Bold Visions in Four Areas

Here is a review of four (4) areas that can spruce things up economically for the Oneida People

“We Can Do This”

By Vince DelaRosa

Green Bay, WI - In this article I will preview four areas I think we need to consider working on to spur long-term economic vitality for the tribe and our people. If we do these things, it will give all of us a living advantage! Meaning these economic pathways can help enhance all of our lives.

I will acknowledge, my proposals are an expansion in the level of financial services that we offer to all of our tribal members. Similarly, I feel this is important because all of us contribute to the millions of federal dollars we receive each year as a tribe. Likewise, many tribal member's are hurting financially and they need a helping hand from their tribe, now it is the tribe's time to extend its helping hand out to the Oneida people.  

"It is worth noting, when our tribe has it's hand extended to the federal government requesting federal money, which we receive each year, we count all of us, likewise, "We all count!" Responsible governments look for opportunities to make life better for their people. My suggestions benefit everyone and that should be our goal, to benefit everyone, employees and non-employees alike. This programming offers and extended hand at a most critical time!"

The truth is, we need to re-visit many of these issues in the future anyway, so getting the jump-start right now is a smart idea. Future planning is going to be the key. I will preview these four areas below with some general suggestions. Of course the GTC can do as they wish, these are only recommendations:

1.) Wages/Retirement Plans,

2.) An Oneida Economic Stimulus Plan,

3.) A Viable Long Term Per-Capita Plan, and

               “Your own private pension!”

4.) More Home / Apartment Construction.

Before we begin our review, I  will also point out here, I do not blame the Treasurer Tina Danforth for any of our fiscal woes, she has tried to bring some level of fiscal sanity. If you look at the letter which she authored in the last budget packet, at least she was honest and forward about the projected deficits. This is simply something that we'll all have to deal with. These are matters which did not happen overnight, and certainly the economy has not been our friend.  

1.) Wages/Retirement Plans-

WAGE ISSUE -

On the wage issue, I think reasonableness needs to prevail. Yes, management can make money, but so can the people, the employees. We have to strike a balance here.

Is it reasonable to have people making 90K or more in a small governmental pay system? Maybe it is, I am sure that perhaps market rates are listed at some of the higher levels, but we need to look at that. This can only be discovered with full disclosure around the Valiant project. Let’s look at it, let’s figure this out, and let’s move on.

The tribal wage structure may need to be re-calibrated and possibly fine-tuned to serve our needs today. I cannot speak authoritatively on the subject until the details involving the Valiant wage project are released.

On the wage issues, I tried to ensure that some of the things that have happened, such as an ill-advised 401K moratorium, no cost of living adjustments, no wage increase protections, bonuses being taken away and reductions in vacation and holiday pay, these occurrences never should have happened. These all should be very highly protected policy areas. These issues need to be revisited. The employees must have a say in these matters, these reductions cannot just be imposed on the employees, it's not fair.

Here is what I tried to do, when I was in office, to make sure these types of things would never happen to employees. On June 11th of 2008, I submitted a memo to the Oneida Business Committee and asked them to intervene on the wage issue. This wage work was known as the Valiant project. Valiant sailed by at a fast rate of speed and there was no oversight.

When work like Valiant is being done, oversight is required. There are rules and policies that needed to be in place, and questions that needed to be answered before the current wage system got to where it is today, but no one cared to do the right thing. I would encourage all of you to go and listen to the tape from that meeting! The meeting date was June 11, 2008 when I submitted my memo. I received very little support to protect your wage interest or to intervene on the Valiant wage policy issues, to ensure for example, that the employees would have structured cost of living adjustments (COLA), wage protections, and a safety valve for wage increases. I got very little support to ensure that reductions in employee benefits would be protected by law. That is the most critical thing here, protecting employee wage rights.

This whole situation was preventable; this is a sad episode in our history. Today there is no leadership on this issue; there are no protections; there are no COLA’s and there is no wage increase safety valve, nothing.

Here is an interesting footnote, in the last budget meeting, the Treasurer, Tina Danforth and Councilman, Ed Delgado both supported pay raises for the employees. That was a positive. Maybe we can build off of this type of support from atleast these two sitting Oneida Business Committee member's. 

RETIREMENT PLANS -

Regarding retirement plans, I was thinking about some previous work I had engaged in while serving on the Oneida Business Committee  (OBC) several years ago.

While previously serving on the OBC, I served on the State of Wisconsin’s Joint Tribal State Relations Committee.  While on that committee I was working on an issue regarding tribal police officer’s in the State of Wisconsin.

The issue at the time was that tribal police officer’s could not enjoy the same pension benefits that other agency officer’s enjoyed.

   *Here is a closer look at the actual state law I worked on, to advance retirement rights on behalf of law enforcement officers:

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lc/committees/study/2006/STR/files/0055_1.pdf

  *Here is testimony and a letter I delivered on the law above:

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lc/committees/study/2006/STR/files/oneidaltr.pdf

But the work above got me thinking about our other employees. At the time we couldn’t go there and today may also be bad timing, but I have a very different perspective on these matters then most.

One thing none of us care to think about is old age. But we all must confront this issue sooner or later. I fundamentally view the retirement age in America, in general, as being absurd. Many people are being pushed to the last spectrum of their life before they can retire.  Amazingly some in Congress want to push the age back even further. Some are calling for 70 to be the retirement age. Not sure where that will go, but 70 is way too long.

This idea that people should work, maybe their entire life is outrageous to me. Working from 18 to 70 is too much. I believe people need to be given the option to retire earlier and live a more productive retirement life. Delaying a retirement past the age of 65 is not acceptable, unless an employee desires to work until the end with no downtime for relaxing. My perspective hinges around the idea that people’s average life expectancy is not too far past this age of 65 or 70.

It’s my hope that maybe one day, we (Oneida) can advance some discussions in the future to see if we can lay the ground work so people can retire sooner. Utilizing our best years, health wise, for the enjoyment of our retirement years, seems like a smart thing to do.

Some say that pensions are dead, and Social Security (SS) and a 401K will have to do. Well I think we need to discuss this, because my opinion differs here again. I believe that any discussion around this matter will need to include talk about a Three-Legged Retirement Stool philosophy.

I am a strong advocate that retirements in this country, and maybe in Oneida, can be supported three or four ways. Here is what I support:

·        A robust 401k,

·        A healthy pension plan, if we can get the finances tightly configured around these matters,

·        A supplement from the federal SS offerings, and if we can;

·        I would also add in a life insurance plan, which we do have on the table, with the OLIP plan. Maybe that can be looked at to re-configure its original intent to serve two purposes, i.e., retirement augmentation and death benefits.

Today most people and some companies perceive a 401K as the answer. Then they think you can cap that off with a SS plan and you’re set. This is not a proper retirement package. Things such as some personal savings and a little life insurance plan may sweeten the deal, but maybe an employer can do more in the future. Maybe we can.

401K’s were originally designed as an avenue to get additional compensation to upper level management folks.  As such, it was thought as simply one of many points of compensation package, but one that took special consideration about immediate taxation. From those meager beginnings, 401K’s have sometimes become the only retirement plan for the majority of workers.

As a singular retirement tool, 401K’s will always be a little weak. Most people fund their 401K’s with mutual funds. The mutual funds offered within some corporate plans are both limited and sometimes have high expenses.

Maybe one day we can take up this discussion as a tribe and see what we can do. Setting off into our sunset years with a three or four pronged retirement approach will help us all retire with a little more piece of mind.

2.) An Oneida Economic Stimulus Plan-

Please see an article I did on that here: TOUCH HERE.

3.) A Viable Long Term Per-Capita Plan-

As some of you may know, next year the OBC has to bring forward a new per-capita plan for GTC consideration. Several years ago I offered a variable annuity plan. The plan admittedly needs modifications and I am working to craft a new plan that I can submit as a suggested model. My idea was that a tribal per-capita plan can function much like “Your own private pension.” Just imagine if we can get this right and the wage issue above right, maybe we can all enjoy two pensions during our retirement years, how nice would that be?

Under the plan I am proposing now, the following general elements could be at play. The numbers and funding will need to be worked out, but this is possible:

A.      The plan would be listed individually on the balance sheets of the tribal members; it would enhance the financial wealth and economic  standing of each tribal member because we would set up accounts in all of your names. This is your money, you own it.

B.      Payments in the amount of $1,400.00 a year will be made until the age of 55 years is reached.

C.      Payments of $10,000.00 a year for life. Payments for the remainder of your life will be made after the age of 56 years is achieved. If you pass away, the amount you are owed in that given year will be paid out to your beneficiary. 

Maybe we can get our heads around a new plan next year that may utilize some of these characteristics. My plan also suggest getting enough funding housed in the plan, upfront, so we never have to worry about any future funding obligations. The plan would literally be on auto-pilot; minus a major stock market crash.

I do have a copy of my last plan, its four pages long and too lengthy to publish here. Anyone that would like to view that plan can e-mail me and I’ll send you a copy. Here is my e-mail address: Oneida2011@yahoo.com

4.) More Home / Apartment Construction-

To me a new home is an economic tool for our people. Whether it’s a house or an apartment, a new home can change lives. If we can structure low mortgage and rental payments, this can help our people have more money in their pockets and that’s a good thing.

Besides providing much needed shelter, sometimes, just this one act can elevate a person or a family to a whole new level. From credits standards, to equity and economic security, this can be a game changer for many Oneida families.

I am in the process of bringing forward a petition to the Oneida General Tribal Council to discuss and act on housing issues for the Oneida people. Housing on the Oneida Reservation is very limited.  The truth is, on most reservations, the tribal housing authorities simply cannot meet demand. Demand is always outstripping the available resources. This has been going on for some 30 years here in Oneida. We simply do not have enough federal dollars coming to the table and we have none of our own dollars being allocated towards this problem, we need a serious policy shift here.

Today, many tribal members are falling through the cracks. There are a lot of tribal members and families living 3 families deep in 1 house, this is unacceptable.

No longer is it acceptable to expect tribal members to pay upwards of 20% or more of their monthly income on mortgage payments. Also of major concern are tribal members who have to pay very high rental payments for small apartments. Many times these rental payments eclipse 30% of the tribal member’s actual monthly income source.

We literally have an emergency on our hands from two perspectives. First, we have a lot of people in serious need of housing assistance and this has been a constant issue here for over 30 years! Secondly, we are becoming a minority on our own reservation. Hobart, Depere, Green Bay, Seymour and the Town of Oneida are building up all around us and we’re not doing enough. 

The petition will be ready for circulation later this year. I will also note, this project will attempt to address issues that also relate to pending foreclosure issues and housing finance matters which may be impacting tribal members.

With these kinds of bold moves and sweeping approaches, we can enhance the lives of our people. In the next few years, I hope we can tackle these issues so we can forge a bold new future for all of us!

Oneida Economic Stimulus

 We can make things easy on our people

“How about an Oneida

Economic Stimulus Program?”

By Vince DelaRosa

Green Bay, WI  - Today, now more than ever, we really have to question strongly how tribal leaders make decisions as it relates to their tribal members. I see leaders sometimes making things needlessly harder on their people.

As we all understand, this world is getting tougher economically to live in, and the time has come for our tribe to do more for our people. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Do we want to make life easier for our people?” The answer to this, of course, is yes. So here is some discussion regarding how we may be able to do just that, make life easier.

Before we get to the easy life, I want to give you an example of what I am talking about, when it comes to leadership making things needlessly hard. Here is a prime example of leaders making things harder on the people and it happened on this reservation.

I remember several years ago, Councilman Ed Delgado and myself took a position on the Oneida Business Committee (OBC) that we did not have to count per-capita payment dollars against tribal member’s rents. This was an easy decision because the law allowed for those payments not to be counted against the tribal members rents. But most of the OBC, the General Manager, the Oneida Housing Authority and the Oneida Law office all took another position, they said, “These payments must be counted.” Well after much hassle and wrangling, we were proven to be right and the people’s interests were protected. Why does this kind of action against the people’s interest happen?   

The genesis of a good idea

                       

I also remember during discussions about per-capita over the years, I have suggested we utilize a general welfare program so we can get services out to the people and a lot of people in different leadership positions at the time said, “We can’t do that, peoples’ income will be impacted.”

I was suggesting at the time that we can buy groceries, pay for car repairs, pay for home repairs, supplement rental & mortgage payments, and give out small personal payments, as advances in lieu of whole payments. The truth is that we can construct a general welfare program that can do all of this. This may not be a classical per-capita based program, but rather a stimulus type program where we use our money to address the general welfare of our people. Regardless of what we call it, it’s time to do it.

For example, with the recent federal stimulus money that came to many tribes, some tribes used the money to directly help their people. We distributed our money around for good use, but I really wish we could have seen that money go directly towards trying to make life easier for our people. Direct financial assistance would have been my preference. Our focus needs to start shifting inward.

How about stimulus for us

I would like to see our tribe implement an Oneida Tribe Economic Stimulus Program (OTESP). An OTESP can be used to help the many struggling, homeless and unemployed people that we have on or near our reservation. I also think we can help Oneida’s in other areas. Many tribal governments are initiating their own economic stimulus payment programs to assist tribal members in need and we should too.

Shelter is a great area where the OTESP can be applied for assistance. We really do need to step up in this area. For example, the money we utilize for housing today, that money doesn’t even come from our pockets, it comes from the federal government. Likewise, the new federal budget cuts (17%) are probably going to impact the level of federal housing funds that we get. Today, the Oneida housing waiting list is climbing and we need to start taking some action to do something to address this issue.  

I will note, some of the new tribal stimulus programs are presenting unintended consequences. Whether to utilize tribal stimulus payment for an OTESP is more than just a political decision, it will also take a little work to guard against unintended tax consequences. So some level of financial planning does need to be worked out and understood.

We can make this plan work

How can a good idea have a bad result? Take for example a tribal elder who relies primarily on state or federal social assistance payments to meet their everyday needs. Generally, eligibility for state and federal benefits depends on a person’s income. A tribal OTESP payment might be factored into the income determination, and might also require tax withholding and tax reporting. As a result on some reservations, a tribal elder who is close to the income limit can be pushed over the economic limit and can have their other social assistance payments denied or reduced because of a tribal payment such as an OTESP payment. The good news is that this need not be the case, we can address this.

Tribes can and should take advantage of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doctrine known as the “general welfare exception.” This law allows Indian tribal governments to make “payments to individuals under legislatively provided social benefit programs for the promotion of the general welfare.” This one step can allow us to help our people without impacting their gross income.

How we can do this is through a properly drafted OTESP. These types of payments must be paid through a “general welfare plan.” As such, if we created an OTESP this program could help our people without harming some of the income requirement issues which they need to be mindful of.

The requirements for such a general welfare plan are as follows: (1) the payment is made from a government general welfare fund, which can be a new OTESP; (2) the payment is made on the basis of need; and (3) the payment is not made as payment regarding services.

Payments from federally recognized Indian tribes meet the “government” requirement. Is there any catch? Well the general welfare exception applies only to governmental payments out of a general welfare fund based upon the recipients’ identified need, which need not necessarily be financial.

Let’s talk about the issue of need. One of the ways documented by the IRS to determine “need” is if the recipient has an income below the “national family median income level.” This limitation may actually not be much of a limitation, given the historically disproportionately high unemployment figures on Indian reservations. How the unemployment rates are on our reservation, I am not sure, but we can address these issues during a drafting stage.

A general welfare plan will set out eligibility criteria which addresses who is eligible. Under an Oneida OTESP we can spell out what types of needs are to be met by the plan (e.g., food, shelter, medical expenses), and all other criteria can be hammered out and addressed during the drafting and public hearing stages. I believe we can do amazing things around this plan, such as the amount and frequency of payments can be unique. I could see us having a program where the tribal member determines when they want to access the fund for assistance. We’ll also have to have some device for verifying the need-based eligibility criteria, but we have staff that can easily handle that.

If structured right, we should have no problem having funds from the OTESP be deemed as a promotion for the general welfare of the people. Further, I believe any payments from a properly structured OTESP can be excluded from the recipient’s gross income.

I will also say, I do not favor limiting who can receive assistance payments. However, if the GTC wants to draw a line, that can be done. Such as anyone making over, say $80k or more a year in income, may be deemed ineligible. However, if we were to decide to have the program be wide open, here are some general thoughts.

Program is open to everyone

First I would say, there is no reason why if we determine that the program is applied broadly to everyone, that we can't allocate a set amount for fund eligibility, almost like a per-capita payment. So we could say through policy, here is the amount you are allowed to access if you need assistance and here is the form you need to fill out, real simple.

Similarly, we can set up policies to cover this matter if we want to open the program up and apply it broadly, that’s no problem. Remember, we are talking about taking a need based type of program and opening it up. This is a hypothetical that I raise to explore and explain that we can be flexible here and service all the tribal members if the GTC so desires to open this up. So if we decide to open this stimulus program up, some may not obviously conform within the need basis and there may be some tax implications. Here are a few options we can consider to address that situation.

First, we can provide for an opt-out or waiver provisions that would allow certain tribal members who do not want the payments counted as income to voluntarily refuse the payment.

Second, we can create a two-tiered stimulus plan that provides non-taxable payments to tribal members meeting certain need-based criteria and a similar taxable payment to other tribal members who do not qualify or do not wish to apply for the need-based payment. This way, all tribal members can benefit from the payment without suffering adverse tax consequences.

Third, here is another unique way to structure the program, we can structure the program to qualify as “supplemental security income” in order to ensure that the payments are recognized by the Federal Social Security Administration and other agencies to avoid any offset or reduction of other benefits to which the tribal member may be entitled.

Finally, regardless of how we structure the plan, we can make available tax advisors to meet with tribal members to discuss their individual financial situation so we can merge elements of this program uniquely and individually into the financial structures of each member’s lives.

If our nation can assist with tribal members’ basic fundamental necessities of life, we will be a better nation for it. I believe that making stimulus payments a part of a properly structured general welfare plan can lessen the burden of living expenses on our people and can lead to all of us living easier lives.

Indian Housing Assistance in Danger

Indian Tribes and Native People Desperately Need Housing Assistance

By Vince DelaRosa

Oneida, WI - As many of you may know, mismanagement and wasteful federal spending over the last 20 years continues to be a real problem for our country at the national level. Just pick up any newspaper and it’s no wonder things are tough all over. Congress never seems to have its act together.

As in the past, this waste and mismanagement at the federal level is wrecking havoc on Native Americans housing funding. On reservations, tribal housing authorities simply cannot meet demand. Demand is always outstripping the available resources. This has been going on for many years. This has been explained to congress for years, but Indian nations are low on the priority level of the federal government. Trust responsibility only goes so far when money needs to be divided amongst thousands of interest groups.

Today, many tribal members are falling through the cracks. There are a lot of tribal members and families who are living 3 families deep in 1 house. This is happening on the Oneida reservation, I have seen this. Hidden homelessness amongst Indian families is widely unreported all over the country.

In most metro areas, the reason for housing shortfalls are many, including high prices for land, impact fees, zoning requirements, and pricey carrying costs. Add to that list uncooperative neighborhood groups who assume that affordable housing for Indians equals increased traffic and neighborhood decay, and it's no wonder that the housing demands chronically exceed available supply. On reservations, it’s usually a lack of federal funding. However, for those tribes that have gaming operations, sometimes it’s misguided spending of tribal leaders that leave their own people without adequate housing stock.

On the Oneida Reservation the housing waiting list is near eighty families, and the list of actual homeless people could be much higher. The statistics are not strong in this area because people tend not to report when they're homeless, this can be an embarrassing episode in one’s life and the last thing people want to do is broadcast their desperate state. Many people will try and find a nearby couch or a basement to sleep in and they go unnoticed. Most of the time people room-up with a family member or friend and statistics are widely unknown on most reservations.

I have heard from a lot of people on this homeless issue as it relates to the Oneida Tribe. I have also studied this issue for several years. I think it is safe to assume that well over 400 families (1,200 -1,600 people) could use a new home, and over 700 single Oneida's could use some form of reliable shelter, affordable apartments would be a suitable option here.

Now comes news that more financial harm may be headed the way of the Native American housing funds. At the federal level there is a Continuing Resolution (CR) that is currently in place to run the federal government which will expire on March 4, 2011. The CR maintains fiscal year 2010 funding levels for most federal programs, including tribal housing programs.

The wheels are in motion to make far-reaching reductions to non-security, discretionary spending for the remainder of 2011. The Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget, Representative Paul Ryan, has set 2011 discretionary budget authority (BA) at $1.055 billion, $74 billion lower than the President's 2011 Budget Request (PBR) and substantially lower than the fiscal year (FY) 2010 funding level. I would urge people to call Paul Ryan’s office at 202-225-3031. Ask him to support Indian Housing spending as outlined below in the three areas.

On February 8, 2011 the House Appropriations Committee passed, by a vote of 27-22, an amended 302(b) (appropriations subcommittee) that limits spending for the remainder of FY 2011. The funding reduction to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) subcommittee is the largest - approximately 17% from the FY 2010 level and 18% from the level proposed in the PBR. This is a grave situation for Indian country. For example, on our reservation, the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, we will certainly feel the pain. We already have people desperately in need of housing and the waiting list on our reservation is already very long and it’s growing.

If the CR that is currently set to expire on March 4, 2011, and it may be replaced with another CR. The new CR may provide substantially lower funding than was provided in FY2010 for Indian Housing. These matters are being debated but there is a real possibility that Indian Housing funding will take a major cut this year and for years to come. We as native people should have grave concerns regarding potential cuts to the funding levels for tribal housing programs in Fiscal Year 2011 and beyond, and we have to request people’s support in sustaining the 2010 appropriations level for several important tribal housing initiatives.

As you may be aware, housing conditions and the availability of housing in Indian Country fall far below those of the general U.S. population. The conditions on many reservations across the United States resemble those found in Third World countries. The following tribal housing programs alleviate the disparities between tribal housing conditions and conditions throughout the rest of the country and I hope we can get these programs re-funded at 2010 spending levels:

 *  The Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG): I am requesting that the IHBG program be funded at not less than the FY2010 level of $700 million. The President’s 2011 Budget Request (PBR) proposed cutting $120 million, or 17%, of the funding for this program, which provides the bulk of the federal funding for tribal housing.  If enacted, the PBR of $580 million would be the lowest single-year funding amount for the IHBG since the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act was enacted in 1996 and funded in 1998, more than a decade ago.

 *  The Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG): I am requesting that this program be funded at $100 million. The PBR includes $65 million for this program, which funds essential infrastructure for tribal communities, such as sewer and running water. Rising costs and associated inflationary factors have hampered the development of infrastructure in Indian Country.

    

 *  The National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC) Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Program: I urge your support in restoring T&TA funds to $4.8 million. NAIHC’s T&TA Program enables tribes to build their capacity to effectively develop, implement, and manage housing activities by providing on-site training and technical assistance that tribes would otherwise not be able to access.

These housing programs are vital for Indian Country and many of them are not sustainable without adequate federal funding. I will say, these are the bare minimums when it comes to our funding needs. We definitely could use more revenue in these areas, but this will not occur because we simply are not a priority to the Congress.

I hope people can join me in working with your elected representative’s offices on these issues. Accordingly, in the coming months we need to encourage our local Congressional representatives to support funding for these essential Indian housing programs. At the bottom of this article is a link to the Wisconsin Congressional delegation.

This is a mindless way of dealing with our budget problems on the national level. Across the board cut is just like saying nothing in this nation is a priority, including housing for Native Americans. Targeted cuts are needed on the nation level, not a cut-everything attitude.  

Plain and simply waste needs to be eliminated on the national level; this is how you control spending. The result of this mindless across the board approach will be that waste goes on and consequently there is no room in the budgets to help people who desperately need housing assistance. Indian’s on reservations sleeping in someone’s basement or 3 and 4 families living in one home; is this the American dream?

HERE IS A LINK TO THE WISCONSIN CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.

                                     

Packers Championship - "Are there lessons to be learned?"

 

What a Season – The Packers Winning a Championship

“Are there lessons to be learned here?”

By Vince DelaRosa

Oneida, WI – What a year it was for the Green Bay Packers. Who knew this would be the year? It was a great ride, capped off by a spectacular playoff run and topped off with a great victory in the big game. The city, the fans, and the Packer leadership should be very proud of the team.

It was not without sacrifice that this team arose from the dust to become the champions they are today. When I think about the transformation that the Packers made, I can’t help but think, do we (Oneida) have that type of spirit and desire to change, to make better? Does Oneida have what it takes to be a champion in the eyes of its people? Of course we do!

Here is just a little overview on one critical part of the Packers rise. Just think a few years back and what was being said about the man at the center of the transformation of the team, Ted Thompson, the General Manager. Over the last few years, much criticism was thrown towards Ted Thompson. Most of the criticism was from people that wanted things to stay as they were. Even in football you have people who foot-drag and don’t want any change, good thing Ted Thompson didn’t listen to the critics.

One of the most controversial things that occurred during Ted Thompson’s tenure was when Thompson made the difficult decision to build a team around Aaron Rodgers instead of indulging Bret Favre’s antics. It was tiring Bret Favre's dizzying indecision on retirement. “I want to stay, I want to go, I’ll get back to you.” Bret thought it was all right to wait until the last minute, to hold the team and organization up while he decided what he’s going to do. Bret’s actions were a farce and it went on for way to long. But Ted Thompson had enough of this and he did what people in leadership need to do, he made a decision. He was going with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. When this happened many people were calling for Ted to be fired during these days. People wanted Ted fired because he was making changes and trying to improve things.

What this shows is good leadership in an organization is priceless. That’s what Oneida can use. Leadership which makes well thoughtout decisions and sticks with them. That was a critical decision that Ted made, to make a change, to go in a different direction, and that was the difference. That one decision help take the Packers to the next level. One critical decision in an organization that needs change, that can make a world of difference. Maybe Oneida can learn from a lesson like this.

Ted latter revealed, "there's a lot of Packers fans, and you'd like for all of them to think that the organization is being run well," Thompson said. "But you can't worry about that. You have to do your job. And quite frankly, I don't speak on those things anymore. We've moved on."

"I think it truly shows the strength of Ted to stick to his guns, stay the course," said Coach McCarthy, who also played a key role in the decision. "We stayed with the plan. We made the decision based on what we felt was the best interests of the Green Bay Packers, and we never budged off of it. It wasn't popular, and it wasn't fun at times, but we felt it was the right decision. And I think why we're standing here today talking about it proves it was the right decision." Even some players we criticizing past decisions, but this year's results validate Thompson's approach.

"I have seen what he's done over his career, and I think it's tremendous," Donald Driver said. "If you go back and look at all the things, certain guys he brought in, certain guys he let go, and these guys go to other teams and play for other teams. And you go, 'Wow, why didn't we keep him? Why'd we let him go?' And in all due respect, Ted made the best decision for this organization, and that's what you have to live with."

Ted recognized that change was needed. Despite his critics and despite mounting pressure to not pursue wholesale changes and personnel reforms, Ted made the changes that were needed to propel the Packers into the championship.  Now, when I think about Oneida, I see that we can use some change ourselves. Maybe one day we can realize a championship of sorts. Only for us the reward won’t be a trophy, it will be the satisfaction of knowing that we are running our tribe in an efficient manner. In Oneida, changes could bring about an era where waste does not reside and where favors are not given to the chosen few.

Change is needed here in Oneida, no one can deny that. Just like the Packers and any other organization that aspires to be better, change needs to occur on occassion. It is through change and meaningful evolution that we achieve the goals that our ancestor would want us to realize. We have a unique history where many of our people suffered during very depressed times so we can be where we are today. With that being said, we have to ask, why are so many of our people still suffering today? Do we think the suffering from the past has earned us this future?

Why is our organization so slow to respond to the real needs of the Oneida people? How can we as a people let this go one for so long? I remember how long the housing waiting list was for so many years, hundreds of people wanted housing and we turned them away, we had no response. Then we re-did the housing list, now today the housing list is growing again, and today, we have no response. There is no relief insight.

For years we had a stagnant pay scale. I have worked on the pay scale, through a petition, as did many others, and today, we have a new system (Valiant) in place but employees can’t get raises. 

Is this the hallmark of a championship organization? Could the Packers have achieved a championship operating under the Oneida model of doing business? Could you imagine Ted Thompson using consultants to do his job for him. Ted runs the team, he makes decisions, he owns up to his management responsibilities. I wonder how the Bret Favre vs. Aaron Rodgers decision would have went if Ted had hired outside consultants to make that decision? Bret would still be running the team right into the ground; throwing the ball away and costing us a championship, just like he did in Minnesota.

We have to change! We can no longer find it acceptable to just get by. We cannot have an organization where obvious cronyism operates in open air. Where people can hire friends and family while qualified people sit on the sidelines unable to contribute or work for the tribe they love. Hiring practices around here are really questionable. No it is not acceptable for people to put their friends and family in certain positions.

When people in high places want to throw breadcrumbs at you and tell you to enjoy your dinner, it’s time to wake up! It’s very obvious that some in the upper levels of management believe they deserve to have fat pockets while others pockets are lined with dust! There seems to be this attitude emanating from some that says, they could care less about any of the pain, the homelessness, the unemployed that we have among us. This is a wake-up call.

Any nation is only as good as how they treat all their people, regardless of who they are. We will be judge dimly by our own history books when we allow our people to go without. When our people have to sleep in the cold and have to go to the Salvation Army for a warm meal; that is saying something.

It is obvious that the day has come for things to change here so we can build a championship team. Just like the Packers did, we all need to recognize that the old ways of doing things is leading us down a very slippery slope.  

Today, if you look at the budget packet for the last budget meeting, the Treasurer revealed in a letter to the GTC that the tribe is facing "extreme difficulty in keeping operational cost in line with FY2011-2013 revenue projections."  The Treasurer's honesty here is very good. Why can’t the OBC keep operational cost in line with revenue projections? This is not just an issue that the Tresurer can control all by herself, she needs assistance to control cost. This is something that the new leadership group will have to look at. 

In fact, we have a $479,172,033.00 budget. We have almost four-hundred and eighty-million dollars in budgetary funds. Ironically, we have a projected deficit of -$47,581,587.00 over the next two years. How is this even possible?

Things are stagnant here, people are unemployed, our money is being wasted, housing stock is low and waiting lists are high. Today employees are being asked to take benefit cuts, no pay raises are available, and we have nearly a four-hundred and eighty-million dollar budget. Can anyone say with a straight face that this place is not being slightly mismanaged?

While all of this is going on we have made a lot of miscues. For example, nearly all of our businesses are losing money. Many of our businesses ventures are under performing and there is no end in sight. There is simply very little leadership here on many of these important issues. How would Ted Thompson respond? Would he sit here idle or would he be cleaning house and building a championship organization. Remember, Ted’s transformation of the Packers has occurred over a five year period, not a lifetime, five years. Unfortunately, some of our mess has been going on for over 20 years or more.

If we keep going like this what will be the results? We’ll have unemployed people unable to get services from us. Housing waiting list will keep rising. Consultants will continue to be hired here to help management manage, and we’ll use across the board cuts and continuing budget resolutions to keep management going. This is no way to lead a nation.

There are a host of serious issues looming ahead for us to deal with. It seems that much of the current leadership is not capable of addressing many of these matters. Budget cuts and reforms are needed here. 

Targeted cuts are needed, not a cut-everything attitude. We have some program activity which needs boost in spending (housing / wages/ social programming / homeless & unemployed) and we also have waste which needs to be eliminated, this is how you control spending. Consequently, today, there is no room in the budgets for pay increases for the Oneida employees and many people are homeless or living 3 and 4 families in one home.

This is not a model which can sustain us as a people. I would also note, this is not a model which can sustain itself. Today, things we are having problems keeping operational cost in line with FY2011-2013 revenue projections.

We are not on our way to building any sort of a championship organization. Until we face the real challenges ahead of us, we will continue to sputter along wondering what’s wrong with us. The answer lies within all of us; we know what needs to be done. What our future holds may be a sad reality if we do not wake up. What would Ted Thompson do here? Punt, close the door, look the other way! Save off decisions for another day? Is this how we lead, is this how we shall live?

Ok, well let's see what another group of people would do. How about the Egyptian's, do you think they'd sit idle through all of this? The status-quo allowed to florish and go unchallenged? How can an unchecked government be allowed to carry on like this? Touch here to see what the Egyptian men and women are doing to protect their interest. They're not sitting idle and neither should we.

Maybe the Egyptian people can be an inspiration to us. They want a championship nation. They are demanding that President Hosni Mubarak leave so they can build a new governing model, a winning team, a better life! Maybe we can draw strength from those people. We need to seek strength somewhere, our kids depend on us to do the right thing.

My hope for the future is that our nation, our tribe can aspire to do what our ancestors wanted us to do! They wanted us all to share equally in the resources of the tribe. They wanted equality amongst the people. We cannot support a system where class warfare or the elites can even exist. The American government is the place where people live in mansions while others sleep under bridges, we cannot have that here! 

We must open our eyes and realize that pay equity, reasonable policies and good governance can all coexist here. Oneida people can be served by their nation and homeless people do not need to be homeless. We can share equitably in the resources of this tribe and we can build a winning organization with the attitude of a champion. It will take all of us to come together to make this happen.

We are a group of amazingly diverse people. We have incredible history on our side. We have survived the worst and we can be the best, it just takes commitment. I see a bright future where we extend a hand to all of our people, not just to the connected ones! I see a future where we want to see the person next to us succeed. I see us being a championship organization one day. 

Similarly, just like Ted Thompson did for the Packers, “I know we can make the best decision for this organization, and that's what we’ll have to live with." The only question we’ll have to live with when we get older is did we make the right decisions today? Our kids will want to know the answer to that question; we better have a good answer.

Public Relations Nighmare

"Public Relations (PR) Nightmare”

By Vince DelaRosa 

UPDATED ARTICLE
April 13, 2011

Green Bay, WI – I wanted to note, on February of 2011 I authored the article below expressing some concerns about a biomass project that the Oneida Seven Generations Corporation (OSGC) is considering building.

Ironically, this project came up for discussion at a General Tribal Council (GTC) agenda meeting on Monday, April 11, 2011. I also just recently posted a chat on this issue, I hope to get some answers on just a few of these questions that I raised in my chat. Here is a link to my chat, TOUCH HERE.

I want to make sure that we do not damage our relations locally, because our casino relies heavily on said relations. I'd hate to see us pursue a project to create 40 jobs, if we damage relations and endanger hundreds of jobs at the casino. The opponent's of the OSGC Biomass Project are concerned around the science of the project, the question for us is, should we be concerned? GTC was not able to get to a lot of these technical questions at Monday, April 11, 2011 GTC meeting. Should we be concerned or do the locals and Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice (GHEJ) have it all wrong?

Here is a link which was recently posted by GHEJ, is this just the concerns of people who oppose us and our project, as we've been told, or do they have valid health and technology concerns? Here is the link, TOUCH HERE. 


HERE IS MY ARTICLE FROM FEBRUARY

Green Bay, WI - In history there are moments in time that are sometimes captured by people and passed on as a legacy. This can sometimes be either a positive or a negative Public Relations (PR) situation, much depends on what actually happened. For Oneida, we largely have a good history when it comes to most PR. Yes there have been a few scrapes and missteps along the way but we have done ok.

The recent BP Oil spill comes to mind as the worst of the PR disasters, the affects of BP’s missteps may be felt for years by BP's operations. But more importantly, the potential environmental damage maybe something which has a longer legacy then the actual PR hit.

Now companies and organization need to tread very careful to avoid public scorn on matters relating to their operations. Clearly PR missteps can be very costly when PR disasters blow up in your face. Oneida has recently taken a PR hit and we need to be very careful here for a variety of reasons.

Recently, the Oneida Seven Generations Corporation (OSGC), which the Oneida Tribe owns, has been working to develop a proposed waste-to-energy facility. This type of an operation is also known as a biomass power plant. We are proposing through OSGC to build a 5-megawatt, 60,000-square-foot power plant on an industrial piece of property in Ashwaubenon, WI. As a sovereign nation, we understand that on property that we own that is on federal trust land, we can do as we please, generally speaking. We do have to follow environmental laws (EPA) and our own laws, but most business activity is done as we see fit. 

I also understand that on this project, the Village of Ashwaubenon does not have any oversight. However, what is important when trying to develop a project like this is getting local support, feedback and opinions, while also managing local opposition! Preferably this work should be done on the front-end so we avoid problems on the back-end. I am not sure how this biomass project has been rolled out. I understand there has been an open house to discuss the project, but the results have been nothing short of a local PR disaster for us. This plan has run into strong local opposition and no local office holders support the project.

Here are just a few of the local voices who are in opposition to the project:

This is a scheme.

1.    1

Its a scheme to incinerate trash. Garbage in, garbage out. Neither the proposed builder (Alliance) nor the proposed operator (7 Generations) has ANY experience whatsoever in this field (and no, attending a few seminars didn't make Mr. Cornelius an expert any more than sleeping in a Holiday Inn Express does). Its too bad they are so desperate for respectability that they are willing to play this especially reckless version Russian Roulette with lives and property. It'll be quite the class action lawsuit against the Oneidas for damages. These incinerators were the big things in the 60s and 70s, but had to be shut down because the particulates polluted everything. History repeats itself, first as farce then as tragedy.

2.       No Bio-mass

2011-01-26

2

Why would 7 Gens and the Oneida Nation (who claims to be the "Stewards of the Land") build this medical and environmental atrocity in an area where 975 parcels of land within a one mile radius, out of 1322 parcels, or 74%, are residential? This is, by their own admission, a first of it's kind facility--a controversial plant--no kinks worked out--no long term health or environmental history!!! The project manager in a Fox 11 online article stated, he has not studied the long term health effects of the plant...yet they are moving on! Above he states that the local opinion of the facility is important!!! Well the local opinion is that we HATE this disaster being forced upon us taking away our health, the health of the environment and our quality of life!

3.       No To Toxins

2011-01-26

3

There is not an incinerator of any type in the world, that can control all of it's emissions! The remaining are lethal no matter how small the amount! The amount of toxins depends on how well the facility is regulated and who does the oversight. Who will over see this site? What about the toxic "FLY" ash to be hauled away? To where and who will oversee that site? By the way, the ash is toxic, containing more than carbon and zinc. It contains deadly trace metals that haven't been filtered out! Why is it always about the "almighty dollar" instead of about people? If the Oneidas claim to be good neighbors, they will put an end to this disaster in the making!

4.       Karl Wittmann

2011-01-25

4

Who do I contact in regards to this plants equipment requirements. Please send contact to: karlw@airprofan.com

5.       Resident

2011-01-25

5

"...but the local opinion of the facility is still important, according to Pete King, project manager." Really? The Ashwaubenon public hates this incinerator and has repeatedly asked 7 Generations not to build it. What a sick joke to build an EXPERIMENTAL incinerator on the edge of residential neighborhoods filled with playgrounds and schools.

6.       concerned citizen

2011-01-25

6

This issue brings me back to what I learned in middle school science concerning "states of matter". Garbage that is incinerated is bound to go from solid matter (plastics, paper, used diapers, wood, etc., etc.) into charred solid matter and gases and most probably some liquids involved in the plant process. These gases will escape in the form of nanoparticles that we will all breathe and take into our bodies. There will also be solid matter to dispose of somewhere. Where? Why the Oneida Tribe would want to do this to their people I can not understand? I know they are chasing stimulus money but this is a short-sighted plan. I am very disappointed in the Oneida Tribal leadership.

7.       Bio-Incineration Opponent

2011-01-25

7

Thank God the Packers are going to the Super Bowl THIS year! If this project isn't stopped in its tracks, next year Rodgers, Driver, Matthews, Clifton, Raji and the gang...whill go WHEEZING/COUGHING down the field with lungs filled with lovely nanoparticulare toxins, courtesy of Seven Generations. Not too many folks will be walking through the Oneida Nation Entrance at Lambeau with big smiles on their face next year. And the non-tribal consumer base you enjoy will probably walk away from other tribal operations as well. Note to Seven Generations: Perhaps you could produce a list for the public to see all the other businesses you've opened/failed over the past few years. That will surely give the public all the confidence they need, right? And how many tax dollars went into those previous business failures?

8.       Concerned

2011-01-25

8

You'd think if tribal leadership was going to fulfill its mission of protecting the earth, they would generate power with wind turbines for 1/3 the cost of the incinerator. Turbines are a proven technology, won't pollute the entire surrounding area with nano-particulate garbage particles (both tribal and non-tribal), and would win them acclaim for abandoning a deeply unpopular incinerator scheme. Then, their property along Packerland could be put to better use instead of being abandoned when the incinerator shuts down because it was too expensive to operate and they couldn't obtain the fuel.

9.       Concerned Citizen

2011-01-25

9

This is the third proposed site for this experimental facility. The second site was located in the Town of Oneida and tribal people did not want this facitity in their town. I attended the open house on December 16 and asked questions and did not get many answers other than this is new technology and there is no prior history with this type of facility. The "experts" that the Oneida Seven Generations Corporation brought in acted like they were briefed that afternoon. They did not have any answers. The Oneida Seven Generations Corporation did not listen to the concerns of the 170 plus residents that attended the open house. From the research I did I found out that this type of facility will cause the same type of environmental problems associated with mass burn incinerators including air and water polution. The area around this site is zoned light commercial and residential by the Village of Ashwaubenon. This simply is not a good location for this facility.

10.    Opposed to Biomass Plant

2011-01-25

10

The Green Bay Press-Gazette article from Dec. 8 relative to Brown County providing waste materials to fuel the proposed OSGC biomass plant, reported that "negotiations broke down in November after the corporation was told they would have to answer the Brown County Board's questions regarding the regulation, operation and location of the facility." Why would OSGC not want to answer the board's questions? Is it hiding something? OSGC approached Brown County because according to the project manager, Peter King, "It just makes sense because there's 600 tons coming through the reservation every day (from the county), so it seemed like it would be the best fit, so that's why we went down that road." I would venture that the county option was more cost effective as well otherwise why approach them to begin with? So OSGC ditches "Plan A" because they don't want to answer questions. Instead, OSGC falls back on "Plan B" i.e., "other waste streams". According to Peter King, "There's private haulers, there's other municipalities, there's other people with waste streams." Apparently, these other providers don't ask questions. To recap, "Plan A" is the "best fit" and "makes sense" but go with "Plan B" no questions asked ... hmmm. Be suspicious of deals shrouded in secrecy. If the project makes sense then OSGC should welcome the opportunity to make a convincing case of it.

curmudgeon1 wrote:

The idea as stated has merit but the location seems very questionable. The tribe seems to have taken on this 'tough if you don't like it'. That would be one of their bigger mistakes. Are they sure they want to start a push and shove contest? What happened to the 'can't we just get alone?'

Those are just a few of the local people that are in opposition to this plan. We have created a public image issue here with this proposal. Likewise, I have seen responses OSGC on this matter, but I am not sure on the technology side of this issue; there seems to be too many loose ends.

One of the main questions as we go forward is, does the risk out weight the gain? It is worth doing this project if we're not sure of the science? Further, do we overlook local opposition, chalk it up as local radicals - or those who oppose us  thinking - or do we think twice about stirring the waters in a market that we heavily rely on to support our gaming and other retail and leisure operations? Is this all worth the risk? 

This situation is particularly troubling for a variety of reasons. The first and most important reason is our casino. The casino is our main revenue source and with a PR disaster like this, it can spell big trouble for our gaming, hotels and numerous retail operations.

The Oneida Casino and retail operations are not on an island insulated from the opinions of locals. In fact, we are very reliant on these same local people to come and support our gaming and retail operations. I might suggest that we have to tread lightly here.

If we desire to open a controversial biomass operation in the future, we better do a much better job, on the front-end, we have to make sure we have a large local support base. This particular project seems doomed locally and the science questions need some level or response from an independent and reputable third party.

I would suggest we take the money that has been designated for the project and put it towards building homes for our people. I would also note, I am not an expert on biomass projects, but biomass incineration appears to be a very controversial way to create energy.

Here is what some organization are saying about these types of projects:

Medical and Health Associations Opposed to Biomass

Biomass Incineration has "Unacceptable Health Risks" and Drives Up Health Care Costs (Compilation of Anti-Biomass Statements from Medical and Health Associations)

North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians (April 2010)

Letter expressing concern about proposed poultry litter incinerators.

Physicians for Social Responsibility / Pioneer Valley (MA) (Feb 2010)"the biomass power plants being proposed for several Pioneer Valley locations would contribute to particulate air pollution emissions in a region that already has pollution problems, and therefore we oppose the construction and operation of such plants"

Massachusetts Medical Society (Feb 2010)"Massachusetts Medical Society believes that biomass combustion electricity generation plants pose an unacceptable public health risk..."

Florida Medical Association (Dec 2009)"the Florida Medical Association urges state government to adopt policies to minimize the approval and construction of new incinerators including mass-burn, gasification, plasma, pyrolysis, biomass, refuse-derived fuel and other incinerator technologies, and to develop a plan to retire existing outdated incinerators"

American Lung Association (MA) (Nov 2009)Letter opposing renewable energy credits or any other preferential treatment for biomass in energy or climate legislation.

Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (Nov 2009)Testimony in Opposition to the Building of a Construction and Demolition Wood Waste Incinerator in Springfield, MA

Letter about Medical Opposition to Biomass in Climate Legislation (Oct 2009)

American Lung Association (June 2009)"The Lung Association urges that the [climate] legislation not promote the combustion of biomass."

Erie County (PA) Medical Society Statement on Proposed Tire Incinerator (July 2008)

Based on my research, generally biomass incineration is considered the worst category of biomass. It destroys resources (some of which are best recycled or composted), and can turn these products into toxic ash and toxic air emissions. Waste that cannot be reused, recycled or composted cleanly can be stabilized through degradation, then landfilled rather than incinerated.

What makes waste dangerous is not its volume, but its toxicity. People can become ill from exposure to toxic constituents of biomass waste. This waste can also cause all sorts of health and environmental problems. When waste is incinerated, their toxic constituents can go into the breathable air emissions and the toxic ash can contaminate groundwater. The ash that is left has a higher surface area and is more dangerous in a landfill, where rainwater can leach out the toxins more readily than if the waste is left unburned.

Now on the OSGC biomass project, I am not sure how the project intended to handle the ash from the proposed operation, but that may be an issue, aside from the lack of any meaningful local support.

Incinerator ash has been promoted for such applications as ingredients in cement, fill for reclaiming mines, fertilizer, biochar11 (charcoal), industrial tile and road base. Many believe these are more dangerous than landfilling, because it brings contamination closer to where it can harm people.

In summary, I am not sure about how vital or well thought out the OSGC biomass project is. I do not speak to the vitality of the proposal, but I am concerned with the negative local opposition and the potential health risk. Likewise, the PR fallout resulting from the mere thought of the project has been negative. Moreover, the potential future PR fallout could be even more devastating if we bull-rush ahead, despite local opposition. 

The OSGC has to be very careful about businesses that they propose to engage in, because this one has cost us some goodwill locally and that is unfortunate. Especially considering that these local people are consumers of our major revenue generating operation, the casino.

I believe this project needs to be further discussed with the General Tribal Council to decide if these operations are to be further considered as a development project for the OSGC. This is important because this is not some isolated OSGC project, there is some fallout occurring here. This fallout, or local opposition, can unwittingly impact the tribe in a variety of manners, economically being one of the biggest impacts. Likewise, I also think a full-blown PR plan should be unveiled around this project.

It is important to always protect the tribe’s image and advance clear reasoning around projects that we’re working on. We never want to pursue a project that can cause harm to our relations with our neighbors, or impact our pocket books! Hopefully, we can pursue a good PR plan to communicate to the locals, our neighbors. We have to deliver some coherent explanations regarding what our next steps are. We must repair the PR nightmare that has become a part of this project. We really need to think this one through.

***** UPDATE ***** Friday, February 11,2011

Blog Update

By Vince DelaRosa

Green Bay, WI - I have had a chance to read the informational piece that was authored in the tribal newspaper by OSGC. It was an informative piece, makes me almost want to believe that this is a good step for us to consider, a project worth the risk.

Nonetheless, I still have concerns with pursuing a biomass project which has no local support. If this was the only business we had to go with economically, I would be more inclined to give deference on this matter. However, with this project comes a potential economic hit on our other revenue streams which we have invested heavily in, those being gaming, hotel, golf course and retail outlets. We cannot risk having inflamed locals while we also advertise to try and get these same locals to come out and play & stay with us.

This type of a project, in that location on Packerland Drive, will be a dark cloud looming over us and it will have a negative impact on our businesses. If locals do not support our business activities around this biomass project they are surely not going to be utilizing our gaming, hotel and other retail facilities. All of our long-standing business interest will be put at risk so we can enter into a biomass project, not a smart move.

I have included an actual opposition web-site here so we can see what the other side is saying. Here is the site: http://www.biomass.ashwaubenon.com/ The video contained on the site is silly and is not technically astute or compelling around these matters. In terms of the web-site itself, it’s obviously a biased site and I do not hold any of their information to be more compelling than OSGC information. Information wise, it’s a coin flip, we say this, and they say that.

Once again, the problem that I have with this project is entering into conflict with people (our neighbors) whom we rely on to support other facets of our business operations. We cannot be so narrowly focused here. This might have a different spin if this was a diamond mine and billions of dollars in yearly revenue were going to be hitting our balance sheets. That scenario would hold out a massive economic upside which would dwarf what we’re earning with other businesses, some of which are already losing money.  So, that type of trade-off might be acceptable if all the environmental information checked out. However, those factors are not present here and a tussle with the locals on this biomass project seems short-sided.

I know we all want a business win, a victory. Something that is making money would be welcomed, but we have to weigh out the risk here and make the best decisions for all our operations, not just this newly proposed biomass project.

I still support this biomass project going before the GTC for a final decision.