Shouldn't have printed Cooper letter

Dear editor:

I was shocked to see that your newpaper saw fit to publish the slanderous and thinly veiled propaganda coming from Mr. Don Gillispie and his Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. The Snake River Alliance found this letter from a Dr. James E. Cooper on a rather unscrupulous blog last week and had a good laugh at the utter absurd mis-characterizations by Mr. Cooper regarding our presence at the "public" meeting held by Mr. Gillispie in Glenns Ferry on June 18th.

We aren't laughing anymore. To irresponsibly publish a clearly inflammatory and factually inaccurate, not to mention not verifiable set of claims in your paper is, at the very least, a disservice to your readers. While there are many points to contend with regarding Dr. Cooper's interpretation of the events that transpired at that meeting, I must clarify one in particular. Dr. Cooper claims that members of the Snake River Alliance staff shouted obscenities and demeaned the intelligence of the Elmore County community. Nothing of the sort happened at this meeting. Our organization is committed to the responsible distribution of information regarding legitimate concerns around the credibility, integrity, and feasibility of a nuclear power plant on the Snake River in Elmore County. We believe in the ability of the citizens of Elmore County to make a good decision regarding their approval of this plant. We believe in the right of the citizens across the river in Owy-hee County to weigh in with their concerns. We also believe that if Mr. Gillispie would answer the tough questions about his plant truthfully, then the absurdity of his proposal would be self-evident. It is his lack of transparency, his arrogance towards members of the community, and his need to control every situation that has resulted in attempts to discredit the work of those opposed to his operations.

If you had attended our meeting, held at the public library on July 1st, you would be able to report that at least 20 citizens so far have actively offered to oppose this plant. You would see that we provide objective information and have the economic and environmental integrity of this community as our only interest. If you were to look a bit closer at Mr. Gillispie's claims and the facts around the size of his property, his supposed water usage needs, and his educational background, you would find a real story fit for publication.

Liz Woodruff

Energy Policy Analyst

Snake River Alliance