{"id":10869,"date":"2014-10-13T08:23:46","date_gmt":"2014-10-13T12:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=10869"},"modified":"2014-10-13T08:28:33","modified_gmt":"2014-10-13T12:28:33","slug":"county-planning-commission-arrests-citizen-for-speaking-in-public-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/10\/county-planning-commission-arrests-citizen-for-speaking-in-public-hearing.html","title":{"rendered":"County Planning Commission arrests citizen for speaking in public hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nThe Payette County, Idaho Planning and Zoning Commission\r\naccused somebody of having previously provided false information\r\nand had her arrested for responding in a public hearing to\r\na direct accusation by name.\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nIt appears that it was a Commissioner’s information that\r\nwas misleading, and the same Commission has a history of not\r\nrevealing relevant information even in response to an open records request.\r\nThere is video of the Thursday event.\r\nShe is still being held in jail, and permitted no outside communication.\r\n

\r\nJerry Nelson wrote for Epoch Times 12 October 2014,\r\n\r\nAlma Hasse, Idaho Fractivist, Arrested in Public Meeting<\/a>,\r\n

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\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nAlma Hasse, an activist with IRAGE, Idaho Residents Against Gas\r\nExtraction was arrested Thursday during an open meeting about\r\npotential expansion of Alta Mesa’s, a Texas-based gas company, lease\r\nfor land to build a gas treatment unit.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAccording to witnesses, Hasse had attempted to ask a question during\r\nthe deliberation stage of the hearing. The commission refused to\r\nallow Hasse to ask her question and she was told to leave the\r\nmeeting. When Hasse refused to leave, the commission took steps to\r\nhave her arrested.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Pete Morgan claimed that Hasse had presented misleading\r\ninformation during a previous public hearing. During the testimony\r\nin question, Hasse stated that Santa Barbara, California, had an\r\nordinance forbidding gas transport by railway. Morgan claims he\r\ncontacted Santa Barbara’s zoning committee and says he was told,\r\n“…there was no such ordinance.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nWell, I don’t know about Santa Barbara City, but \r\nMarga K. Cooley wrote for the Santa Maria Times 7 December 2011,\r\n\r\nCounty-level ‘fracking’ rules get board OK<\/a>,\r\n

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\r\nOil producers in the inland part of Santa Barbara County who want to\r\nconduct hydraulic fracturing on any well must get an oil drilling\r\nproduction plan from the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission,\r\nthe county Board of Supervisors decided unanimously on Tuesday.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThe board also approved language that specifically defines the\r\noil-extraction process, commonly called fracking, in both the\r\ncounty’s Land Use Development Code and Coastal Zoning Ordinance.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAdditionally, Doug Anthony, deputy director of the county Planning\r\nand Development Department, told the board that Fire Marshall Rick\r\nTodd has amended the procedure for the business plans that must be\r\nfiled whenever hazardous chemicals are used.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nI don’t know whether those ordinances include a rail transport ban,\r\nbut they certainly appear to be ordinances regulating fracking.\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nIn addition, due to Measure P to ban fracking on the November ballot,\r\n\r\nand much public demand in July 2014<\/a>,\r\njust this past Tuesday (7 October 2014), the Santa Barbara County Board of\r\nSupervisors\r\n\r\npassed additional implementation ordinances<\/a> in case Measure P passes.\r\n

\r\nThe Epoch Times article doesn’t say which Idaho Commission,\r\nbut a Pete Morgan voted for two fracking permits last year\r\non the Payette County Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).\r\nCherise Kaechel wrote for the Independent-Enterprise\/Argus Observer\r\n17 October 2013,\r\n\r\nPayette County P&Z Approves Conditional Use Permits for Alta Mesa<\/a>,\r\n

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\r\nSo far this year, two wells have been drilled in Payette County, and\r\nthe state has approved a third. With the approval of these two\r\nconditional use permits, the company, Alta Mesa, will be able to\r\nsell the natural gas commercially, and Idaho would officially become\r\na gas-producing state….\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nCommission members Mary Cordova, Frazer Peterson, and Richard\r\nBronson voted against the permit. Commission members Pete Morgan,\r\nFarrell Rawlings, Doug Deardorff, Lyla Scheihing, and Jennifer Riebe\r\nvoted to approve the permit, with members Bert Sideroff, Brent\r\nVaughn, and Lori VanVliet absent. Chairman of the commission Chad\r\nHenggeler does not vote.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThe second permit was also approved 5 to 3, with Cordova, Peterson,\r\nand Bronson voting against the permit. The second permit carried the\r\nconditions that the average decibel rating not exceed 55 decibels,\r\nsome kind of fence or vegetation be planted to block the sight of\r\nthe closest neighbors to the location, and additional suggestions\r\nsubmitted to the commission that were not returned by press time.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSo those weren’t just any fracking permits:\r\nthey were the first ones that permitted selling fracked methane\r\nout of state.\r\n

\r\nHere’s the relevant P&Z agenda item for last Thursday,\r\nlisted under “PUBLIC HEARINGS” for the\r\n\r\nRegular Meeting of 7PM 9 October 2014<\/a>:\r\n

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\r\n2. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT [AMENDED]- Natural Gas & Hydrocarbon\r\nLiquid Treatment Facility, by AM Idaho LLC, for property located\r\nnear 4303 HWY 30 S., New Plymouth, Id, owned by Roger K. Murdock\r\nRanch.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nProperty is described more specifically: A parcel of land located in\r\nthe SE1\/4NE1\/4, NE1\/4SE1\/4 in Section 28,-T.7N,-R.4W, Boise\r\nMeridian, Payette County, Idaho. A portion of Tax Parcel 7115 (to be\r\nsegregated)\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nAs of yesterday (Sunday, three days after the arrest),\r\nAlma Hasse was still jailed, according to her husband Jim,\r\nwho posted\r\n\r\nthis video of the event<\/a>.\r\n

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