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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2019)
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ❚ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2019 ❚ 3A Drift Creek Continued from Page 2A 2,200 acres he and his sons farm in the area have no water rights, not even from Drift Creek, so they’ve learned to farm with only the water that falls from the sky and to produce crops such as grass seed and Douglas firs. “We don’t irrigate,” Rue said. “We don’t have the luxury.” The East Valley Water District’s plan would have required the district to ob- tain nearly 400 acres currently owned by Rue and about a half dozen of his neighbors. The Victor Point neighbors were un- willing to sell their land to the district and unsuccessfully went to court to keep the district’s surveyors off it. But the water district could have tak- en the land through the eminent domain process, even though the land was out- side their district, in accordance with state statutes. The Victor Point farmers even went to the state legislature in 2015, trying to get a bill through that would have kept any water district from using eminent domain outside of its boundaries, but never received a hearing. The East Valley Water District’s plan would have taken land from farmers in the Victor Point area to benefit farmers against whom they compete to sell their crops. East Valley didn’t own land until 2016 when it acquired property near Drift Creek. Since the East Valley Water District Parks Continued from Page 1A On youth sports: “Coordination of youth sports by school staff is becoming increasingly difficult as the number of playing fields is limited while the num- ber of players continues to grow.” On the senior center: “A question re- mains about the Senior Center and its current funding by a local non-profit. The city currently subsidizes the Senior Center by an amount of $5,000 after the center demonstrated an emergency sit- uation due to financial hardship. This indicates that the Senior Center’s fund- ing sources may not be consistently sta- ble." Among its findings, the study fore- The Fox Reservoir located near the proposed Drift Creek Reservoir south of Silverton. BILL POEHLER | STATESMAN JOURNAL filed for its permit in 2013, Rue, fellow farmers and WaterWatch of Oregon have been fighting what seemed like an unwinnable battle. “It’s strained our relationships with some good people,” Rue said. Arguments and final decision Opponents of the plan have thrown every argument they could think of to stop the plan over the past five years. Among their reason: the district didn’t seek available water from existing reservoirs in the Willamette Basin; an archeological survey revealed stone tools and projectile points which indi- casts a 30 percent population growth in the Silver Falls School District over the next decade. Many of the residents in that 240-square-mile area recreate in Silverton but don’t pay city taxes. Palm- er and other members of the Task Force said they see a larger district being fairer – and more comprehensive – for every- one. A web-based survey of 944 Silver- ton-area residents showed that 48 per- cent of those in the city limits favored forming a parks and rec district, as com- pared with 43 percent of those in rural areas. Twelve percent of urban voters said “no,” to rural participants’ 22 per- cent. More than one-third of all respon- dents said they were unsure. Examples of other parks and rec dis- tricts include those in Crook County, Sisters and Lebanon. cate historical significance; it is habitat for native elk; dams must be adaptable to power generation consistent with safe fish passage and species such as Winter Steelhead, Pacific Lamprey, Spring Chinook and Coho Salmon have been observed in Drift Creek. And the dam was proposed at a time the state spends $10 million each year to remove fish passage barriers from streams. “We’ve presented a lot of these issues for years, and they just fell on deaf ears, I guess,” Rue said. It wasn’t until a subcommittee of the Oregon Water Resources Commission issued an opinion that the proposed dam would be detrimental to the public interest, citing the existing water right the state owns for the benefit of the na- tive coastal cutthroat trout native to the creek, that the opponents finally got a win. The only current water rights on Drift Creek are for fish ponds and cutthroat trout migration. The Oregon Water Resources Com- mission voted after a two-day hearing on Nov. 22 to deny the East Valley Water District’s application. “It took some guts for them to say no to this,” said Brian Posewitz, an attorney for WaterWatch of Oregon. But to get to this decision came at a cost to everyone. The East Valley Water District spent over $1 million in public dollars from multiple sources in state government on studies. As of 2018, district members had con- tributed about $1.1 million in fees toward the project, according to filings with the state. “It’s not something that we dreamed up on our own,” Bielenberg said. “We did what we were asked to do and thought we had an agreement. We have done ev- erything that was required. “That’s what you get when you deal with government.” Rue didn’t specify how much he and the opponents spent on the defense, but said he and his sons could have bought a farm for what they spent. “I think the real losers in this is the state of Oregon and the taxpayers,” Joel Rue said. bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler Public Notice Announcing the Availability of an Environmental Assessment US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Business Services (RBS) Pika Solar, LLC: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Rural Business Services, USDA ACTION: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Business Services, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, is issuing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in connection with possible impacts related to a project proposed by the Brush Creek Solar, LLC (Applicant). The applicant is proposing the construction of a 2.2 megawatt (MW) solar facility (Project) located two miles southwest of Silverton in Marion County, Oregon. The proposed Project consists of an approximate 12-acre portion of a larger 14-acre parcel in Marion County. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Beyer, State Environmental Coordinator at (503) 414-3368, 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 1801, Portland, Oregon 97204 michael.beyer@usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Applicant’s proposed project would use ground-mounted, fi xed tilt solar arrays, consisting of photovoltaic (PV) modules, inverters, and associated racking and electrical equipment. The Project would have a generating capacity of 4,064 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy per year and would sell this energy to Portland General Electric (PGE) under a long-term fi xed power purchase agreement. When constructed, the solar arrays and associated components would be no more than 10 feet in height and would be surrounded by 7-foot tall chain link security fence. The facility will be located on privately-owned property in Marion County, Oregon. Environmental Resources Management, Inc. consultant, prepared an Environmental Assessment for RBS that describes the project, assesses the proposed project’s environmental impacts, and summarizes, as applicable, any mitigation measures used to minimize environmental eff ects. RBS has conducted an independent evaluation of the Environmental Assessment and believes that it accurately assesses the impacts of the proposed project. No signifi cant impacts are expected as a result of the construction of the project. Questions and comments should be sent to RBS at the address provided. RBS will accept questions and comments on the environmental assessment for 14 days from the date of publication of this notice. Any fi nal action by RBS related to the proposed project will be subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal environmental laws and regulations and completion of environmental review procedures as prescribed by 7 CFR Part 1970, Environmental Policies and Procedures. A general location map of the proposal is shown below. Dated: December 10, 2019 Michael Beyer, State Environmental Coordinator Rural Development • Oregon State Offi ce 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 1801 • Portland, OR 97204 Voice: (503) 414-3300 • Fax: (855) 824-6180 Michael Beyer - State Environmental Coordinator michael.beyer@or.usda.gov (503) 414-3368 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC To fi le a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr. usda.gov/complaint_fi ling_cust.html and at any USDA offi ce or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Offi ce of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410; by fax at (202) 690-7442; or by email at program.intake@usda.gov. OR-0000399345 LOCAL ADVISORS Salem Area Michael Wooters Chip Hutchings Cameron Hunt CFA, CFP ® FINANCIAL ADVISOR South | 503-362-5439 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Lancaster | 503-585-4689 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Downtown | 503-385-1478 Caitlin Davis CFP ® Tim Sparks Matthew Guyette FINANCIAL ADVISOR West | 503-585-1464 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Commercial | 503-370-6159 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Mission | 503-363-0445 Jeff Davis Tyson Wooters Phil Ridling FINANCIAL ADVISOR Mission | 503-363-0445 FINANCIAL ADVISOR South | 503-362-5439 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Liberty | 503-581-8580 Garry Falor CFP ® FINANCIAL ADVISOR West | 503-588-5426 Keizer Area Sheryl Resner Mario Montiel Kylee Williams Charisa Henckel FINANCIAL ADVISOR Keizer | 503-304-8641 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Keizer | 503-393-8166 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Keizer | 503-304-8641 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Keizer Station | 503-393-4677 OR-SAL0009194-02 Surrounding Area Bridgette Justis Tim Yount Kelly Denney David Eder FINANCIAL ADVISOR Sublimity | 503-769-3180 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Silverton | 503-873-2454 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Dallas | 503-623-2146 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Stayton | 503-769-4902 Public Notice Announcing the Availability of an Environmental Assessment US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Business Services (RBS) Pika Solar, LLC: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Rural Business Services, USDA ACTION: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Business Services, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, is issuing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in connection with possible impacts related to a project proposed by the Pika Solar, LLC (Applicant). The applicant is proposing the construction of a 2.2 megawatt (MW) solar facility (Project) located on the north side of Dominic Road NE, approximately 0.8-mile east of its intersection with Hillsboro Silverton Highway in Marion County, Oregon. The proposed Project consists of approximately 12-acre portion of a larger 60-acre parcel in Marion County. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Beyer, State Environmental Coordinator at (503) 414-3368, 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 1801, Portland, Oregon 97204 michael.beyer@usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Applicant’s proposed project would use ground-mounted, fi xed tilt solar arrays, consisting of photovoltaic (PV) modules, inverters, and associated racking and electrical equipment. The Project would have a generating capacity of 4,064 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy per year and would sell this energy to Portland General Electric (PGE) under a long-term fi xed power purchase agreement. When constructed, the solar arrays and associated components would be no more than 10 feet in height and would be surrounded by 7-foot tall chain link security fence. The facility will be located on privately-owned property in Marion County, Oregon. Environmental Resources Management, Inc. consultant, prepared an Environmental Assessment for RBS that describes the project, assesses the proposed project’s environmental impacts, and summarizes, as applicable, any mitigation measures used to minimize environmental eff ects. RBS has conducted an independent evaluation of the Environmental Assessment and believes that it accurately assesses the impacts of the proposed project. No signifi cant impacts are expected as a result of the construction of the project. Questions and comments should be sent to RBS at the address provided. RBS will accept questions and comments on the environmental assessment for 14 days from the date of publication of this notice. Any fi nal action by RBS related to the proposed project will be subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal environmental laws and regulations and completion of environmental review procedures as prescribed by 7 CFR Part 1970, Environmental Policies and Procedures. A general location map of the proposal is shown below. Dated: December 10, 2019 Michael Beyer, State Environmental Coordinator Rural Development • Oregon State Offi ce 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 1801 • Portland, OR 97204 Voice: (503) 414-3300 • Fax: (855) 824-6180 Michael Beyer - State Environmental Coordinator michael.beyer@or.usda.gov (503) 414-3368 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Are your investments ready to fi ght infl ation? To fi le a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr. usda.gov/complaint_fi ling_cust.html and at any USDA offi ce or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Offi ce of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410; by fax at (202) 690- 7442; or by email at program.intake@usda.gov. OR-0000399344