PRIEST RIVER — The Washington Department of Ecology is conducting public hearings this week on PacWest Silicon’s controversial smelter proposal.

One hearing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 19 at Newport High School and another set for Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Priest River Event Center. Both hearings run from 6-9 p.m.

There will also be an online webinar at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27, according to Washington DOE.

PacWest Silicon plans to build a smelter on more than 180 acres at the Washington-Idaho border to produce up to 73,000 tons of silicon metal each year. The process combines quartz rock, wood chips, coal and charcoal with extremely high temperatures to produce the metal.

The hearings are part of the state’s environmental review in order to prepare an environmental impact statement to evaluate the potential effects of developing a smelter in Newport.

Members of the public are encouraged to submit written comments (sepa.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=p4CsA). The comment period closes on Thursday, Oct. 11, although Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter are requesting an extension on the comment deadline.