By Jean McCoy
I feel that I must comment on Mr. Sweeney's letter to the editor in order to clarify some of the statements made. As someone who sat in on almost all of these commission meetings, I know that the DA, Russell Smith, changed his opinion on the specifics of the project several times, sometimes in the same meeting. This DA, who questioned Mr. Dolan's standing, at the request of Recology's lawyers, also advised the commission about the appeal and set up the procedure followed during the meeting. To the commissioner's credit, they agreed to look into this issue at the request of the citizens of Humboldt County, in order to address these concerns and evaluate a process of moving forward.
Mr. Sweeney's statement that Recology is a company "who has made every good faith effort to address the concerns of the community" needs to be evaluated. I heard the RPC request Recology to do an environmental impact study (EIS) on this project in order to address our concerns, a type of study that every mining company is required to submit before permits would be issued. This study was requested of Recology after the RPC heard from the public about their concerns regarding potential ground water contamination, wind direction, seismic risk, wildlife concerns and other issues. Recology's representative emphatically stated, "No!" Instead, the company, through their lawyers, sued the county as an elected body and then each commissioner individually. Wouldn't an environmental study be a lot cheaper? Also, why have they refused to do an impact study to put all our fears to rest? I feel Humboldt County has tried to work with this company and has asked for specific information on issues raised by the residents. These questions have gone unanswered and Recology has chosen intimidation tactics in the form of lawsuits.
The settlement agreement Mr. Sweeney refers to was negotiated by a federal judge who was a former law partner of Mr. Frankovich, attorney for Recology. This settlement required the commission to accept Recology's plan, even as to dictating the fees to be paid, ignoring many of the concerns raised by the citizens of Humboldt County. It would have left us, the taxpayers, holding the responsibility for groundwater clean-up for the next generations. How is this showing "good faith"?
Lastly, Mr. Sweeney doesn't mention that the citizen's initiative passed with over 70 percent of the registered voters rejecting this proposal. Seven out of 10 voters in this county have serious questions that have not been addressed and the study to determine if these concerns are legitimate has been flatly and emphatically turned down. The commission is doing their elected duty by responding to their citizenry and standing up to the strong arm tactics being employed by Recology in order to force this landfill upon us, making huge profits at the expense of the citizens of Humboldt County.
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