A4 Opinion ZDOORZDFRP 'HFHPEHU :DOORZD&RXQW\&KLHIWDLQ Downward spiral of ZLOG¿UHV T KHWLPHKDVFRPHIRU&RQJUHVVWRSURYLGHWKHOHJDO DQG¿QDQFLDOWRROVWKH86)RUHVW6HUYLFHQHHGVWR EHWWHUPDQDJHWKHPLOOLRQDFUHVRIQDWLRQDO IRUHVWV )RUGHFDGHVWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFHGLGDZRUOGFODVVMRERI PDQDJLQJQDWLRQDOIRUHVWVXQGHUWKHPXOWLSOHXVHGRFWULQH Then, under the Clinton administration and now under the Obama administration, management of the national IRUHVWVVKLIWHGWRDGRFWULQH RIEHQLJQQHJOHFWDV WLPEHUVDOHVDQGJUD]LQJ WDSHUHGRIIDQGFDWDVWURSKLF ZLOG¿UHVPXOWLSOLHG Voice of the Chieftain 7KLV\HDU ZLOG¿UHVEXUQHGPLOOLRQ DFUHVRIQDWLRQDOIRUHVWV²LQFOXGLQJDFUHVLQ *UDQW&RXQW\²DQGWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFHVSHQWELOOLRQ ¿JKWLQJWKHP $VWKHXQGHUVWRU\EHFDPHFORJJHGZLWKEUXVKORJJLQJ VORZHGWRDFUDZODQGJUD]LQJZDVUHGXFHGWKHIRUHVWV EHFDPHRYHUVWRFNHGZLWKIXHOV +HUH¶VWKHSUREOHP7KHQDWLRQ¶VWD[SD\HUVDUHQRWRQO\ VWXFNZLWKWKHELOOIRUSXWWLQJRXWWKH¿UHVEXWWKHPRQH\ LVWDNHQRXWRIWKHEXGJHWXVHGIRUFOHDULQJEUXVKDQG WUHDWLQJDUHDVWKDWDUHYXOQHUDEOHWRZLOG¿UHV 7KHUHVXOWKDVEHHQDF\FOHRIELJJHUZLOG¿UHVDQG VPDOOHUEXGJHWVDLPHGDWSUHYHQWLQJWKHP $SURSRVDOLQWKH86+RXVHRIIHUVDVWDUWLQJSRLQWIRU EUHDNLQJWKLVF\FOHRIQHJOHFW 7KH5HVLOLHQW)HGHUDO)RUHVW$FWRI+5 ZRXOGDOORZWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFHWRJHWPRQH\IURP WKH)HGHUDO(PHUJHQF\0DQDJHPHQW$JHQF\WR¿JKW ZLOG¿UHV The bill also eases the yoke of environmental overkill WKDWWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFHDQG%XUHDXRI/DQG0DQDJHPHQW struggle with as they try to manage forests to prevent ZLOG¿UHVLQVHFWLQIHVWDWLRQVDQGGLVHDVH 7KHDJHQFLHVFXUUHQWO\DUHKREEOHGE\IHGHUDOODZVWKDW UHTXLUHH[SHQVLYHHQYLURQPHQWDOUHYLHZV+5ZRXOG H[FOXGHIURP1DWLRQDO(QYLURQPHQWDO3ROLF\$FWUHYLHZ SDUWVRISURMHFWVLQDUHDVXSWRDFUHVDOORZLQJWKHP WRSURFHHGZLWKRXWXQQHFHVVDU\DQGH[SHQVLYHGHOD\V ³'HSHQGLQJRQIXQGLQJLWFDQWDNHDFRXSOHRI\HDUV WRFRPSOHWHSURMHFWVDQGWKH\FDQWDNHXSWRSDJHV RIHQYLURQPHQWDOUHYLHZ´VDLG1LFN6PLWKH[HFXWLYH GLUHFWRURI+HDOWK\)RUHVWV+HDOWK\&RPPXQLWLHV7KH )RUHVW6HUYLFHDORQHVSHQGVPLOOLRQD\HDUWRMXPS WKURXJK1(3$LQGXFHGKRRSV ³7KLVLVQ¶WDERXWWDNLQJDZD\HQYLURQPHQWDO SURWHFWLRQVEXWPDNLQJWKHPIDVWHUDQGPRUHHI¿FLHQW´ VDLG7UDYLV-RVHSKSUHVLGHQWRIWKH$PHULFDQ)RUHVW 5HVRXUFHV&RXQFLORQHRIRUJDQL]DWLRQVWKDWVXSSRUW WKHOHJLVODWLRQ :KHQLWFRPHVWRUHGXFLQJZLOG¿UHWKUHDWVWLPEHU KDUYHVWVDUHSDUWRIWKHSLFWXUH$ERXWELOOLRQERDUG IHHWDUHORJJHGHDFK\HDULQQDWLRQDOIRUHVWV7KDW¶VGRZQ IURPELOOLRQWRELOOLRQERDUGIHHWLQWKHVDQG V Though the bill has passed the House, its future in the 6HQDWHLVOHVVWKDQFHUWDLQ7KHFXUUHQWWKLQNLQJDVWKDWLW FDQEHLQFOXGHGLQRWKHUOHJLVODWLRQWKDW&RQJUHVVQHHGVWR SDVVEHIRUHDGMRXUQLQJDWWKHHQGRIWKH\HDU &RQJUHVVKDVDFKRLFH,WFDQHLWKHUSDVVWKLV OHJLVODWLRQRUDYDULDWLRQRILWRULWFDQGRQRWKLQJ,ILW FKRRVHVWRSDVVWKHOHJLVODWLRQDQG3UHVLGHQW2EDPDVLJQV LWWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFHFDQPRUHHIIHFWLYHO\PDQDJHWKH QDWLRQDOIRUHVWV ,I&RQJUHVVFKRRVHVQRWWRSDVVWKHELOO\RXFDQFRXQW RQ¿QGLQJPRUHVLJQVVLPLODUWRRQHVHHQUHFHQWO\LQWKH 1RUWKZHVW³3XEOLFODQGV/RJLWJUD]HLWRUZDWFKLWEXUQ´ EDITORIAL USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 2I¿FH1:)LUVW6W(QWHUSULVH2UH 3KRQH‡)D[ :DOORZD&RXQW\¶V1HZVSDSHU6LQFH Enterprise, Oregon M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR R EPORTER R EPORTER N EWSROOM ASSISTANT A D S ALES CONSULTANT G RAPHIC D ESIGNER O FFICE MANAGER Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scot Heisel, editor@wallowa.com Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com editor@wallowa.com Jennifer Powell, jpowell@wallowa.com Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com 3HULRGLFDO3RVWDJH3DLGDW(QWHUSULVHDQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 6XEVFULSWLRQVPXVWEHSDLGSULRUWRGHOLYHU\ 6HHWKH:DOORZD&RXQW\&KLHIWDLQRQWKH,QWHUQHW www.wallowa.com IDFHERRNFRP:DOORZD_WZLWWHUFRPZFFKLHIWDLQ 32670$67(5²6HQGDGGUHVVFKDQJHVWR Wallowa County Chieftain 32%R[ (QWHUSULVH25 Contents copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Volume 133 By Jon Rombach For The Chieftain Driving out of Wallowa County to the greater Portland-Gotham City area for 7KDQNVJLYLQJ ODVW ZHHN P\ UHÀHFWLRQV on what to be thankful for kept getting LQWHUUXSWHG E\ UDGLR DQQRXQFHUV VD\LQJ not to travel over the Blue Mountains that GD\LILWFRXOGEHDYRLGHG,NHSWWXUQLQJ WKHFKDQQHOWRJHWDEHWWHURXWORRNEXWUD- GLRDQQRXQFHUVZHUHXQDQLPRXVIURPDOO over the region, telling listerners to stay RIIWKHURDGVLISRVVLEOH0\OLVWRIQRP- inees for things to be thankful for began WR IRFXV PDLQO\ RQ VWXGGHG WLUHV VQRZ- SORZV WKH WUDYHO ZHEVLWH WULSFKHFNFRP DQG 'LFN 7UDF\ VPDUWSKRQH WHFKQRORJ\ that makes it possible to pull over next WRWKH2SHUD+RXVHLQ(OJLQWRVHHZKLFK route is less terrible — up and over Cab- EDJH+LOORUWKHVQHDNURXWHYLD7ROOJDWH