Marchers protest proposed Newport silicon smelter

NEWPORT — Hardy folks of all ages turned out for the Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter’s march through downtown on Saturday.

Event organizer Theresa Hiesener said more than 100 people were part of the procession despite an earlier snowstorm, which caused some CANSS supporters to pull out of the walk.

“I was actually quite happy with the turnout,” said Hiesener.

The group chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho — the Newport smelter has got to go!” as they filed down Washington Avenue, past City Hall and the Pend Oreille Public Utility District’s office. They received honks of support from passersby and found themselves at one point trudging through calf-high drifts of snow as they spread their message.

“We don’t want to sacrifice our health for their profits,” said Debbie Mann, a Blanchard woman who dressed for the event as Mother Nature.

HiTest Sands contends its can safely process silicon while adding manufacturing jobs to the community, although opponents of the smelter proposal argue that emissions from the plant jeopardizes air and water quality in Washington and Idaho.

“The citizens are trying to make their voice heard that they don’t want this in the community,” Hiesener said.

Hiesener said she was pleasantly surprised to see the steadily growing momentum of CANSS, which began with a handful of people and now has 2,000 supporters on Facebook. Hiesener estimates there are another thousand or so supporters who aren’t on social media.

“It’s nice to see this tiny snowball grow,” she said.

Members of CANSS will be on hand at tonight’s panel discussion hosted by the city of Sandpoint. It starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Panida Theater.

The group is also holding a fundraiser during the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the Roxy Theater in Newport on Friday.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.