ADAGE: City Responses to Questions

At the city's commission meeting last night Laura Lewis and Kathryn Price asked the Mayor and Commissioners direct questions. Here's how it went.

Regarding conflicts of interest and any personal gain or interest they might have in ADAGE or any of it's affiliates, each answered no.


To the question of where the city will get the water to supply ADAGE and others located off John's Prairie, the answer from Commissioner Dawn Pawnell was that it would come from city water sources.

Will this negatively impact the city's water table? No the city has plenty of water available.

All of this was captured on the record.

Water Water Everywhere But Not a Drop.....

When I tell my relatives back East that clean water is a finite resource even in Western Washington, I can see the look of disbelief in their eyes. After all what's all that blue on the map around that part of the state I'm living in?

But according to the Squaxin Island Tribe, the amount of water we're withdrawing from the John's Creek Basin is a problem - the streams in this basin are drying up and the salmon cannot return to spawn.

The Tribe petitioned twice to get some action from the state and county. Just last week the Governor denied the Tribe's second petition regarding the John's Creek Basin. In the petition the Tribe asked the Department of Ecology and Mason County to limit exempt wells to domestic in-home use only.

In addition to her denial, the Governor directed Ecology to do the following:

1. Ensure the Port of Shelton complies with its existing water rights.
2. Secure funding for the groundwater study with basin governments (I assume this is the port, city and county) if the Environmental Protection Agency grant is unsuccessful. Ecology has applied for this grant.
3. Inform the public about the flow-related problems in Johns Creek, how current uses are likely reducing stream flows and that future exempt well uses may add to the problem and could be curtailed.
4. Develop and implement a strategy to protect Johns Creek flows. Specifically directed to reopen communications with the county on implementing stream flow protection measures.
5. Meet with the Tribe to inform Ecology’s instream flow rulemaking priorities.

Ecology is probably only sweating the first one. There's the challenge: getting the Port of Shelton to shut down that non-permitted well that's drawing 40 plus acre feet of water each year. The Port has a permitted well that gives them around 1.5 acre feet of water per year. I've heard from a reliable and knowledgeable source there's a water leak somewhere on Port property that no one can find. To this I'm thinking it's time to get that 'devining' rod out. Or maybe the Port could find an intuitive to find that leak. Hey, I'm just a simple person - not a water leak detective.

Let's keep an eye on this one. What will the Port do to live with it's existing water rights? What will the county do to help Department of Ecology make the Governor's directives a reality? How will Sam Sevier and the Mason County Water Conservancy Board help the Governor with her plan to make nice about water in the John's Creek Basin? And where, oh where will the City of Shelton get water to send up to the PUD 3 Palace, MCRA ball fields and ADAGE incinerator?

With all of the water issues in this county, I may have to rename this blog Mason County Water Watch.

ADAGE: More Questions Than Answers

Yesterday I attended the two ADAGE sponsored meetings and the meeting of the Concerned Citizens of Mason County (CCMC), a group opposed to this new facility. The first ADAGE sponsored meeting was quite well attended but the evening meeting was less so. I estimate that between 65 to 70 attended the CCMC meeting. Media coverage, so far as I could see, was limited to KMAS covering only the evening meeting held by ADAGE. Fred Finn and Tim Sheldon were at the ADAGE meetings.

Here's what I understand after all those hours of asking questions and listening.

1. Air Quality: This appeared to be the big issue for most folks. I heard people say they don't think it's going to be a problem and I heard others who were quite concerned. Next week CCMC plans as a group to visit Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) to voice their concerns. More than a ton of woody bio mass will be burned every minute 24 hours per day and about 100 heavy trucks will bring fuel into this facility seven days a week. Do we want to have the MCRA ball fields up there adjacent to this facility? Not sure it makes sense to have a sports field adjacent to this facility.

2. Water Use and Capacity: I was told the ADAGE facility will use 80 gallons per minute. At the Jan 29 joint meeting of the city, county, port, and PUD3 this issue of water capacity came up. Here's an excerpt from my Jan 31 blog posting about this meeting. "...Dave O'Leary said the City has water rights but doesn't know whether the capacity is there or not...." Prior to the approval of ADAGE construction we need to have straight answers on where this water is coming from and what this means to the county's water table outside John's Prairie Basin. How does this water usage compare to other operations in the area? Are we near the tipping point on water levels for the county?

3. Waste Water: Those 80 gallons of water per minute end up as 20 to 30 gallons per minute of waste water at 140 degrees temperature. ADAGE will cool this to 100 degrees and then it will go into the City of Shelton sewer system. Will this waste water be damaging to our shellfish industry? Who's paying for the sewer lines from John's Prairie Industrial Park to the City sewer system?

4. Traffic: When I interviewed Reed Will, President of ADAGE Mason LLC, he was not aware of the road issue specifically the hazardous SR3/John's Prairie intersection. He agreed to see first hand the roads in and out of the proposed site. What's the plan at the state and county levels regarding the need for improved roads for truck traffic that will bring 600,000 tons of bio mass into this facility and then carry out the ash? And what about the maintenance of these roads? How many heavy trucks are on our roads now and how does this compare to the traffic that we already realize?

5. Tax Revenue & Cost to Taxpayer: I asked Mr Will how much taxes and permit fees they anticipate paying the county, city, port, and PUD3. He said that he'd get back to me on this. His company's fact sheet says they will generate $2 to $3 Million the first year. Now we need to understand better how this breaks down. Is it one time permit fees or what? Which municipality gets what? When the city, port and PUD3 made their water agreement did the city agree to taxing ADAGE at a lesser rate? How much is ADAGE getting from the federal government to build this facility and what are their deadlines? What will be the real cost to the tax payer. Do the benefits to the tax payer out weigh the costs?

6. Employment Opportunities: ADAGE claims in their fact sheet that during 2.5 years of construction we will see more than 750 jobs and post construction will be about 200 jobs: 24 are direct full time jobs operating the plant and about 100 are the truck drivers who'll bring in the woody bio mass. Can a third party verify these estimates? I understand there is a similar facility in Lockerbie, Scotland. What has been this community's experience? How many jobs have they seen?

7. Forest Degradation: What is the impact to our forests when we remove the slash? Are nutrients lost? Will ADAGE begin burning trees (round wood) if there isn't enough woody bio mass in a 50 mile radius of the facility?

8. Cost of Electricity: Some have noted that the projected cost of power would be too high for a local utility. I believe this is the whole point of building this facility.

That pretty much sums up what I understand. I have more questions than answers and look forward to receiving your comments on what you understand. Sorry this is so long. My husband says you definitely won't read this one.

Secret Meetings and Echo Chambers

"Secrecy is largely antithetical to well-run public institutions - not because those institutions are run by people with nefarious aims but because working in an echo chamber never produces the best results." News Tribune, Feb 2, 2010.

I read this and thought about the Interlocal Water Agreement among the port, city and PUD3. As mentioned previously in this blog, the staffs of the three entities developed this water agreement behind closed doors. Port Commissioner Hupp allowed that this agreement could never have been done had it not been done in secret meetings by their staffs. I wonder if there were any echoes in those meetings. At the joint meeting on Friday, Jan 29, I was sure hearing the same language being used by the commissioners of the port, city and PUD3 as they congratulated themselves on a job well done.

Now we read this week that the city approved the water agreement on Monday, Feb 1. The following day the port and PUD3 approved the agreement. The echoes have reverberated throughout the community. It is agreed upon by all parties.

As the News Tribune article referenced above went on to say, rarely is good public policy fashioned behind closed doors. What our elected officials are overlooking is that the public voice can be used to their advantage. But only when it is allowed to be heard in open meetings. While the city, port and PUD3 spent several weeks developing this water agreement secretly, once this agreement was shared with the public, it took the port, city and PUD3 just a week to approve the document.

The public still holds the ultimate opportunity to have our voice heard. Let's be sure our voice is heard on election day. Who knows maybe our voices will echo throughout this county.

Meetings to Consider Attending

Today PUD 3 will consider approval of their water agreement with the city and port at 10 am in the PUD 3 conference room. The port will also meet to consider this agreement at 2 pm today. The Port of Shelton Commission meets in their chambers at the port's office at 21 West Sanderson Way.

This agreement was worked out secretly and now it appears the elected officials are wasting no time getting it approved.

On Feb 8, 10 am to noon Department of Ecology will provide a briefing in response to the Squaxin Island Tribe petition regarding the John's Prairie Creek water level. The briefing will be at the Civic Center. Apparently Department of Ecology has five options they are considering in response to the Tribe's petition.

Knock Three Times

The Commissioners of the Port, City of Shelton, County and PUD 3 met on January 29, 2010. The agenda included an update on ADAGE, discussion of the Shelton Urban Growth Area Interlocal Agreement between the City and the County, and last but not least the water agreement among the City, Port and PUD 3.

ADAGE: Lee Torrens gave a power point briefing describing his company, the technology and the potential for this model plant within Mason County. He offered to hold one on one briefings with each of the commissioners (to avoid the open public meetings act???). We learned that the permits are not in place for this first of its kind plant. We also learned that Economic Development and the Port of Shelton knew a lot more about this proposed plant than did at least two of our county commissioners. In fact Lynda and Ross stated they have never been briefed.

While all of the commissioners at the table could ask what appeared to be their politically correct questions, private citizens in attendance on Friday were limited to three questions. Ross Gallagher sitting as the chair of this joint meeting came up with the rule that only three questions would be allowed. As we were told by Lee Torrens, his job is to control the message and the expectations for the plant plus he needed to catch a plane to get home to his family in Montana.

Kudos to Lynda Ring Erickson for offering to hold public meetings in District 1 about this plant. There are a lot of questions that need answering - way more than just the three allowed by Ross Gallagher on Friday. Thank you Lynda for standing up for us amidst that love in. There's too much at stake for the strategic interests of the citizens of Mason County to rush this through the approval process. Maybe after our questions are answered and we have more information, we'll all agree this is a good idea. But let's not just jump to a hasty conclusion without bringing the public into the loop.


Shelton UGA: The County and City are working on an interlocal agreement regarding the Shelton Urban Growth Area. The City has approved its version of this agreement and now the County needs to make changes in building permits, zoning and utility standards. What I picked up as one possible bone of contention is what the home occupation and cottage industry standards will be. Teri Jeffries representing the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce said that her overall hope was that City and County officials not place City standards on the County and that whatever standards are adopted that they be phased in as it makes sense to the "market". Jay Hupp was glad to hear that both the City and County are still open for revisions particularly for realtors and master builders as well as interested citizens. More to come on this one.



Water Agreement among the City, Port and PUD 3: We heard a consistent theme: at first "the stars were aligned" and then "the sun, the moon and the stars were aligned" as those sitting at the table spoke of the proposed agreement. Wouldn't you expect the City and Port to both agree that something celestial has occurred when you can see the potential for getting PUD 3 rate payers to pay for the water line that is so going to benefit both the Port and City?

Jay Hupp offered this proposed agreement wouldn't have happened if it had not been done secretly by their staffs. Both the City and PUD 3 will be addressing this agreement at their meetings this week.

Watch for this to be fast track approved.

Ross allowed just three questions for this controversial topic. People in attendance were asking questions like: where's this water coming from? To which Dave O'Leary said the City has water rights but doesn't know whether the capacity is there or not and that's the way these projects are done.

He said what? I'm thinking Dave O'Leary is getting pretty close to receiving the "Are You Kidding?" award.

Stay tuned to see where this water agreement goes.