Rosencrantz proposes County Clean Energy Strategy; Gentle says clean energy grant money should go to bitcoin manufacturing

4/4/2023

County Commissioner Robert Rosencrantz proposed a Clean Energy Strategy for Pend Oreille County during the commissioners' meeting on Monday, April 3. Rosencrantz, who represents the county's second district, listed a dozen "Guiding Principles" and a number of key goals for the county. The Guiding Principles are:

1. Grow Pend Oreille County’s economy and increase living-wage jobs
2. Establish Pend Oreille County as a hub for clean energy technology and innovation
3. Create pathways that direct our natural resources toward desired goals and outcomes
4. Ensure affordable, clean energy for the residents and businesses of Pend Oreille County
5. Work collaboratively with our Public Utility District
6. Work collaboratively with the Kalispel Trible of Indians
7. Work collaboratively with stakeholders and community groups
8. Minimize energy costs for the residents and businesses of Pend Oreille County
9. Protect our natural environment and the Pend Oreille River ecology
10. Promote the expansion of a reliable local power grid in support of future growth
11. Create partnerships with companies such as TerraPower
12. Use taxpayer resources wisely

You can download and read the complete four-page strategy document below.

Rosencrantz presented his strategy proposal during a meeting with a subcommittee of the county's Economic Development Council (EDC) that describes itself as a "Clean Energy Coalition." In previous meetings, Rosencrantz asked the subcommittee members what strategic vision they were working toward. After they replied that they had no strategy or vision, Rosencrantz created one for them. During the meeting he emphasized that the "Coalition" was not representative of stakeholders in the County and asked them to incorporate a broader representation of the County to include our PUD, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and other civic groups and nonprofits already focused on clean energy. He emphasized the importance of working collaboratively with our PUD and that the county should be careful not to waste resources on reinventing the wheel.

During the meeting, Ms. Kim Gentle, spouse of County Commissioner John Gentle and the leader of the subcommittee, challenged Rosencrantz when he stated that the PUD was prepared to meet the County's needs for clean energy. Gentle argued that the PUD was not. Both Ms. Gentle, who has had on-and-off business partnerships with Allrise/Bitmain's local executives over the last two and half years, and her husband have been active surrogates for the crypto company. As we previously reported, we anticipated local surrogates to continue misinformation campaigns directed against our PUD intended to discredit the PUD and pressure them to break their county-benefitting contract with the Clark County PUD. This episode matches our earlier assessment and calls into question the actual goals of the "Clean Energy Coalition."

The fact that Ms. Gentle has also publicly asked her husband in his capacity of County Commissioner to provide large amounts county funds to her organization is another troubling conflict of interest, especially when County Commissioner John Gentle not only asked his fellow commissioners to approve the funding but argued that the Commissioners should not exercise close oversight over the "coalitions" activities or expenditures.

County Commissioner John Gentle also used the meeting to advocate for bitcoin mining. When coalition members asked him how he would like to spend any clean energy grant money they might get, Gentle responded that the county should invest it in supporting the bitcoin mining industry. "Specifically, on like the crypto conversation, I'll never own a bitcoin," he stated, "but I'd sure like to be the guy making the racks that the guys that are farming bitcoin. I'd like to be the manufacturing to supply them."

Download Commissioner Rosencranz's County Clean Energy Strategy here:

cec_draft_strategic_plan.pdf
File Size:	229 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

4 Comments

Gloria Wells

4/5/2023 05:34:52 pm

The following is my statement during Pend Oreille County Commissioners’ Meeting on March 27, 2023 during the public forum.
My name is Gloria Jean Wells at 94 Trask Rd, Newport
This afternoon I listened to the presentation on “Clean Energy Coalition Strategy,” perhaps I missed this, but please consider adding a Conflict-of-Interest Policy. The public should be informed of any possible conflicts whether real or perceived especially when requesting public money to subsidized a project. Key individuals may be motivated by something other than their work for the project

I disagree with Kim Gentle’s statement that you need to “move quickly,”please make decisions on information that is complete and accurate. Perhaps next Monday you and the public will have an opportunity hear the rest of presentation, sometimes the devil is in the details, small individual parts may cause problems for Pend Oreille County. Thank you.

Tim

4/6/2023 08:05:14 pm

Thanks for speaking up Gloria. I totally agree.

4/5/2023 05:46:26 pm

The following is my statement during the Pend Oreille County Commissioners’ Meeting on April 3, 2023 during the public comment period…
At your Commissioners meeting on March 27, 2023 I went on public record with my concerns regarding the “Clean Energy Coalition” and the appearance of conflicts of interest with one or more members of the Coalition.
Once again I am going on public record with concerns associated with the Clean Energy Coalition and potential violations of the Ethics Act. The Ethics Act applies to anyone in public service (this includes elected officials, staff, and volunteers whether they are on coalitions, boards, and/or commissions,) They may not use state resources (for example, grants, supplies, equipment, etc ) for personal financial gain or activities. They must recuse themselves in voting, may not participate in lobbying, or attempting to use their political position to influence a governmental decision for a business they or their family member that has a direct or in-direct financial interest.

It’s illegal to appropriate public funds or award a contract to a for-profit or non-profit organization/coalition if an elected official’s family member has a financial interest.

I appreciate and agree with Commissioner Rosencrantz’s comments this morning regarding appropriating public funds (whether through grants or local taxes) on improving infrastructure, bringing in manufacturing, improving transportation, recruiting new businesses and talent, and visiting other counties for best practices in developing business opportunities, as well as economic development, —- And make sure is there a market for an investment in a potential business for the benefit to the people of Pend Oreille County.

I thank you for your time.

Kent Allen link

4/7/2023 06:27:19 pm

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert Richards <[email protected]>
To: David Whiting <[email protected]>
Cc:
Bcc:
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2022 14:38:51 +0000
Subject: Public Records Request

*External Email Warning!*
Sir,

I have attached two Public Records Requests to this email. Please let me know if you any questions.

Thanks,
Ben Richards

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ben Richards <[email protected]>
To: David Whiting <[email protected]>
Cc:
Bcc:
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2022 14:43:22 +0000
Subject: Public Records Requests

*External Email Warning!*
Sir,

I have attached two Public Records Requests to this email. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Ben Richards

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Whiting <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Cc:
Bcc:
Date: Wed, 4 May 2022 01:05:44 +0000
Subject: Pend Oreille County PRR 2022-058 - Pend Oreille County Comm. John Gentle
Ben Richards,

This email serves as Pend Oreille County’s five-day response notice, pursuant to RCW 42.56.520, to your public records request received on
April 26, 2022. In summary you requested:

Provide all personal or business records of any communications whether electronic, digital, or written to or from County
Commissioner John Gentle between June 1, 2020, and April 26, 2022 to include:

All emails transmitted to Ms. Gentle’s email address regardless if (sic) Mr. Gentle is the primary addressee to include
digital copies of all digital files attached to emails or linked in the emails through a hosting service such as Google Drive,
Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive.

All emails transmitted from Mr. Gentle’s email account

All drafts of emails not sent

All deleted emails, drafts, or files from Mr. Gentle’s email account

All text message communications received or transmitted by Mr. Gentle

Logs of all phone calls made or received by Mr. Gentle

As indicated in my separate email regarding your request in reference to Kim Gentle, this request was received from you twice on the same day:

Tuesday 4/26/2022 7:39 am from the email address of [email protected] AND…
Tuesday 4/26/2022 7:43 am from the email address of [email protected]

My assumption is that this was done in error, however if there is indeed some slight difference in the wording of the two requests I am not
seeing please point out what the distinction is. They appear to be identical.

Question 1: Are these two requests, time stamped 7:39 am and 7:43 am identical in wording, such that I can disregard the second one and
respond only to the earlier time stamp?

Your date range of your records request begins June 1, 2020, however Commissioner Gentle was sworn into office in December 28, 2020. Prior
to his service as a commissioner he was an employee with Pend Oreille County Assessor’s office.
Question 2: Are you seeking records of John Gentle only in his capacity as an elected Commissioner or also while he was an employee?

Personal records, of an elected official or employee are not subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act. In the Washington State Court
of Appeals decision of Yacobellis v. Bellingham, 55 Wn. App 706 (1989), personal notes aren’t considered public records under 42.56 RCW if
all of the following apply:

Are created solely for the government official’s or employee’s convenience or to refresh the official’s or employee’s memory;

Are maintained in a way indicating a private purpose;

Are not circulated or intended for distribution within agency channels;

Are not under agency control; and

Can be discarded at the writer’s sole discretion.

Finally, this request as submitted is extremely broad and my preliminary search inquiry indicated a yield of nearly 3,000 emails alone.
These will need to be carefully reviewed for redaction before disclosure along with an attributable redaction log. Even at a rate of reviewing
and releasing 125 emails a week in installments (which is very optimistic), it will take half a year to complete your request. I state this not
to dissuade your request, however if there is something specific you are seeking, I can apply keywords, date ranges, or another search
parameter that may narrow the volume, yet still meet your needs. It is entirely up to you to revise your request or retain it as originally
submitted.

I will await your clarification before commencing a search and collection of records, if after 30 days has passed without response the county
will regard this request as abandoned. If you have any questions about how to revise your request, please feel free to contact me by phone
or email.

David M. Whiting
Public Records Officer
Pend Oreille County
PO Box 5015
62

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Rosencrantz proposes County Clean Energy Strategy; Gentle says clean energy grant money should go to bitcoin manufacturing

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