By Roberta Rothwell
Back in December at the NDEP meeting for the Jungo Landfill Project I thanked the Humboldt Sun for keeping the citizens up-to-date on all Landfill proceedings. I now take that back. It has been over two weeks and nary a word has been printed by the Sun concerning the filing of a $611,000 lawsuit against Humboldt County and the five County Commissioners, both in their individual and official capacities, involved with the decision to withdraw the Conditional Use Permit for the landfill. Shame on you!
Also at that meeting, I thanked NAG for getting my butt in gear to learn, for myself, the facts about this controversy. I thanked both the Planning Commission and Recology for their input on my road to discovery. I finally thanked NDEP for its in-depth research into the project, working with the concerns of the community and the environment, to establish a hardcore guideline meant to protect, as best as possible, the desert and surrounding area from the impact of a landfill. I still stand by all of these thank yous.
Wishing to stay on a positive note that evening, conspicuously missing from my list was a thank you to the Commissioners. I am not upset that they would take into consideration the concerns of citizens they represent, but I am upset that they did this in a totally ignorant way. Not only did they wave-off advice from District Attorney Russell Smith to not pursue this fight, as they had no legal standing to do so, they then ignored the advice of counsel when Mr. Balkenbush, the attorney for this litigation, also advised them to pass the proposed agreement that they themselves worked out with Recology, a Federal Judge and legal counsels from both sides. Instead, fearing for their re-election possibilities, the Commissioners cowed-down to a group of frenzied and angry, mob-mentality folks who spewed threats and mean-spirited remarks at them during a crowded courthouse meeting.
It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that Recology will win the lawsuit and now the community will pay the price for our elected Commissioners who turned a deaf ear to the advice given them by two legal counsels, both of whom who are paid for by Humboldt County citizens.
Or, maybe not.
I believe the Commissioners themselves, since they acted on their own, should pay, in entirety, their own legal costs, all travel involved in trips to Reno for depositions and hearings, the so-called $10,000 expert they retained that told them nothing, and whatever judgment that comes out of the trial.
At this time, I am also asking Recology to drop any portion of the judgment that might be made against Humboldt County itself. For the most part, you did not have a quarrel with the entire community. Many of us, both in front and behind the scenes, have leaned toward your side, sometimes losing friendships along the way. You have always led me to believe that Recology is not out to do any harm to the citizens, rather, you are intensely community minded. Drawing funds away from needed county projects would not be in the best interest of anyone.
I echo the sentiments of Norm Sweeney in his Guest Commentary appearing in the Jan. 3 issue of the Humboldt Sun. "It's time to go forward with this project and stop wasting time and the taxpayer's money." I believe that this exercise has shown how, when many sides of opposing views become involved, the entire community wins. Just as the liners for this landfill are super-welded together, I hope that the cracks and chasms of families and long-time friendships can be patched back together and be stronger than before. Let's look to the future, move forward, and build on the possibilities and opportunities that this new business will create.
Roberta Rothwell is a resident of Winnemucca.
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