Kelsey Jae Nunez
Executive Director
I remember when I was a kid, the phrase “I told you so!” was so satisfying to say, but the person on the receiving end wasn’t too keen on hearing it. The older I get, the more I appreciate the views of my friends and colleagues, and now I welcome the chance to acknowledge a mistake and thank a friend for advice that I ignored. This is particularly true when I know the advice-giver had good intentions and I recognize the benefit from a lesson learned.
When we heard Don Gillispie and Jennifer Ransom of AEHI were indicted for 14 counts of securities fraud and other deceits, we naturally felt vindicated. As soon as AEHI arrived on the scene, the Snake River Alliance sounded alarms and was the first voice to openly question and challenge their claims that they had new, secret and safe nuclear technology that would save rural Idaho with an economic boom and cheap electricity. We balked! This was no deal for Idaho! This was not a good investment for property owners! No county or state government should embrace these people! And yet AEHI was embraced by top county and state officials. Over and over again Alliance staff were told to back down, go away and shut up. We were verbally harassed, threatened, and even sued for defamation after stating our opinion that the (now) federal defendants were “scammers.” Those few years were hard and incredibly taxing on our financial and emotional resources You can refresh your memory of the sordid tale of the Snake River Alliance and the AEHI snake oil salesmen at this and other Snake River Alliance links: https://snakeriveralliance.org/aehi-nuclear-flim-flam/.
Our role as Idaho’s only nuclear watchdog – a role we have proudly held for 35 years – is to sniff out nuclear harms and bark as loud as we can until everyone notices and the threat is controlled. Our intention was to protect Idahoans from wasting money and time on AEHI, and our strong advice was meant to help.
A good “I told you so” can reinforce a learning opportunity and provide a valuable lesson. We call on our fellow Idahoans, especially those in Payette County, to remember WHY we came out so hard against AEHI and take a cautious approach to get-rich-quick schemes that come at the expense of local property rights and natural resources. This warning is particularly relevant when dissenters are treated as enemies instead of legitimate and valued members of the public process. We can’t let something like this happen again. Please donate now to help the Snake River Alliance continue to watch out for Idaho. https://snakeriveralliance.org/become-a-donor/