Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1977)
_Montana and Idaho threaten lawsuits Cloud seeding plan brings torrents of criticism Compiled from Associated Pres* reports Gov. Bob Straub's plan to spend $175,000 to seed Oregon rain clouds has produced more stormy reactions than rain so far Saturday, Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus said he opposed cloud seeding programs such as the ones being prepared by both Oregon and Washington. "I oppose cloud seeding and will not expose the federal gov ernment to a potential lawsuit," he said. Andrus, former Idaho governor, said water artifically drained from clouds over one state could dep rive another state of needed pre cipitation and be the basis for a lawsuit. Officials in both Idaho and Mon tana have already threatened legal action to prevent cloud seed ing operations. Three cloud seed ing experts and the Bonneville Power Administration have also voiced reservations about the ef fectiveness of such a program. US. Rep. Max Baucus, D-Mont., called cloud seeding plans ‘extremely dangerous, premature and short-sighted. Baucus said if a cloud seeding bill before the Washington State Legislature passed, he would take action in Congress to stop seed ing operations. Idaho Atty. Gen. Wayne Kidwell urged Straub Wednesday to re fk "Your Name" EL MEMO PAD [j SPEC,AL as low as 454 per pad Ask for details at: JOHNNY PRINT COPY SHOP 470 E. 11th 484 2191 What’s the harm in a little marijuana? You’ll find the answer in this “sane and sensible book, full of information and free of preaching”* SENSUAL DRUGS by Hardin & Helen Jones Whether you’re on them, off them, or just thinking about them, shouldn't you know what marijuana and the other sensual drugs do to your sex life and all your other pleasurable sensa tions? Hardin Jones gives a popu lar course on drug use at UC Berkeley, has coun selled hundreds of students, interviewed 1,900 users, and surveyed all kinds of rehab centers. He has solid facts and encouragement for anyone concerned about the drug problem. *Kirkus Reviews Get your copy today. $3.95 AT YOUR BOOKSTORE Cambridge University Press 32 East 57th Street New York, N.Y. 10022 consider the cloud seeding prog ram, claiming Oregon s program could have ‘serious ramifica tions for Idaho's agricultural pro duction. Last week Kidwell threatened a lawsuit if the state of Washington went ahead with an appropriation for a cloud seeding project in that state. A spokesman for Straub said the governor believed Andrus was expressing an opinion, and does not have the power to stop cloud seeding by any state State Rep. Bud Byers, D-Lebanon, who urged Straub last week to begin a cloud seeding program, said he felt Montana and Idaho were bluffing when they threatened lawsuits. "They don t have a suit They don't have anything viable to base their lawsuits on. According to my information there have been no legal cases where weather mod ification has been viewed with dis favor," he said Thursday the Washington State Legislature moved a step closer to beginning a cloud seeding prog ram when the House Appropria tions Committee voted to approve $125,000 for such a program Charles Roe, assistant attorney general for Washington State, also discounted efforts by other states to prevent cloud seeding "I really don t perceive any prob lems with it," he said last week shortly after Kidwell telephoned his objections to the Washington State Attorney General Even if lawsuits are not brought against Oregon or Washington, the proposed cloud seeding prog rams may not live up to their ex pectations W George Slinn, director of Oregon State University s air re sources center, cautioned that improper cloud seeding could backfire, resulting in even drier conditions. You just can't charge out there and seed the clouds, he said if you dont do it right, you ll come out behind as many times as you II come out ahead He explained that releasing too many of the silver iodine crystals used in cloud seeding could cool the water particles in the clouds too much and cause them to re main suspended in the clouds as frozen particles Even the company being consi dered to perform the operation for Oregon, North American Weather Inc., isn t maKing any urasm, promises Company spokesman, Keith Brown, said, "If we had been seeding all this winter — so far — there would still have been very little ram. He said his company seeded clouds last year for Portland Gen eral Electric Co in the Cascades and the result was only a 15 to 20 per cent increase in the snow pack Washington Gov Dixy Lee Ray, who has remained cool to cloud seeding proposals, called the project before the Washington Legislature "fraught with many uncertainties and a drastic long shot Peter Hobbs of the University of Washington, a mapr backer of the project, said he is concerned the bill might be talked to death while storms come through without pro ducing much ram Hobbs, who holds a doctorate in cloud physics from the University of London, however, conceded the project was "a longshot and said we re running out of time be cause we are approaching the end of our winter season Don Hodel, head of the Bon neville Power Administration, also holds out little hope that a cloud seeding program will noticeably alleviate the Northwest s drought There is probably very little that can be accomplished by cloud seeding," said Hodel We haven t done it for several years, but when we did it, its impact seemed to be quite marginal . maybe a five to ten per cent increase of ram in the (Columbia) basin where cloud seeding was done Reforesters can t weather and climate Even though Sunday s brief showers helped some, area reforestation projects are taking a beating from the dry weather and two major private timber landowners have been forced to suspend some tree planting operations. Officials from Weyerhaeuser Co. report the dryness of southeast slopes has forced the company to suspend planting seedlings on those hillsides and a Georgia Pacific Corp. spokesman reports that company has sus pended tree planting operations tor the sea son. Although the Willamette National Forest is going ahead with most of its scheduled plant ing of 4 million trees, silviculturalist Ralph Jaszkowski says "we could lose our shirt if significant rainfall doesn't come soon He said some 4,000 acres of seedlings planted last fall are in jeopardy because of drying winds and freezing weather. The Eugene District of the Bureau of Land Management also suspended tree plantings for a time during February but resumed them when moist weather made conditions more favorable Seedlings used for reforestation are grown in outdoor nurseries and then transplanted to forest slopes. The transplanting must be com pleted no later than March 15, before the roots of the dormant trees begin to grow, according to reforestation specialist Brian Cleary. ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT UNION and CULTURAL FORUM PROUOLY PRESENT The CAST UIEST PLAYERS (lie onli| o/kmi omericon total theatre en/emble fflOADAY FEB. *1 8pm 167 CIMJ TICKETS, $2 00 on sale at E M U. desk All Roads \ fciCutini Lead to Rome. <Ly (But La Cucina is just a little harder to find!) \ 1 t-} cr We’re a little out of the way, but we think you’ll find we’re worth the dive. La Cucina is the only restaurant in this area to serve such delicacies as Saltimbocca Alla Romana. (Slices of Proseuitto ham and mozzarella cheese sandwiched in tender veal and baked in a light wine sauce. $6.75 We’re a little out of the way, but we’re worth it. Near the International Motel on Gateway St. at Beltline Open til midnight daily Sun. til 10 p.m. 726-1844
