Letter from the Appeal Board

Here’s the letter from the B.C. Environmental Appeal Board on the matter of Ruth Madsen’s request for an extension:

February 23, 2010                                                          FILE:  2010-EMA-002

Ruth Johaness Madsen

170 Nicola Street

Kamloops, BC V2C 2P1

Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation

Attention:  Kim Sigurdson

7 Bingham Drive,

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Dean Jeske, Environmental Protection Officer

Ministry of Environment

1259 Dalhousie Drive

Kamloops BC  V2C 5Z5

RE:      Environmental Management Act Appeal – Thompson Institute of Environmental Studies v January 7, 2010 Permit #103943 granted to Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation.

The Board is in receipt of a letter from Ruth Madsen, representing the Thompson Institute of Environmental Studies (the “Institute”).  This letter was received by email on February 19, 2010.  A copy of the letter has been provided to Jason Bourgeois, the Ministry decision-maker, and to the Permit Holder, Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation. 

Ms. Madsen’s letter is in response to the Board’s letters of February 11 and 12, 2010, asking for confirmation that the Institute is a “person” in law, such that it may file an appeal of the above-captioned permit.  Ms. Madsen advises that the Institute does not meet the definition of “person”, as it is no longer incorporated.  However, Ms. Madsen asks the Board to amend the Notice of Appeal to clarify that she (Ms. Madsen) is the appellant, and that she is bringing the appeal on behalf of the Institute.  Ms. Madsen writes: “I clearly filed the appeal on behalf of myself as a 21 year member of TIES [the Institute] and the other members of TIES.”

The Board has also received two letters from the Permit Holder: one dated February 19, 2010; the other dated February 23, 2010.  The February 19^th letter asked the Board to dismiss the Institute’s appeal on the grounds that it does not meet the test for standing to appeal as it is not a “person”.  This letter was written without the benefit of Ms. Madsen’s letter. 

The February 23^rd letter was written after receiving a copy of Ms. Madsen’s letter.  The Permit Holder repeats its request for the appeal to be dismissed.  It states that the Institute “is not registered to Ms. Madsen” and that the appeal and the appeal fee were sent in late.  It asks the Board for a fair and impartial decision now, as the Institute’s appeal should not have been considered under the Board’s Procedure Manual.  It submits that time is of the essence as the Permit Holder wants to move forward with its project.

Section 100(1) of the Environmental Management Act provides that “a person aggrieved by a decision of a director or district director” may appeal the decision to the Board.  Section 101 of the Act states that the time limit for commencing an appeal is 30 days after notice of the decision is given. 

The Notice of Appeal filed by the Institute was received by the Board within the 30 day time limit for commencing an appeal.  Although the required filing fee was not received within that same period, the Environmental Appeal Board Procedure Regulation, B.C. Reg. 1/82, contemplates this situation and makes an allowance for an appellant to correct “deficiencies” in the Notice of Appeal.  This is made clear by subsections 3(4), (5) and (6) of the Regulation:

(4)  The notice of appeal shall be signed by the appellant, or on his behalf by his counsel or agent, for each action, decision or order appealed against and the notice shall be accompanied by a fee of $25, payable to the minister charged with the administration of the Financial Administration Act.

(5)  Where a notice of appeal does not conform to subsections (3) and (4), the chairman may by mail or another method of delivery return the notice of appeal to the appellant together with written notice

(a) stating the deficiencies and requiring them to be corrected, and

(b) informing the appellant that under this section the board shall not be obliged to proceed with the appeal until a notice or amended notice of appeal, with the deficiencies corrected, is submitted to the chairman.

(6)  Where a notice of appeal is returned under subsection (5) the board shall not be obliged to proceed with the appeal until the chairman receives an amended notice of appeal with the deficiencies corrected.

[Emphasis added]

According to these sections, a deficient appeal does not render the appeal invalid.  The Board is simply not required to proceed with the appeal until the deficiencies are corrected.  Thus, the delay in receiving the filing fee does not provide a proper basis for dismissing the appeal, nor does the delay caused by investigating the Appellant’s standing.  However, if the Appellant is not a “person” in law, this is a ground for dismissal. 

It is now clear that the Institute is not, in law, a “person”.  However, Ms. Madsen states that she “clearly” filed the appeal “on behalf of” herself and the Institute, and that this had always been her intent.  She states that as a lay person, she was not familiar with the Board’s legal requirements and seeks an amendment to reflect her intention. 

The Board has carefully considered the Notice of Appeal and the grounds for appeal.  There is nothing in the grounds for appeal describing the Institute as an organization, its membership, its specific interest in the issues identified by the grounds, nor how the Institute is “aggrieved” by the permit.  The Notice of Appeal does not identify Ms. Madsen as a member of the Institute, nor does it describe how she is “aggrieved” by the permit.  However, Ms. Madsen has advised in her recent letter that she lives in close proximity to the proposed facility and is “likely to be directly affected.”  How close, and how she might be aggrieved, was not explained. 

The Board notes that the grounds for appeal are general and may be of relevance to a broad spectrum of the Kamloops population, including those who live in the vicinity.  The Board also acknowledges that Ms. Madsen is not a lawyer and may have been unclear about the requirement for an appeal to be filed by a “person” in law.  When an appeal has been filed within the appeal period but there is some defect that is a result of inexperience or lack of legal knowledge, the Board is reluctant to simply dismiss the appeal.  Tribunals are often established to provide a more accessible “justice” to the public.  To meet this goal or objective, sometimes amendments must be made that might otherwise not be allowed.  This is one of those cases.

The Board recognizes that the Permit Holder is concerned with further delays.  However, the standing of the Institute was identified early in the process.  Whether the appeal proceeded in the name of the Institute (had it been a legal person) or Ms. Madsen, the Permit Holder is in the same situation.  The fact is that an appeal was filed, and it was filed within the limitation period. 

Turning to the requested amendment, while the Board is prepared to allow an amendment, the Board is not prepared to identify the appellant as “Ruth Madsen on behalf of the Institute”.  As stated above, the Notice of Appeal contains no information about the Institute, its membership, its interest in the issues raised by the permit or how it is aggrieved.  However, the Board is prepared to amend the Notice of Appeal to show Ms. Madsen as the Appellant, in her personal capacity.  If this is acceptable to Ms. Madsen, she is asked to advise the Board. 

In order to satisfy the Board that Ms. Madsen is, herself, a “person aggrieved”, she is also asked to provide further information on her proximity to the proposed facility and how she will be personally “aggrieved” by the Permit.  Given the delays to date, the Board will give Ms. Madsen until March 2, 2010 to respond to this request.  The Director and the Permit Holder may then reply to those submissions by March 9, 2010, with final reply from Ms. Masden by March 12, 2010.

The Third Party and the Respondent will be given an opportunity to reply to her submissions.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Andison

Chair

cc:     Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation;

         Jason, Bourgeois, Ministry of Environment

That’s the kind of week it was

Armchair Mayor column for Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010

It was definitely that kind of a week. . . .

WRITE FIRST, THINK LATER: Would it kill Kim Sigurdson to have someone else read his letters before he sends them out, so he can get a second opinion on their contents?

His letter to the Environmental Appeal Board, in which he made this statement — “It has become a media circus with people who purport to be environmentalists when in reality they are either totally indifferent or racist” — may have done more public relations damage to his project than all the rallies and letters to the editor that Save Kamloops could ever muster.

We know Sigurdson has received racist emails (as I’ve mentioned previously in this column), but a letter to the Environmental Appeal Board is not the place to complain about it. If you are going to bring it up, make sure you distinguish between those who have legitimate concerns and those few who should be ashamed of themselves for bringing race into the debate.

On the other hand, this should ensure a lively public forum on March 11 when Sigurdson will speak at the TRU Grand Hall, as if it wasn’t going to be lively anyway.

WHO KNEW CURLERS ARE HOT: While the rest of you have been ooing and awing over hockey, figure skating and skiing for the past two weeks, I’ve been glued to the obscure secondary sports channels that have faithfully televised curling.

It’s a good thing we have two television sets in our house because otherwise there could have been a battle for the remote. As a one-time competitive curler in my younger days, I’ve always enjoyed watching the sport some people shrug off as glorified housekeeping.

Despite the fact it lost something when the old corn brooms were turned in for those push-push things — which make curlers look entirely goofy when they’re in motion — curling remains Canada’s second-most popular sport.

But, up to now, it’s never been sexy. Along came John Morris and Cheryl Bernard. Morris, who plays third for Kevin Martin’s Canadian reps, was recently named by Entertainment Tonight as one of Canada’s most eligible bachelors. “Yum,” is how one female fan describes him on Twitter.

Every time Canadian women’s skip Cheryl Bernard hit the ice during these Olympics, the TV commentators felt it important to mention what great shape she’s in. “She works out every day. She’s incredibly fit,” they say, especially for a woman of 43. In other words, she’s hot.

As it turns out, Bernard is one of the all-time most popular Google searches for people desperately hoping they’ll find a photo of her in a swimsuit. And the blogs are on fire with admirers. “She’s smoking hot,” is a typical comment.

Curling is not what it used to be.

ONE LESS SCHOOL WOULDN’T HAVE HURT:

There were a lot of disappointed people, and a lot of relieved ones, this week when the school board revealed its plans to close a handful of schools to deal with its financial and enrolment issues.

Unfortunately, Stuart Wood wasn’t one of them. Not that I don’t think Stu Wood isn’t a great building, quite the opposite. It’s been a good school, a big part of our city’s history, and an architectural gem, but I have an ulterior motive.

Which is, of course, that Stuart Wood, which is owned by the City of Kamloops, would make a fantastic City Hall. The inside of the existing building could be properly restore and re-purposed, and matching annexes with appropriate architecture built on either end.

The front of the property could be landscaped into a wonderful entrance. Sometimes I despair that this City will ever build itself a seat of local government that we can all be proud of.

WHAT’S IN A NAME, ANYWAY? For the record, and especially for the gentleman who accused me of “dirty tricks,” I’m currently in negotiations with those who want to own the name Thompson Institute of Environmental Studies more than I do.

As you may know from last week’s column, I acquired the name while researching whether or not TIES is a registered society, which it isn’t.

TRU political science prof Derek Cook delivered an envelope earlier this week with a money order in payment for the name-reservation fee, but it was mistakenly for $60 (almost double the fee) so I’m now trying to return it via Ruth Madsen, so we can start over.

I’m sure it will all work out, but none of the groups opposing ACC — TIES, Save Kamloops, and Kamloops Health Coalition — is a registered society. Does no one get around to making these groups official anymore?

LOOK UP, WAY UP: On Tuesday, financial analyst Lanny Pendrill was in town saying it’s unlikely gasoline prices will go up any time soon.

By the time our story was published Tuesday, local prices had gone up seven cents a litre. Overnight increases of that magnitude seem to be all too common these days.

The reasons for such a wide range of gas prices from one nearby community to another continue to be a mystery to us consumers.

mrothenburger@kamloopsnews.ca

http://www.armchairmayor.wordpress.com

Don’t tar all opponents as ‘racist’

Oh, my goodness. ACC president Kim Sigurdson has been the target of some very nasty racist remarks sent his way, but generalizing about his opponents as “racist” is foul play.

A story in today’s Daily News carries his comments, which are contained in a letter to the Environmental Appeal Board objecting to any thought of allowing an appeal that was filed incorrectly.

It may not seem fair that Sigurdson should be subjected to racial slurs and not be able to fight back, but he needs to focus on the real issues surrounding his project, just as others should. It’s possible he didn’t mean to suggest all his opponents are racist, but he should have made that absolutely clear in the letter.

Here’s the text of the letter in full:

Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation
 
Without Prejudice
 

February 22,2010
 

Environmental Appeal Board
Fourth Floor 747 Fort Street
Victoria British BC
V8W 9V1
 

File: 2010-EMA-002
Attention: Mr. Alan Andison, Chairman
 
Dear Mr. Andison
 
Based on the following, the appeal should be dismissed immediately.
Ms. Madsen sent the appeal in late and funds were late as well. The rules are
clear and she failed to abide by them. The Thompson Institute of Environmental
Studies is not registered to Ms. Madsen.
 
Our company feels that we have been put through enough. We have been
delayed by individuals in Kamloops, not for the technology or emissions but for
who we are. It has become a media circus with people who purport to be
environmentalists when in reality they are either totally indifferent or racist.
 
 
 
We want a fair and impartial decision now, as this appeal that you are in receipt
of should not have even been considered under the EAB Procedure Manual.
This whole issue smells of political interference and indifference. We will go
public with our concerns and will seek legal redress if this matter is not resolved
immediately.
 
Again, we request that you dismiss this appeal as time is of the essence.
 
Respectfully,
 

Kim Sigurdson
President
 
7 Bingharn Drive, Winnipeg MB Canada  (204) 283-1484
http://www.ACCcogeneration.ca <http://www.ACCcogeneration.ca> 

Officials to keep eye on KIB’s plans

While doing my daily reading up on ACC today, I came across an article in The Daily News from March 7, 2008 that reminded me of former councillor Arjun Singh’s history with this issue.

He and I have a different views on this proposal, but the article below shows he’s not only been pretty consistent, but that even back then he identified the two key questions on ACC’s gasification project: science, and consultation. For that, I think he deserves some credit. Here’s the article, which appeared under the same headline as this post:

Any proposal to incinerate railway ties on the Kamloops Indian Band reserve will receive strict oversight from the B.C. Ministry of Environment.

Rick Adams, regional manager for the ministry in Kamloops, said he spoke with promoters of a preliminary plan to gasify 200,000 ties a year on the Kamloops Indian Band reserve. The ministry has received no paperwork from Aboriginal Cogeneration, however.

“We’ve had some preliminary discussions,” Adams said, noting the project was originally proposed for Ashcroft.

He suggested the former Lytton Lumber site in the Fraser Canyon community as well as Louis Creek’s industrial park in the North Thompson to the company.

“Those may be other suitable locations beyond what he’s pursuing,” Adams said of CEO Kim Sigurdson.

While the proposal is for Indian reserve land, the ministry has responsibility for regulating emissions in the airshed. Western Industrial Clay, located on the KIB reserve, is under a B.C. Environment Ministry permit.

Kamloops Coun. Arjun Singh said the city was consulted over a test facility on the reserve that houses experiments on low-level radiation. Council’s representative on the environmental committee said he’s keeping an open mind about gasifying railway ties laced with creosote.

“There’s two things: One is the science and is it sound? The other is public participation and impact. If the science is sound you hope you can work with people to assuage concerns or issues.”

Adams said any permit application will involve scientific review by the ministry as well as a public consultation process.

Incineration of railway ties is allowed as a percentage of pulp mill feed stock in Prince George. In Williams Lake the Epcor Power L.P. mill is permitted to use railway ties as slightly less than one per cent of its feedstock.

“I’ve a message to him (Aboriginal Cogeneration president Kim Sigurdson) for these type of proposals; there’s very stringent standards for pollution control,” Adams said.

 ”We need to see their literature and research, where it’s been done in other jurisdictions, pollution equipment and outcomes.”

‘There are no public health hazards’

Interesting letter received by City council yesterday from Interior Health:

Your Worship Mayor Milobar:

Dr. Robert Halpenny has directed your letter of Februaruy 4, 2010 to me for a reply. In preparing this reply, I have reviewed our comments on the original ACC application (attached) and I asked that Ken Christian, Director of Health Protection, and Dan Ferguson, Assistant Director, inspect the site, which they did on February 12, 2010. Based upon this evidence, I have concluded that there are no public health hazards evident at this site and, further, that the site has been left in a safe and secure state. I suspect that wood dusts evident near the site actually originated from the Domtar operation, not the ACC site. In any case, they are sufficiently coarse so as not to be respirable and, thus, not considered a threat to public health.

In anticipation of fugitive dust concerns and public safety with respect to fire potential, that issue was addressed in our formal response to the applicant on December 7, 2009 in points 7 and 8. The location of the site in a heavy industrial area, over a kilometer away from the nearest dwelling, leads me to conclude it is appropriately sited and able to operate within current air quality parameters.

Sincerely,

Dr. Andrew Larder

Senior Medical Health Officer

‘But what if it doesn’t work?!’

I had lunch yesterday with a local business leader. Inevitably, the conversation came around to creosote railway ties. He has firmly signed up for the “I don’t care if they say the thing will work, what about thalidomide” group.

Based on that logic, we would still be in the stone age because we would never make any scientific advancement that betters ourselves. For example:

Insulin

Anaesthesia

Electricity

Birth control pill

Smoke detector

Waffle-soled running shoes

Paint roller

Cellphone

If we had said “But what if it doesn’t work” each time somebody came up with the idea, we’d have none of those things, not to mention thousands of others.

This is Kim Sigurdson

If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me who Kim Sigurdson is, and if he’s really First Nations, I’d probably have enough change in my pocket to finance a decaf latte.

Everybody knows, of course, that Sigurdson is president of Aboriginal Cogeneration Corp., but where’d he come from? I was chatting to a friend of mine on Friday about the whole ACC controversy when he said, “Sigurdson doesn’t sound aboriginal.”

He’s Metis, I said. “Doesn’t sound Metis, either,” I said.

I don’t know what a Metis name is supposed to sound like, but Sigurdson is Metis, and he says that’s why he focuses on employing First Nations workers.

Prior to forming ACC, he worked for a family owned construction company serving western Canada, then owned and operated a small general contracting company working in northern communities and Winnipeg.

For the past 25 years he worked in sales and marketing in numerous business ventures in the fish and seafood, and meat and poultry, industry.

As a Metis, he says he dedicates a lot of his time advocating aboriginal issues such as environment and economic development. He’s also a freelance writer for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Tiger’s nauseating ‘apology’

Did you see that nauseating, self-serving apology dished out by Tiger Woods this morning, complete with pregnant pauses and flashes of self-righteous indignation?

I haven’t seen such a classic “I don’t like the man I’ve become” speech since Vernon mayor Sean Harvey confessed to faking dinner receipts a few years ago. This is always intoned, as if to say, “That was someone else who did that. It couldn’t have been me, because I’m such an honourable person at heart.”

Give us a break. Woods cheated on his wife so many times David Letterman would have to do a Top Ten every night for a week just to keep up. But then, of course, Letterman had to eat his own humble pie awhile back.

I agree with one of our newsroomers who said, in effect, “Sex addiction my ass. He’s rich, famous, and women were all over him. He took the opportunity.”

The only difference between Woods-Letterman and any other man or woman who cheats on his/her spouse is that they’re rich and famous and people are curious about the rich and famous. The only help the Tiger needed was to get caught so he’d have to face up to it.

Holy Skrepnek, or, A Tale of Two Kevins

Armchair Mayor column, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010

Kim Sigurdson — I’m sure you know the name — must be getting dizzy these days from trying to keep up with the goalposts that keep moving on him.

I made contact with South Kamloops MLA Kevin Krueger yesterday to confirm that the upcoming public forum sponsored by the chamber of commerce will satisfy his and Terry Lake’s concerns about public consultation.

If you’re behind on this one, Kevin and Terry, after initially backing the Ministry of Environment’s decision to grant a permit to ACC for its railway-tie plant, and taking note of growing opposition to the project, hit upon a different tack.

While they’re confident the ACC plant will work fine, and cause no ill effects, they decided to oppose it on grounds the company hadn’t fulfilled its “social licence” to consult with the public.

As an arm-twister, they’ve been threatening to block a $1.5 million grant to ACC from the Innovative Clean Energy Fund approved and announced way last April.

A couple of weeks ago, on Feb. 4 to be exact, as the chamber was beginning to formulate plans for the forum, I asked what form of consultation Kevin and Terry feel would satisfy their concerns in connection with the ICE funding.

Via June Phillips, Kevin’s executive assistant at his constituency office, the MLA replied by email: “I have in mind a public meeting, well-advertised and plenty of room, competent spokespeople provided by the proponent and the principals themselves.

“And yes, we would ask the IHA and MOE to take part. ISIC too.”

The chamber event fits those criteria perfectly. Up until yesterday, anyway. Suddenly, the demands have gone up, at least on Kevin Krueger’s part.

Now, ACC would have to hold multiple meetings to make him happy. “He may need a great deal more than one meeting. He’s got a population to convince,” said the MLA.

And anyway, he’d rather ACC just went some place else. And anyway, ACC’s project won’t succeed. And anyway, ACC says it doesn’t really need the ICE money, and that’s another reason the company maybe shouldn’t get it.

Lake has a different view of what’s fair. If the meeting is well run and provides the proper opportunity for people to ask questions and have them answered, “then I certainly would let the Ministry know that he (Sigurdson) has met that obligation” to consult.

Of course, the MLAs don’t have the final say in the matter. Application requirements for ICE state the funds are intended for projects in which “all potentially impacted stakeholders and First Nations have been meaningfully engaged and necessary permits have been successfully concluded or are underway.”

The permit matter isn’t going to be a problem, so the only thing holding back the cheque would seem to be the final paperwork and “meaningful engagement.”

If the Ministry takes Krueger’s advice on what ‘s meaningful, there’s no practical way ACC can fulfill the requirement. If its views are more closely aligned with Lake’s, the money can’t, in anybody’s definition of fairness, be held back.

In response to a couple of phone calls, I got this back from Rob Duffus, communications director for the Ministry of Small Business And a Bunch of Other Things: “There has been no recent change in the status of potential ICE Fund support for the ACC project. No funding has gone to the project, and — as with all ICE Fund projects —  the facility will not receive ICE funding or proceed to construction until all partnership and financing agreements are in place, all local, provincial and federal permits have been secured, and the project is certain to proceed.

“The ICE Fund only provides financial support; it does not regulate projects. . . .” 

At least Lake has only moved the goalposts once, while Krueger seems determined to move them as many times as it takes. Ain’t politics grand?

Now, then, about that other Kevin, the one named Skrepnek. He’ll be proud of me.

Skrepnek was working for then-MP Betty Hinton back in March of 2007 when he scooped the domain name michaelcrawford.ca. Crawford, who was then (as he has been ever since) the federal NDP candidate, demanded Hinton apologize. I suggested at the time he go looking for a sense of humour.

Well, I’ve sort of unwittingly pulled a Skrepnek. I now own the rights to the name Thompson Institute of Environmental Studies, the group (or, not a group, as it turns out) that filed an appeal against the permit granted to ACC.

The other evening, as reporter Mike Youds was polishing up his story on the situation, I suggested we go online to the registry that handles these things and confirm whether or not TIES is a bona fide society, which it must be in order to file an appeal.

Mike couldn’t get the search engine to work so I gave it a try. I couldn’t even find the page that lists registered societies but I did find one where you could apply for a society name. I figured that was one way of finding out if TIES was registered — if I was approved for the name, obviously it wasn’t.

So, for 30 bucks, I went through the application process and, voila, I now own the rights to the Thompson Institute of Environmental Studies Society, at least until April 15.

In a gesture of magnanimity, I’m willing to sell it back for the same price I paid for it.

By the way, Save Kamloops is not registered either. Hmmmm.

Here’s my stand on ACC plant

I dropped in on Arjun Singh’s Your Kamloops blog earlier today to read a post in which he concludes that I’m in favour of the ACC plant but don’t want to say so, possibly as some sort of editorial gimmick. I posted a comment to the item on his blog, but I’ll expand on it here.

When I’m in favour of something, I don’t mind saying so. I haven’t taken a position for or against the ACC project yet because I prefer to base my opinions on something other than false assumptions. However, the more I learn about the proposal, the more I lean toward supporting it.

I don’t have the analytical mind of an engineer, nor an engineer’s education, so I can’t pretend to understand all the technical details of incinerating railway ties at ultra-high temperatures and creating syngas for use as energy. Not that I haven’t read a fair amount of material on it, but I’m not ready to write a PhD thesis on it either.

But here’s what I do know. The Interior Health Authority, Interior Science Innovation Council, and the Ministry of Environment, agencies that employ highly qualified people in the areas of health sciences, biomass energy and environmental impact on our airshed say there’s no health risk, no appreciable emissions, and no danger from the creosote.

Setting aside the more hysterical claims about the project, since it’s a sensitive matter right now, the experts brought in to buck up opposition to the project are not experts in the specific gasification technology that will be used in the ACC plant. No doubt, they know a lot about airsheds and about close cousins of this particular technology, but they aren’t experts either in our airshed nor on the system developed at the University of North Dakota. That goes for the local doctors who’ve come out in opposition, as well.

As it becomes more and more apparent that there’s nothing to fear from the ACC project, and that its emissions pale in comparison to the exhaust coming out of the cars driven to work each day by TRU political science profs, for example, the tactics are shifting. Now, the rumour mill is all about how ACC can’t possibly complete the project, how it’s too small, how it doesn’t have the resources, how it doesn’t have a market for its energy.

Now, it would seem, everyone wants to write a business plan for ACC. I say, let ACC president Kim Sigurdson worry about those things. The issue at hand is whether he should have been granted an environmental permit, not whether he’ll make money. As I said in last week’s Armchair Mayor column, some influential people are involved in this campaign, and it’s all rather tawdry.

At the same time, those who are no longer able to question the gasification technology are spreading their net wider, trying to raise concerns about things such as dust, the supposed potential for mixing creosote ties with PCP ties, etc., even though those things are addressed in the application and permit.

In other words, nothing that has been raised as a challenge has stood up thus far.

Do I, or do I not, support ACC? Maybe. I hope I’ll know for sure after Sigurdson comes to town March 11 for the chamber of commerce public forum, at which time he’ll stand up and answer anything that’s thrown at him. How well he does so will make up my mind.