Letter To The Editor: Bonners Ferry linked to proposed Newport Smelter

Newport smelter would impact Bonners Ferry

I travel highway 2 almost weekly to attend the area’s main attraction, “Sater’s Auction.” The HiTest Silicone smelter being proposed just south of Newport will be bringing Quartz Ore from near Golden B.C., and they said they will be hauling the ore by truck down Highway 2 south and passing through Sandpoint to Newport, (from information given by president Jason Tymko and CEO Jim May at a meeting I was in).

HiTest stated they would be bringing between 150,000 tons to 800,000 tons of quartz per year to the smelter. The estimate of numbers of trucks at the lower quantity would be about 17 trucks per day, 34 with the empty return trip included, up to about 89 per day plus return trip at 178 per day with return after they have installed all four furnaces and reached maximum production.

On a side note, coal from Kentucky would at the max reach 272,000 tons per year. Coal would be shipped by rail, offloaded to truck, I don’t know which route that would be, unknown where offloading would occur.

It seems to me that 178 trucks per day, half of these heavily loaded, would have a huge impact on that stretch of Highway 2, especially inside Bonners Ferry city limits, always in some disrepair. They also mentioned summer stockpiling which would be coupled with tourist traffic. Please be informed and visit; responsiblegrowthnew@gmail.com and also Citizens Against Newport Silicon Smelter; CANNS.org also visit stopthesmelter.com

Roger Castle

Newport