Senators storm out of hearing
tJHML SALEM (Al’J Two stale senators
m.in !n <l mil <i sl.it'- Senate
fflBffWsTi mittee hearing Monday. claiming tin.'
comm 1 tli'o chairman was trying In smear stale
Treasurer Tony Meeker,
Sens. Ken Cri-nsky, K-Medford, and Jim Bunn,
K-McMinnville. left one hour into the day-long
They claimed committee chairman (.rattan
Koran* was using the committee to harm Meeker
politically Meeker is running for the Is! Congres
sional District seal
Karans, a Luge no Democrat, fired hack that
Gronsky and Bunn were "throwing up a political
smokescreen to protect Mr Meeker from what
they believe would lie some embarrassing ques
tions.*'
The Karons committee is investigating how the
Treasury and the Oregon Investment Couni d
have managed S.M) billion, most of which belongs
to the state pension hind *
Thu main fix us so far has linen on real estate
deals and the St f> billion invested with the Inver
aged buyout firm Kohllx rg k ravin Kolierls & (’.»
It wits Kerens' i|u« slion* to Meeker about KKK
and Roger Meier, .1 former Investment count: 11
chairman, lira! led to the Republicans' walkout
According to published .recount!., nine months
after Meier left the investment council in March
1980, ho was allowed to buy steak from KKK's
private portfolio The slot k allegedly was worth
far morn than Meier paid Motor has hnutodJy tie
nied any wrongdoing
Kerens repeatedly asked Meeker when lie be
came aware ol Miller s slot k ileal and whether
Meeker looked into the matter
Although Meier's Investment didn't become
public knowledge until May 1*Wl, Kerens said re
porters asked Meeker about it in tUHtland 1MII0
Meeker said he did not recall the specific inter
views or questions the reporters asked him lie
said he may have dismissed the charge us a base
less rumor.
As Kerens grilled Meeker. Gronsky loudly oh
jot tetl Kerens hammered his gavel to quiet
Gronsky. Then Gronsky and Dunn left
Severe drawdown not expected
UMATILLA (AIM A plan
to restore salmon runs in the
Columbia uml Snoko rivers
concludes that the John Day
Reservoir won't have to be
drawn down severely for at
least five yours
The reservoir behind the
John Day Dam is to be operated
the same way it has Ixien the
lust two years, with no river
depth less than 2(>2.S foot, the
report concludes That allows
irrigation pumps to continue
supplying water to more than
IOO.UUU acres oi wheat, pota
toes, Held corn and other crops
The plan was developed by
the U S Army Corps of Engi
neers with the cooperation ol
the Bonneville Power Adminis
(ration, U S Bureau of Recla
mation and National Marine
l- isheries Service
Carol Wolff, a spokeswoman
for the Corps ol Engineers in
Walla Walla. Wash , said the
plan is Intended lor a minimum
of five years.
The John Day pool was sin
gled out for a possible severe
drawdown because it is the
longest and slackest of the res
ervoirs on the Columbia pools
The idea of drawing down
the reservoirs is to speed up the
river's flow, milking it easier for
salmon to migrate to the sea
A 45-day review will follow
formal release of the draft on
Friday The plan will he the
subject of nine hearings in Ore
gon. Washington, Idaho and
Montana
The corps' preferred alterna
tive includes
Operating the four lower
Snake Kiver reservoirs near
minimum operating pool from
April through July
Operating the John Day pool
at minimum irrigation levels
from May through August
Releasing water fro m
Dworshak Reservoir in spring,
summer and fall, and when
necessary, shifting (all releases
to early summer
-Transferring flood control
storage from Dworshak to
Cnind Coulee Dam to allow for
more water storage in the
spring
The John Day pool, which
supplies irrigators in the Her
mision-Ooardmim area, was
lowered to elevation 2(*2 5 feet
for the past two years, or 5.5
feel above the minimum level
for tiie dam and reservoir to op
erate properly
This year, the corps river
management plan ini lulled a
drawdown experiment at Low
er Granite and Little Goose res
ervoirs during March Hie test
was designed to measure the ef
fects of reservoir drawdowns,
such as water speed, water
quality and sediment move
ment
The proposed level for the
John Day Reservoir is the same
as tile level proposed in a
Northwest Power Planning
Goum.il plan
The National Marino fisher
ies Service also is developing a
plan to save Snake River salm
on under the Lndangered Spo
i ies Act The agency can over
rule both the corps and the
council
683-2787
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SME ENDS 10-25-92
High-speed trains
may travel Northwest
PORTLAND (AP) — Passenger trains could Ik? traveling at
speeds up to 125 to 150 mph between Vancouver. British Co
lumbia and Eugene, as a result of federal action announced
Tuesday
The route would pass through Seattle, Portland and other
Non hwest communities
Federal Railroad Administrator Gil Carmichael announced
the designation of the high-speed rail corridor at Union Sta
tion in downtown Portland.
He mode no apologies for making the announcement just
two weeks before the presidential election
"it's a smart time to announce it There's nothing wrong
with that." Cormlchael said. “The fact it coincides with the
election is I hope beneficial to the president."
The corridor is the fourth of five to be designated by the
federal government. Those previously announced uru from
San Diego and Los Angeles to Oakland and Sacramento; from
Detroit to Chicago. St. Louis and Milwaukee; from Washing
ton to Charlotte, N.C,, and from Miami to Tampa
High-speed rail lines already exist from Washington to
New York and Boston and across upstate New York from
Buffalo to Albany and New York City.
"We are now looking at a beginning of n national high
speed rail network," Carmichael said, "and you're right in
the forefront of it."
Under the intormoaut aunaco i ransporiuuon u.inoiuncy
Act. signed by President Bush Inst December, Oregon and
Washington each will receive S250.000 for safety Improve
ments at grade crossings or other actions to develop the line.
The federal government plans to spend Situ million on the
five corridors over the next six years
Much of the cost will go to eliminate grade crossings to al
low the trains to pass at high speeds Mechanical crossings
would be added to improve safely at other sit.es.
Carmichael said there are 475 grade crossings along the
404-mlle route.
"I'll make you a dollar bet that 25 percent of those cross
ings an- redundant, that you could eliminate 25 percent of
them wilti a bulldozer in a few minutes,” he said.
Don Forbes, director of the Oregon Department of Trans
portation, wants to complete the Oregon portion of the line
within six years, hut he admitted that may be optimistic.
Preliminary studies indicate the Oregon portion would cost
$450 million. Forbes said The money would come from fed
eral, state and private funds
Private freight lines own the Northwest right-of-way and
arc enthusiastic about high-speed passenger service, Carmi
chael said
Forbes admitted the Legislature might lx- preoccupied with
other issues next year as it deals wilii the restrictions of the
properly tax limit. Measure 5 But he expects lawmakers to
seriously consider the high-speed rail proposal.
"People will not stop moving to Oregon because of Meas
ure 5," Forbes said
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