Comments on: Simplot Threatens To Leave Canyon County

By: dog

dog — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:30:34 +0000

Simplot flat out lies. There is no cheaper place to do business than in Canyon County unless you go to Mexico.
I’ll bet a sugar beet that Simplot regrets closing the production facility by Umitilla and opening the new plant in Canada. That was done in a corporate crybaby fit because they couldn’t get their way.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:41:56 +0000

Why doesn’t Simplot just *buy* Canyon County? Then it can make its own rules.

By: Zippo

Zippo — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:14:13 +0000

I’m all for reducing pollution, but you may take note of the high levels of pollution in impoverished nations, and rapidly growing industrialized nations. An overbearing, overgrown, overly expensive, inefficient, special-interest and employee driven regulatory system is driving the jobs away from this country and thus the nation into poverty. So a BALLANCE needs to be found. These so call scientists and regulators are still acting like its 1970 and JR is still dumping in the river. The war is over man, you got to forgive and work toward a balance with slow affordable improvement while remaining competitive globally.

Vehicle pollution testing is just an additional road tax and jobs program. Both of which bring federal money from the aforementioned overbearing bureaucracy. They know it, because they do not show what percent of vehicles are over the fairly high limit… and the tiny improvement it makes.

If they spent that money finding, crushing, and replacing one nasty old polluting vehicle or woodstove each day, would it be more improvement? Would it be cheaper?

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:11:03 +0000

WWJD, It may come as news to you but Simplot now owns Carnation/Nestle in Nampa and elsewhere wher spuds are processed and has owned them for a number of years.

Jack built his plants next to rivers so he could dump the effluent directly into the rivers. There was an interview in the late 1970’s (Jack Simplot, King of the Hill) of Jack back in the day with Sal Saleski of Channel 7 with him talking about this very thing. It went on for years and years until the EPA put a stop to it.

Point is the FED’s are going to let everyone have it their way. The evidence and data support an actual drop in Ozone levels and Ozone is not in the top two pollution issues at this point in time. The demise of old carbureted cars is one of the reasons Ozone has declined in this valley. It will cost car owners in Canyon County about $1.5 million to shell out for vehicle inspections each year and nearly all will pass the inspections. It would make more sense to spend the money on buying the old carbureted vehicles and get them off the road.

You really have to follow the money on this one and the people doing the inspections are pushing this legislation along with all the people now suffering through and paying the people doing the inspections in Ada County.

In all legislation you have to follow the money..

By: JIMV

JIMV — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:00:41 +0000

Businesses do not have to remain where they will lose money, a fact that governments always seem to forget.

By: What Would Jack Do?

What Would Jack Do? — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:45:35 +0000

You can’t grow spuds without water. I haven’t heard the Carnation/Nestle in Caldwell complaining. They would be happy as clams if Jack pulled out and left the local market over supplied with raw material.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:18:04 +0000

ZIPPO – add this to your post…..Boise Cascade will never leave, Albertson’s will always be here, Ore-Ida will stay, MK will never go away.

I am sure that Canada or Mexico would LOVE to send us their spuds!

By: Zippo

Zippo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:55:35 +0000

Those sawmills will never close, not with the trees so nearby. Those auto plants will never close, not with the iron ore so nearby. Thousands of similar foolish bets have been placed in this nation over the last 40 years. Without those jobs the base reason for a middle-class is gone. A true service economy has no middle class. It won’t be long now.

By: cyclops

cyclops — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:27:55 +0000

Why yes Sam, the legislature has more than enough cajones to stand up to Simplot! Just like they stood up to Micron and Albertsons, and MK, and Boise Cascade, and all those other bullies! After all , Jack is dead and can’t really fight back! Give ’em hell legislature! Then you can form another
“committee” to study what the hell went wrong!

By: What Would Jack Do?

What Would Jack Do? — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:55:32 +0000

I am sure Simplot it sincere in their desire to forestall stiffer air quality regulations. At the same time their options are limited. If they want to move their plant, they have to move someplace that can grow potatoes. More to the point, they have to move someplace that grows a lot of (good quality) potatoes, where there is cheap energy, good transportation to markets, and is not already served by one of their main competitors, thus driving up the cost of raw product. Such locations are either extremely limited, or take decades to develop.

Simplot also has to be careful that by abandoning the Caldwell area, one of their main competitors does not come in behind them and make french fries out of the same spuds Simplot left behind, more cheaply than Simplot can from their relocated plant.

My guess is that the legislature will try to throw Simplot a bone, but that both the state and Simplot will blink before the feds do.