooned in every conceivable space on their outer garments including those that proclaimed “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.”

Visitors encounter distant drummers

Tom Duponte and Jim Gaston (Adage PR shills) attended.  Notably absent were our elected County and Port Commissioners with the exception of Jack Miles despite a recent invitation extended for them to come to the barrio and listen to the community.  This hearing, intensely moderated, would have been an ideal opportunity to do so if they had a scintilla of desire to represent residents in a responsible way.  Commissioner Jerry Lingle was absent despite his vow of willingness to listen.  Failed candidate Brenda Hirschi was absent, as was Nancy Williams, Justin Stang, and a host of others.  Whether this was a result of ennui or resignation isn’t clear.

Duff demands ORCAA comply with EPA CO2 standards set in July, 2010

Duff Badgley argued for ORCAA abiding by federal and State law with respect to CO2 emission regulations/constraints imposed by the EPA as of July, 2010, thereby making its 3-year moratorium on the same moot under Washington law.

Mr. Bricklin, CCMC attorney, speaks out against BioMassacre

Mr. Bricklin, the environmental attorney hired by CCMC (concerned citizens) spoke out in opposition to the Adage permit application, characterizing ORCAA’s preliminary permit recommendation as premature and unlawful.

Shawnie Vedder, shutterbug

Yours truly reached out to our brothers and sisters in the labor movement, challenging them to stand with the community rather than ally themselves with a predatory corporation such as Adage.  Reference to our inalienable rights described in the Declaration of Independence was made.  Jack Miles reminded ORCAA the people do not cede their sovereignty to the instruments of government conceived to serve them.

Gordon Lance, ORCAA engineer, recommends Adage application be permitted

The union members gulled into attending were as identifiable by their rhetoric as their appearance.  Unlike the varied testimony by residents, much was thinly veiled/coached arguments from Adage’s well worn play book.   As the meeting wore on, visible boredom overtook the visitors while residents remained singularly focused on the proceedings.

Ros tells of husband's tragic poisoning at the hands of Asarco

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During the break, one boilermaker opined tradesmen had more expertise on air pollution generated by industry than the Mason County medical community who (along with national medical expert organizations) had issued a formal declaration warning of the health effects Adage’s plant would bring as a result of the toxins released.  Another spoke of how boilermakers were ‘environmentalists’.

They have no voice, they have no choice.

Many of the tired arguments advanced by Adage apologists, such as carbon-neutrality, jobs, smokestack prosperity, and vilification of environmentalists displayed the gap remaining to edify all the stakeholders in this ongoing saga.  It is huge.   The corporations are the enemy!  Sadly, some of our working brothers and sisters have forgotten this is so. It was a page torn from the final chapter of Animal Farm.  One had difficulty distinguishing between the union business reps and Adage’s corporate stooges.

Senator Sheldon's future for Washington

“My wife and I both like trees. It’s just that she likes seeing them vertical and I like seeing them horizontal.” –Tim Sheldon–

Virtually ALL of Senator Sheldon’s 2010 $124,000 campaign donations came from corporations.

PDC database shows Sheldon’s Corporate donors 4:1 over real people

Tim Sheldon eulogizes buzz-saw history of Mason County

Every 4th Tuesday, Mason County holds its Commissioners meeting in the evening (6:00 pm) to accommodate those who work for a living.  This most recent one (1-25-11) was lightly attended with only one local resident seeking to address the commissioners, on the record, during the open comment period.

Tom Davis requests Senator Sheldon's resignation

Tom Davis, a citizen at large firmly opposed to the BioMassacre schemes of Adage and Simpson, took the opportunity to clarify he was not a member of any organized group, nor did he intend any offense or personal slight, but he did ask State Senator Tim Sheldon to resign from his position as County Commissioner in light of his conflict of interest and ethics surrounding the heated BioMassacre debate in Mason County.

Tim Sheldon acidly rejects call for resignation

Of course, Senator Sheldon refused, chastised Mr. Davis for his ‘political’ agenda, took personal offense at the request as well as the suggestion Mason County was ill served by the BioMassacre scheme, eulogized the buzz-saw in Mason County’s official seal as representative of what was in its best interest, and boasted of his long tenure as a professional politician.

Tom Davis listens while Tim Sheldon accuses him of a 'tirade'

Yours truly was inspired to comment into the record at the sight of Mr. Davis pinned like a butterfly to the podium while enduring Commissioner Sheldon’s tart and long winded reply used to glorify the virtues of continued exploitation of our forests and environment regardless of the injury to the community, our health, children, future, and quality of life.

Tim rejects call to recuse himself from SB 5228 deliberation

Senator Sheldon was asked to recuse himself for ethical reasons and conflicts from voting on Senate Bill 5228 which would reduce/eliminate the authority of local officials from delaying/denying permits for such BioMassacre projects in favor of EFSEC, a State appointed body, effectively emasculating local self determination should a person or corporation opt to circumvent the same by applying to EFSEC for such a permit.

Few attend despite evening schedule; recent Ross Gallagher photo

Senator Sheldon opined on the ‘thousands’ of bills that are filed every legislative session. (It’s doubtful he’s read the language of SB 5228)  He went on to emphasize his wearing of 2 elective official hats has been investigated by Washington’s AG without a showing of any illegality.  But when reminded SB 5228 presented a specific conflict of interest between local jurisdictional authority and the State usurping said authority in promoting BioMassacre, Senator Sheldon reverted to the well worn argument that the simultaneous occupation of both postions (County Commissioner and State Senator) put him in a better position to serve both masters.

Charles Butros, Dir. Mason Co. Public Works, (360) 427-9670 x-463

This argument is a seductive one.  Ostensibly it would seem having power at the State as well as the local level could allow Senator Sheldon to do more FOR the community. Unfortunately, events have shown it also allows him to do more TO the community! Putting all our eggs in one political basket with Senator Sheldon had proven to be a grave mistake.

Paradise Lost

BioMassacre's Hoax

House Bill 1081 sponsored by State Representatives Jeff Morris (D), Jim Moeller (D), and David Frockt (D) seeks to cram BioMassacre siting/permitting down the throats of Washington Counties unwilling to abide by the unwarranted injury to their residents, health, children, environment, communities, economy, and quality of life by eliminating any/all authority of County Commissioners to delay or deny such permits in their local jurisdiction.  It’s well known that State Senator Tim Sheldon (D), Governor Gregoire (D), and Lt. Governor Brad Owen (D) are also ardent supporters of the BioMassacre industry. Many of these  have transparent conflicts of interest or have been owned by the industry for years.

I point this out for the benefit of some of my more liberal friends who seem to think all things Democrat must come scented with rose oil.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Breathing, health, and air quality are human rights issues, not political.  Failure to address such issues (torture, environmental sustainability, social justice, due process, equity) responsibly know no race or partisan boundaries.  And integrity, commitment, character, decency, resolve, and honesty know no age or party affiliation.

Bill Room: (360)786-7573

House Bill 1081

Companion Senate Bill 5228

HB 1081 Analysis

(Please note HB 1081 gives the EFSEC virtual carte blanche in delegating permitting authority while apparently requiring an EIS contrary to the DNS possibilities inherent in current local county ordinances.)

2011 State House & Senate Roster

Some of the Devil’s hand maidens:

HB 1081 Sponsor (D)

Rep. Jeff Morris (jeff.morris@leg.wa.gov)

As a fourth-generation native of Guemes Island, I am proud to represent San Juan County, part of Skagit County and part of Whatcom County in the State Legislature.

I focus on technology and economic issues in the State legislature as well as working on many other issues facing our State

If you would like more information on issues facing the legislature, or if you need help with a state agency, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jeff Morris is a member of the Washington State legislature, representing Mt. Vernon, Washington, as a Democrat. As Speaker pro tem of the Washington House of Representatives, he is the second ranking officer of the body. He is a member of the Tsimshian Indian nation. He is chairman of the Council of State Governments, West.

Morris is a fourth generation native of the San Juan Islands. He was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1996 where he serves as Chair of the House Committee on Technology, Energy and Communications.

In what ways would you work to protect Lake Whatcom, the drinking water source for about half of Whatcom County, in the state Legislature?

I have fought with Harriet Spanel and Dave Quall for years be it timber cutting, phosphorus runoff, or mercury issues to allow a local dialogue to form the best way to protect Lake Whatcom. Balancing State versus Local authority is a constant issue, but my experience with Lake Whatcom indicates that locally derived solutions, with a high degree of stakeholder buy in, have always been the best path. I would continue to create opportunities for local solutions first and foremost.

JEFF MORRIS

Age: 46.

Family: four children.

Education: bachelor’s degree, Central Washington University.

Employment: CEO of Energy Horizon LLC, energy planning.

Government experience: incumbent 40th District State Representative since 1997; staffer to former U.S. Rep. Al Swift.

Rep David Frockt (D)

Rep. David Frockt (david.frockt@leg.wa.gov)

And everyone wants solutions for our region’s environmental and transportation challenges.

We’re also a community that cares about saving the social safety net for the elderly and others who need help just to get by. We believe that hard times are no excuse for throwing away our moral compass or ditching our long-term investments.

The more I listen to local citizens, the more I realize that no one has all the answers to our problems. That’s why we need to listen to one another—really listen. And you can count on me to listen to you.

You can help by joining me in a dialogue about what government can and needs to do better. E-mail is the fastest and least expensive way to keep in touch. But don’t hesitate to call or write or visit, if that works best for you. My Legislative Assistant, Samantha, and I are proud of our constituent outreach and service.

I look forward to hearing from you.

David

Elected Experience:
Elected Washington Delegate For Senator Bill Bradley, Democratic National Convention, 2000

Other Professional Experience:
Founding Attorney, Bergman, Draper & Frockt PLLC. Firm successfully represents asbestos cancer victims and their families;  Associate Attorney, Seattle Law Firm Riddell Williams P.S.;  Legislative Aide U.S. House of Representatives For Democratic Member On Judiciary and Small Business Committees;  Marketing and Public Affairs, WCT Communications; Research Assistant, University of California, San Francisco, School of Public Health.

Education:
University of Pennsylvania, BA, 1991; UCLA School of Law, JD, 1998.

Community Service:
Former Board Member Puget Soundkeeper Alliance; Speaker’s Bureau, No on I-1033 (campaign against Tim Eyman’s 2009 initiative)

Statement:
I am running to be a strong voice for Seattle in Olympia. We must fully fund education so that we do not rely on local levies and PTAs to fund basic educational needs. I support robust academic standards and new efforts to improve student performance. We must generate new job growth through improved financing options for small business and investment in a new clean energy economy in Washington, including greater infrastructure for electric vehicles and better transportation options.

Endorsed by 46^th District Democrats, League of Education Voters, Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters, NARAL, Numerous Labor Organizations, Community and Elected Leaders.

Jim Moeller (D)

Rep. Jim Moeller (jim.moeller@leg.wa.gov)

A big part of my job – by far the most important part – is listening to that Vancouver and other Clark County folks have to say regarding the issues before us. Representing the people of our region calls to mind something the great jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes once said:

“It is the province of knowledge to speak, and
the province of wisdom to listen.”

I certainly don’t profess to have the market cornered on knowledge, but I’d like to think I’ve acquired a fair amount of wisdom.

Please don’t ever hesitate to write, e-mail, or call whenever you have questions about these and any other legislative matters. My legislative assistant, Maureen Gallegos, and I are always open to hearing and reading what you have to say.

Moeller grew up in Vancouver, attending George C. Marshall Elementary School and McLoughlin Junior High School. He went on to Clark College and Washington State University, before doing graduate work at Portland State University. He has worked in mental health since 1979, serving with Kaiser Permanente since 1985.

Elected in 1995 to Vancouver City Council, he was re-elected to a second term in 1999. In 2002, when veteran legislator Val Ogden retired, Moeller ran to succeed her in the state House of Representatives. In a hotly contested Democratic primary, Moeller prevailed by less than 1,000 votes – winning 6,564 votes to his opponent’s 5,615.^[1] He won the subsequent general election handily and took office in January 2003. He has since been re-elected three times.

Moeller is openly gay and is currently one of six LGBT members of the Washington State Legislature.

Commissioner Sheldon admires Carbon-Neutrality by Adage & Simpson

Like many of you, I grew up perplexed by the tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes.  For those not familiar with the story, let me bring you up to speed: An emperor who cares more about clothes than his kingdom commissions two tailors who promise him the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they tell him, is invisible to anyone too stupid/misled to see it (when in reality the cloth is an artifice — it doesn’t exist.) The emperor is gulled by his own arrogance and greed; the con-artist tailors go on a spending spree.

Commissioner Sheldon buys Carbon-Neutrality regalia

But even as a youth, I imagined nobody could be THAT stupid, yet here I am, as an adult, witnessing it!  Adage and Simpson have harnessed the arrogance and greed found in Tim Sheldon (as well as Jay Hupp) for their own profit at the expense of the community.

The Carbon-Neutrality Boondoggle Scam

The Community Forum held 1-19-11 evening at Shelton City Civic Center sponsored by CCMC was well attended as the main hall reached seating capacity early in anticipation of key speakers such as Meg Sheehan (a nationally acclaimed environmental lawyer), Duff Badgley (recent Green Party gubernatorial candidate, organizer, and outspoken critic of BioMassacre), Fran Prescott (local environmental advocate & analyst), Beth McBain (Concerned Citizens of Mason County spokesperson), Michelle Morris (Concerned Citizens of Thurston County spokesperson), and Marty Best (Mason Co. Emergency Management Mgr.).

Jack Miles stands in solidarity with residents

Local activists and spokespersons from Port Townsend engaged in a similar struggle against BioMassacre were in attendance as were many Mason County luminaries working in the movement to save our community from the destructive agendas of companies such as Adage and Simpson.  Unfortunately, chief architects of Mason County’s BioMassacre (e.g. Tim Sheldon, Jay Hupp) weren’t there.  Representatives from ORCAA, however, were.

Terri Thompson w/Adage smokestack demo

A number of tables were set up to showcase different government/community organizations along with their literature bearing on the impact the proposed BioMassacre project(s) are likely to have on the community.  Beth McBain announced, to deafening applause,  her group’s decision to engage in the appellate process after suffering a recent defeat before local judge Amber Finlay.

Michelle Morris of CCTC (concerned citizens of Thurston County)

Yours truly believes Judge Finlay’s adverse ruling came about as a result of the sophistication of the surrounding merits and argument.  Our local judge(s) have proven to be out of their depth on this issue.  Regarding this legal paradox, Ms. Sheehan was asked, in her professional capacity, given the permit process was entirely driven by sweetheart laws passed by our elected officials beholden to wealthy corporations such as Adage and Simpson, and given the administrative agencies along with any courts of review were narrowly limited to checking whether all the T’s had been crossed and I’s dotted in complying with said laws/regulations, just WHEN would citizens have an opportunity to seek equity/fairness from the judicial branch of our government?  As expected, her response was sobering.

Dr. Gregg Helms opposes BioMassacre

Although legal challenges may delay the permit process, the core to equity/fairness toward the community lies in our elected officials.  Therein lies the problem.  These same officials are married to the wealthy corporations intent on destroying our community and quality of life for profit because that’s who donates the lion’s share of their campaign funding.  Tim Sheldon in his most recent run for 35th District State Senator is a classic example of this perfidy.

Local Activist John Cox opposes BioMassacre

The merits of the community’s pleas for equity/fairness go unheard because the PROCESS itself is broken.  The only remedy to this crisis is through revolution or the ballot box.  But this requires perseverance and attentiveness by voters…something that has been lacking until now.  Hence, we find ourselves in the predicament of having slept while the corporate foxes and their political allies have robbed our hen house.  In this instance, an ounce of prevention would have been worth 604,000 tons/yr. of biomass destruction.  Despite some reeducation shortly before our most recent election cycle, one of the chief architects of destruction for our environment and arch-enemy of this community’s quality of life was re-elected as 35th District State Senator, i.e. Tim Sheldon.  The community MUST begin to concentrate its efforts more effectively where it will make the most difference: educating our families and neighbors BEFORE they cast their ballots!

Local Business Owner Carol Hepburn opposes BioMassacre

Once again, the meeting reflected it is the women in our community…especially mothers and grandmothers, who are doing almost all of the heavy lifting in this struggle.  The tin ear our elected officials turn toward them reflects a kind of gender based bigotry wherein our women’s voices are not taken seriously…their constructive petitions and protestations are ignored…their intellect is insulted and characterized as ‘misled’ or worse.  But there was a feeling of good will (solidarity) shared among attendees in recognition of a common purpose and a common cause…the preservation of our children, families, health, environment, and quality of life.  It was heartening to see the turnout and hard work that went into organizing this event.  Few had occasion to be anything but proud of their neighbors’ resolve to make a difference and positive contribution toward the common good.  Those elected officials who failed to attend were damned by their absence.  But it remains for us to hold them accountable at the polls.

Resident volunteers security services

Activist Theresa Jacobson opposes BioMassacre

Beth McBain, Fran Prescott, Greg Helms oppose BioMassacre

Mr. Watson, local resident, opposes BioMassacre

Official Chief 'Kook' Duff Badgley rallies local community

Rogue's Gallery challenges BioMassacre

Meg Sheehan, keynote speaker & environmental attorney

Theresa Jacobson, activist & BioMassacre opponent

Resident tapes presentations

Roslynn Reed opposes BioMassacre

Residents establish common cause and solidarity

ORCAA Rep dissembles to Dr. Helms

The Estrellas’ Cheese Creamery located near Montesano, WA. in the Wynoochee River valley has been shut down by federal agents.  The full story as reported by KIRO can be found below.

Amicus Curia, local goatherd & cheese meister

Unlike the Estrellas, my own strategy has been to avoid using raw milk.  I rely on heat treatment (more efficient than pasteurization) to keep my goat milk and cheeses safe.  But the Estrellas have an immaculate professional cheese production facility that’s internationally acclaimed for good reason.  I’ve never tasted better cheeses anywhere.

Pia gathers fresh goat milk

Now, the Estrellas need the community’s support to survive.  It’s ironic how iron handed our government can be in administering regulations (food safety) involving small local farms while giving greedy corporations such as Adage and Simpson virtual carte blanche when it comes to the health and safety of the community the companies are intent on destroying for profit.

Skokomish Nubian winter-land

KIROTV video of interview with the Estrellas can be seen at the following link:

http://www.kirotv.com/video/26179312/index.html

On Oct. 21, 2010, the United States Marshals Service seized all cheeses, including in-process and finished products (labeled and unlabeled), held on the premises of the Estrella Family Creamery, pursuant to a warrant issued by Judge Benjamin H. Settle on Oct. 21, 2010. Judge Settle issued this warrant at the request of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, which filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington alleging that cheese and other articles of food held at Estrella Family Creamery are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they have been held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.

FDA Inspection Report of Deficiencies

Affidavit of Lisa Elrand supporting federal seizure warrant petition

Alternative view of Raw Milk/Cheese shutdown controversy

2nd Alternative view of Estrella Farm controversy

How the Estrella Family Creamery Raid Came Down

Last week’s seizure of all the cheeses and other food products from the Estrella Family Creamery was more by the book than “Gestapo-like.”

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U.S. District Attorney for Western Washington Jenny A. Durkan’s office Monday released court documents leading up to the seizures, which were apparently carried out at around 5:30 p.m. Oct. 21 by U.S. Marshals and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agents.

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The seizure warrant was signed under seal by a U.S. District Court judge on Oct. 20.

Lisa Elrand, FDA compliance officer, filed an affidavit that became the basis for the action.

Samples taken at the Estrella Family Creamery by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WADA) on Feb. 1 and 9; and March 1 all “revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes (“L mono”) in the finished cheese, in the salt brine, and throughout the production and storage areas,” the FDA officer said.

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“L mono is an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing the illness listeriosis, which can result in death, especially in aged, infirm, very young, or immunocompromised individuals,” she added.  “As a result of WADA’s discovery of L. mono, Estrella initiated recalls of several cheese products on Feb. 10, Feb. 15, and March 5, 2010.”

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Elrand said FDA inspected the Estrella Family Creamery, the small family dairy that manufactures and sells specialty aged cheeses from raw cow and goat milk, last Aug. 2. Inspectors collected various environmental samples, as well as finished cheese products.

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FDA laboratory analysis found Listeria monocytogenes bacteria were present in processing areas and the aging room, especially an area known as “Cave 3.”  Investigators said cheese was being cut and wrapped in the cheese room where bacteria were detected.

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Estrella tested its products from March to May 2010, and a March 2010 sample tested positive for Listeria, the company told FDA.

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During another visit on Aug. 16, FDA took a sample of “Caldwell Crik Chevrette” made on April 27.  Estrella said that cheese was ready to be distributed, and it tested positive for Listeria.

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FDA found a common Pulsed Field Gel Electrophopresis (PFGE) pattern, or “genetic fingerprint” for the Listeria bacteria that were collected in tests from February through August in both product and environmental samples.

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“The presence of a persistent strain of L. mono in the facility over time is significant in that it demonstrates that sanitation efforts were inadequate to remove this pathogenic organism,” Elrand said in the affidavit.

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The most recent inspection at Estrella came on Sept. 1.  The company shared laboratory reports for products that were contaminated with L. mono from May 28, June 15 and 29, July 8 and Aug. 30.

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On Sept. 3, FDA asked Estrella to recall all its cheese products.  Estrella refused.

FDA issued a public warning about the risk of eating Estrella’s cheeses because of possible Listeria contamination on Sept. 4.

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The FDA compliance officer said its investigators had observed numerous insanitary conditions at Estrella, including tape and peeling paint on the cheese press handles, flying insects and spiders on the walls and ceiling of the milk room vestibule and in the cheese processing room.

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Because the warrant was sealed until served, owner Kelli Estrella was first to get the word out on the creamery’s blog on Friday.  “Last night, ” she wrote, “at about 5:30 three cars pulled into the yard with the FDA and Federal Marshals, alarming our kids. They posted a seizure order that name all cheeses on the property.  This is serious, it could put us out of business.”

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Early Monday, she wrote a longer post, accusing the federal agents of being “gestapo like people” who were polluting Estrella’s cheese caves with their camera, testing tools and “just their presence.”

“This year has been flat out brutal,” she added.

Skokomish unnamed creek and Nubian buck enclosure

The federal government’s “basis for forfeiture” was the fact that the cheeses being held for interstate commerce were adulterated.

Power Plant Thugs Murder Protester

Adage and Simpson may not have resorted to murder just yet, but the similarities in all other respects to the following story are striking:

ZHAIQIAO, China — Qian Yunhui would not be silenced. A local leader in a community of farmers, Qian devoted much of his time to protesting a power plant being built on his village’s ancestral land…In a country where public dissent against the government is rare — and quickly silenced when it appears — Qian continued to lead demonstrations and submit petitions despite having been sent to prison twice in three years. He wrote letters to provincial and national leaders naming the government officials and companies he accused of stealing land — something most Chinese would consider extremely dangerous.

Power Plant dissenter crushed

His provocative campaign ended Christmas morning. That’s when after receiving a phone call, Qian’s family said, he walked out of his modest concrete home to meet someone, though it’s not known whom.

Villagers found his body a short while later, mangled under the front wheel of a construction truck. The fat tire had crushed Qian’s chest and neck, coming to a rest at the back of his head — the pressure sent blood and flesh spurting from his mouth. Qian’s face lay in the cold mud, eyes shut.

Every villager interviewed by McClatchy in Zhaiqiao said they thought Qian, 53, was murdered as a warning to locals that it was time to stop talking about the power plant. Witnesses, they said, had seen men holding Qian down as the truck pulverized his body.

Government officials maintain that Qian died in a simple traffic accident, an unfortunate bit of bad luck on a wet patch of road.

The difficulty of drawing a conclusion about what happened that morning says a lot about the system in which China’s authoritarian government operates.

As the world focuses on Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington next week, and his country’s growing economic clout and military ambitions, at home the Chinese Communist Party is often far more preoccupied with maintaining domestic order — “harmonious” is the adjective preferred by leaders like Hu.

The death of Qian Yunhui is in many ways a startling reminder of how high the cost can be for those who won’t fall in line, a reality that the government tries hard to suppress.

China’s Zhejiang Province, where Zhaiqiao sits, is an epicenter of factories that make clothes, shoes, lighters and other cheap goods for export to the West. The billions of dollars that flow each year from that manufacturing boom have filled the roads south of Shanghai with Mercedes sedans and sprinkled towering homes in the middle of impoverished villages.

The flood of cash, however, hasn’t brought a corresponding rise in civil liberties. While the state allows the election of local village heads, like Qian Yunhui, it does not tolerate challenges to its political or financial decisions.

In Qian’s case, his efforts only got him arrested, imprisoned twice and, locals say, murdered.

“He went to Beijing (to lodge formal complaints) only after he petitioned at every local level,” said his 31-year-old son, Qian Chengxu. “It was all useless.”

Whatever the cause of Qian Yunhui’s demise, this much is clear — he was not afraid to stir up trouble. He said publicly that village leaders had signed over their mountain plot for a power plant in 2004 only after police detained them at a hotel for a week until they agreed.

That same year, Qian helped lead hundreds of villagers to protest the property deal in the nearby town of Yueqing, which oversees Zhaiqiao. That earned him an 18-month prison term after a Yueqing court convicted him of intent to “make disturbances and provoke incidents.”

The sentence was suspended, apparently on the condition that he keep quiet. Instead, Qian ran for and was elected village leader in 2005 and kept complaining about what he described as an illegal land grab. The local security bureau appealed for help to the court, which dusted off the 2004 conviction and sent Qian to prison for eight months in 2006, according to a case summary provided by Yueqing officials.

By 2008, his role as village leader was no longer officially recognized, but Qian was re-elected anyway. Court records show he was sent back to prison in 2008 on a new charge of land fraud, though government documents given to McClatchy didn’t fully explain the charges.

Qian was released in July, the same month that the provincial government announced the power plant officially had been put into operation. Qian was not deterred — he continued writing letters to officials alleging corruption and organizing locals.

The leadership in Yueqing maintains that villagers in Zhaiqiao were simply trying to renege on their agreement to sell the mountain plot and other pieces of land. The villagers, according to a release from Yueqing’s government, were given about $5.7 million but kept demanding more and more cash.

While residents of Zhaiqiao say they never received the $5.7 million, the Yueqing government contends the money was put in a special account and that village leaders decided not to disburse it.

In the days after Qian’s death, grisly photographs and videos showing his bloody remains spread across the Internet. His name became a national symbol for frustration with the country’s widespread corruption.

On Jan. 1, hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police down the road from Zhaiqiao. Video footage from the standoff shows protesters lobbing rocks and the police charging into the crowd behind riot shields.

A few days before, police commanders from the nearby metropolis of Wenzhou had attended a news conference to confirm that Qian’s death was an accident. Their explanation: The truck was 35 tons overweight with broken rock, its driver was unlicensed and “Pedestrian Qian Yunhui crossed the road before confirming that it was safe to cross.”

Video shot not long after Qian’s death showed the truck in a nearly straight line on the shoulder of the wrong side of the street, with Qian’s body lying under the front tire with scant evidence that he’d been thrown by any impact. There was little sign of skid marks on the road that one might expect from such a large truck slamming to a halt.

The police acknowledged that four other men were at the scene shortly after the incident — raising suspicions locally that it was they who killed Qian — but officials said the group consisted of a passenger from the truck and three guards from a nearby construction site who’d run over to see what happened.

The government said it would allow a combination of lawyers, Internet activists and rural experts to investigate the matter. By the time those gestures were made, the state had snipped away any loose ends that might contradict the official narrative.

Qian’s body was taken away before an autopsy could be performed. Officials reported that a security camera at the spot where Qian died wasn’t working.

The two people who villagers say saw men press Qian down as the truck ground his life away disappeared briefly. When they surfaced on state television in separate interviews four days later, they denied seeing anything suspicious.

One of them, Qian Chengyu, was in handcuffs and behind bars during the television interview.

The other, Huang Diyan, said she’d been coached by unnamed collaborators to say she’d witnessed a killing. Careful viewers could see a man dressed in what looked like a police uniform reflected in the window behind her.

A friend, who asked for anonymity for fear of being arrested, told McClatchy that police had taken Huang’s husband to a hotel for a night and told him that it would be best for her family if she recanted her tale of murder.

Even Qian’s family is reluctant to talk. His 81-year-old father, Qian Shunnan, was recently standing near his dead son’s house as relatives sat in front of a small shrine and burned paper meant to serve as money in the afterlife.

“I can’t tell you anything except what the government wants me to say,” he said, wearing dusty cotton pants. Then he looked toward the altar with a picture of his son and blurted out, “He was murdered!”

Qian Yunhui’s younger brother was listening nearby and offered an explanation for why his father seemed torn about what to say.

“None of the villagers want to talk about it. If the government finds out they spoke with you, they’ll be arrested,” said Qian Yunyong, 45, a rice farmer with rough hands.

Like everyone else in town, he’d seen the men in a black Volkswagen with no license plates on a nearby road filming passersby and taking photographs.

A visiting Western journalist was approached several times by more than a dozen villagers who hurriedly whispered that Qian Yunhui had been killed because he’d openly challenged area powerbrokers and officials.

The accounts were followed by pleas not to report the speakers’ identities.

“Don’t take our pictures; don’t write down our names,” said one middle-aged woman in jeans and a dark coat. “They will beat us.”

A younger man in a brown jacket with the hood pulled down said that some in the area had made the unfortunate decision to talk candidly with Chinese state media; they were later arrested.

“I’m very scared,” he said.

The young man, like many others, said he was speaking up only because Qian Yunhui had sacrificed his life for them.

That, said the villagers, should count for something.

The Comment period available to citizens concerned about the destruction of our community, environment, health, and quality of life is ending soon for ORCAA, SEPA, and Washington’s EPA overseeing the official tongue clucking (but no action/remedy) regarding Shelton Harbor Dioxin contamination ranking among the highest in the entire Puget Sound. (175 – 902 ppt)

Sheldon-Hupp BioMassacre rationale

The merits weighing against rolling out the red carpet for Adage and Simpson while the County ignores failing bridges providing the only access for emergency services is galling. Yes, the facts are irrefutably grim, but the process itself is broken. Corporate money has perverted the process and our elected officials.  Our local judge can’t distinguish the difference between a meaningfully FUTURE/option consideration and an irrevocable contract due to the fact the contingencies within are virtual certainties, else why would the County already be widening access roads to the Johns Prairie Rd. portion of the Port of Shelton?

The FIX was sealed when our State Legislature (especially State Senator Tim Sheldon) passed laws not only making all this possible, but encouraging it.  This irresponsibility goes beyond our County and Washington State itself all the way to the very uppermost reaches of government in Washington, D.C.  ORCAA need/may only follow the guidelines set down in law by our State legislature.  Any appeal will be based strictly on the record and whether they’ve followed those laws, NOT on whether doing so was smart, a good idea, or in the best interest of the community and our children.  Even after the appeals winds its way to the judiciary, the review will be based on the record and whether the LAW (as written) was followed.  i.e.  Garbage in:Garbage out! When the deck is stacked at the outset, the odds of being dealt a fair hand vanish!

Because citizens failed to keep an eye on the legislative hen house and vote the foxes out of office before they destroyed all our nest eggs, we won’t be eating omelets anytime soon. An ounce of prevention is always worth more than a pound of cure.

Now we’re stuck on the track watching the big shots, the big money, and the locomotive hurtling downhill toward this small rural community.  No pleas to logic or the common good will distract these greedy corporations or their political enablers from irrevocably damaging what so many residents have worked so hard to preserve.