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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2019)
SPORTS Keep it stored securely away from those underage. A constant force FRIDAY-SUNDAY • September 20-22, 2019 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Dean Arbogast of La Grande LA GRANDE New code officer in place Local business faces fines EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY ■ B&K Auto Salvage cited by the state’s DEQ ■ Officer Cody Kirby steps into new role By Sabrina Thompson By Sabrina Thompson The Observer The Observer Oregon is one of the 28 states that had not adopted the 2015 WOTUS rule at the time of the repeal because it was stalled in courts, according to the EPA’s website. This means little will be different for the state’s farmers, except not having to worry much about possible fi nes and litigation. “It’s a welcome change,” B&K Auto Salvage in La Grande was fi ned $9,258 by the Department of Environmental Quality on July 29 for an oil spill and mislabeling of used oil. The company is planning to appeal the decision. According to the DEQ en- forcement action letter that was sent to the business lo- cated at 10714 S. McAlister Road, the salvage yard was in violation of two codes. The fi rst, for which it received the penalty, was “failing to immediately clean up spills or releases of used oil.” The second, which was without penalty, was failing to label containers of used oil with the words “Used Oil.” According to the presi- dent of B&K Auto Salvage, Jake Hanson, there was not an oil spill, but the busi- ness was in violation of the second code. Hanson said B&K uses a DEQ certifi ed furnace to heat the shop during the winter and the oil for it was incorrectly labeled as waste oil. “It needed to be labeled as used oil instead,” he said. Hanson said B&K will be appealing the decision because there was not an oil spill. The appeal hearing is set for Sept. 25. The DEQ said in an email that the department maintains the position that there was a spill. DEQ said it conducted an investiga- tion March 20 based on a complaint fi led by a former employee that he was told by the site manager to take used fuel from scrap vehicles and dump it behind the south fence of the facility. When the DEQ investigated, the inspector noticed a strong smell of pe- troleum and an oily sheen to puddles near the south fence. The inspector took soil samples from the area and they tested positive for elevated levels of oil, indicating petroleum-based contamination. According to the DEQ letter, the cited spill had not been cleaned up as of July 29. The amount of the penalty was determined by a formula set by the DEQ, according to the letter sent. The base penalty for a Class I violation, which the oil spill was, is $4,000. The See Ruling / Page 5A See DEQ / Page 5A The City of La Grande has a new code enforcement of- fi cer. Offi cer Cody Kirby, 23, of La Grande, stepped into the position Sept. 4 and has been in training for the last two weeks for his new job enforcing city ordinances. “The City of La Grande has ordinances they devel- oped over the years on how they want the city to be presented and how we conduct Kirby business,” Kirby said. Kirby will deal with ev- erything from lawn care and land use rules to parking vio- lations. In his position he will respond to complaints and also address violations he notes during patrols around town, according to Kirby. “There is freedom when it comes to that,” Kirby said. “I do have the ability to make improvements within the city that I see. It doesn’t have to be brought (to me).” Kirby views his role as code enforcement offi cer as something that will help keep the city safe and run- ning effi ciently. “There are a lot of situa- tions every day that can ad- dress concerns that do deal with public safety,” Kirby said. “Even something as simple as the way somebody is parked in front of a stop sign — it might prevent an accident if I address it.” The code enforcement offi cer is not a police offi cer but does work out of the police department. This is ideal for Kirby, as he said he ultimately wants to be a police offi cer. “That has been my goal Dick Mason/The Observer Classifi ed staff employees at Eastern Oregon University and those at the state’s six other public universities may strike Sept. 30. Above is Inlow Hall, Eastern’s administration building. Student services workers, university SET FOR STRIKE ■ Likelihood of walkout at state’s seven universities continues to grow By Dick Mason, The Observer The specter of a strike by the classifi ed staff at Oregon’s seven public universities, including Eastern Oregon University, is looming larger. The employees voted late Tues- day to authorize a strike if their union, SEIU 503, and the state’s public universities can’t reach an agreement on a new contract Sept. 30, SEIU 503 told The Observer. Classifi ed staff are student ser- vices employees, such as custodians, carpenters, plumbers, offi ce special- ists, information technology special- ists and heating, air conditioning and ventilation system specialists. These employees of the state’s seven public universities would of- fi cially start the strike Sept. 30, ac- cording to an announcement from SEIU 503, which represents 4,500 public university employees, among them about 130 who work at EOU. Jo Hickerson, president of EOU’s SEIU 503 chapter, was optimistic earlier this summer that a strike could be averted and remains so now. “I’m still hopeful that a settle- ment can be reached before there is a strike,” Hickerson said Wednesday. She said university workers would prefer not to strike. “It is not something we want to do. It is something we have to do (if an offer we feel is not fair is put on the table),” Hickerson said. “We feel we have no choice.” Hickerson said the biggest issue in the bargaining concerns cost- of-living wage increases. She said what the state is offering would be less than the expected infl ation rate. See Strike / Page 5A See Kirby / Page 5A WOTUS ruling removes possibility of fines ■ Oregon farmers can use water without fear By Sabrina Thompson The Observer The Trump administra- tion has repealed the 2015 Obama-era administration rule regarding the “Wa- ters of the United States.” For Oregon farmers, this is good news. However, it will not bring about much change. The original rule ex- panded the Environmental Protection Agency’s control over waterways, including stock ponds and irriga- tion runways. The EPA’s job in protecting the water under the 2015 rule would have left farmers open to civil litigation and fi nes WEATHER INDEX Classified .......3B Comics ...........2B Crossword .....5B Dear Abby .....8B Horoscope .....5B Outdoors .......1B Lottery............2A Spiritual Life ..6A Obituaries ......3A Sports ............7A Opinion ..........4A MONDAY for violating regulations, Union County Oregon Farm Bureau President Jed Has- singer said. “Under the 2015 rule, a lot of the use became redefi ned,” Hassinger said. “Because farm fi elds were redesignated under federal regulations, for individual practices it made it hard to know how water can be used.” CONTACT US Full forecast on the back of B section Friday Saturday Sunday 44 LOW 71/48 68/42 Mainly clear Partly sunny A little rain CLIMATE STRIKE IN LA GRANDE 541-963-3161 Issue 112 2 sections, 16 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com . More contact info on Page 4A. Online at lagrandeobserver.com
