In the last four years I have been to more public hearings than I care to count. At each one, I watch in disbelief as people in positions of power push the bounds of reasonable hospitality — this time they broke the law. At the December 13 public hearing for NWIW proposed methanol refinery in Kalama, each person was required to sign in with their complete address before entering. This violated Revised Code of Washington 42.30.040, regarding open meeting law. When I directly asked if all of the information was required, I was told that the address was required but the email was optional. I felt violated and almost walked away. Maybe that was the intention. Before the night was over, they shared the demographic data with The Daily News. Formal complaints have been filed with the state.
Sign in requirements created a bottleneck that left some people standing out in the cold for more than 45 minutes. And if you left the building you had to wait in line again to get back in. That is unless you were an elected official. Elected officials, most of whom claimed to be speaking as public citizens, were allowed to jump the line.
What proponents of these mammoth fossil fuel projects fail to realize is that we in red don’t see this as a political fight. We show up to stand next to our neighbors and friends. In a small town like Kalama, it can be very difficult to speak against your neighbor who needs a job. NWIW knows this. Make no mistake, that is their strategy. Following the hearing, as I walked back to my car alone, through an unlit, muddy parking lot, I witnessed a monster truck rev its engine and spray mud and gravel all over a little white sedan. Welcome to rural America. They have fear and intimidation, we have little old ladies who were threatened to be kicked out of the hearing for singing.
It was very surreal to be standing in a sea of red shirts, 600 people opposed to the methanol refinery, and asking my state representative where his loyalties lie. You see, my state representative is Director of External Relations for NWIW, whose parent company is The Chinese Academy of Sciences Holdings, Co. Rep. Richard DeBolt takes money from the Chinese government. Was the $2 Billion DOE American taxpayer-guaranteed loan for Chinese R&D your idea? It’s pretty clear from the DSEIS that China is leaving the door open to using the methanol for fuel, not plastics. Fuel for what exactly, Mr. DeBolt?
This is not politics. Stopping fossil fuels from destroying the planet is a spiritual quest. You won’t hear me speak at a public hearing about my spiritual convictions because I can’t do it without crying. But I will ask you to sit with this: When was the last time you cried for something greater than yourself?
