4A
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020
The Observer
OUR VIEW
Don’t hide
public
spending
The sports betting contractor with the Oregon
Lottery is insisting Oregonians can’t know what and
how the state is paying them.
Can that company be serious? Yes, it is.
The company, SBTech, based in Malta, is suing
to keep the fi nancial details of its contract with the
state lottery a secret. It claims releasing the infor-
mation would be a release of trade secrets, pricing
systems and do the company irreparable harm, as
The Oregonian has reported.
But it deals with the spending of public money.
Companies don’t get the right to conceal how
public money is spent from the public. Release the
full contract.
The state did release some details of the contract
already. The details of how SBTech was being com-
pensated were blacked out at the company’s request.
Since then, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosen-
blum directed the state to release the entire contract.
SBTech responded with a lawsuit suing pretty much
everyone involved — Rosenblum, The Oregonian, the
lottery and the lottery’s director, Barry Pack.
Sports betting is big business. And now that Or-
egonians can do it through an app on their phones,
there are going to be many questions. There’s going
to be concern about what the change means for prob-
lem gambling, for one. And the important thing here
is Oregonians need to know the state is not being
ripped off by the contract. The public can’t know that
unless the details are released.
Just imagine if SBTech wins. Every state contrac-
tor — every contractor with a government entity
in Oregon — may start asking for the same deal in
Oregon. They will want to keep their contracts with
government secret too. The state’s budget would be-
come a mystery, and openness in government would
be a charade.
Oregonians have a right to know the details of how
their money is being spent.
Write to us
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters
are limited to 350 words and must be signed and
carry the author’s address and phone number (for
verifi cation purposes only).
We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal
reasons. We do not fact check. We will not publish
poetry, consumer complaints against businesses or
personal attacks against private individuals. Thank-you
letters are discouraged.
Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks.
Email your letters to news@lagrandeobserver.com
or mail them to La Grande Observer, 1406 5th St., La
Grande, 97850.
MY VOICE
B2H provides local benefits, meets need
E
astern Oregon will benefi t from
the Boardman to Hemingway
transmission line starting the fi rst day
of construction and continuing decades
into the future. B2H will spur new jobs
in the near term. It will help stabilize
regional energy costs, generate mil-
lions of dollars in local tax revenue and
encourage economic development in
communities across the region.
Hundreds of workers will be em-
ployed during construction. They’ll
design, prepare and build this billion-
dollar, 500-kilovolt transmission line.
When it’s complete, B2H will act as
a clean-energy pipeline transporting
energy to customers across the western
United States — not just Oregon and
Idaho. Utilities in Oregon will be able to
deliver the clean energy customers and
policymakers demand without sacrifi c-
ing affordability.
Construction of B2H will drive busi-
ness in Eastern Oregon. Hotels will book
more guests. Restaurants will sell more
meals. Stores will provide materials and
equipment for the job. Local contractors
likely will work directly on the project.
For more than 100 years, Idaho Power
has worked closely with the owners of
farms, ranches and timberland in pur-
suit of our mission to deliver affordable
and reliable energy to our customers.
We’ve developed respectful relationships
My Voice
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mitch Colburn is the resource
planning and operations director
for Idaho Power,
which is taking the
lead on planning and
obtaining permits
for the Boardman
to Hemingway
transmission line.
My Voice columns refl ect the
views of the author only. My Voice
columns should be 500-700 words
or as space allows. Submissions
should include a portrait-type
photograph of the author. Authors
also should include their full name,
age, occupation and relevant
organizational memberships.
We edit submissions for brevity,
grammar, taste and legal reasons.
We do not fact check. We reject
those published elsewhere.
that help us fi nd common ground and
minimize impacts to landowners’ opera-
tions. We’re bringing the same attitude
to the table as we work to secure permits
and easements for B2H.
Easements along the B2H route will be
up to 250 feet wide with a typical width of
Your views
Vaping less harmful
than other toxins
In response to Carrie Brogoitti’s
column (“Vapes and e-cigarettes are not
safe for anyone,” Jan. 27, The Observer),
I agree that critical facts are not only
misunderstood but severely misrep-
resented. While it is true breathing
anything but fresh air is not healthy,
you exclude that vaping is actually
less harmful than regular toxins in the
air caused by industry and rush-hour
traffi c.
The real truth is that there is no study
anywhere that reveals vape as equal to
or greater than cigarettes. It should be
used as a tool to get people off cigarettes.
Also, are you claiming that nicotine
causes all the disease? I think you
need to double-check. Nicotine is the
addictive element, not the cause of
tobacco related diseases. The meth-
odology treating vape as equal or
worse and banning it simply doesn’t
lend to tobacco use reduction. It is
counter-productive and creates black
markets.
We have already seen the active black
market in Oregon; the source of the prod-
ucts that caused the vape illnesses we
have seen. FDA regulated vape products
had nothing to do with these illnesses.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Stopped account balances less than $5 will
be refunded upon request.
Subscription rates per month:
By carrier...............................................$11.80
By mail, all other U.S. .............................. $15
A division of
If you wish to control youth access, then
treat tobacco products like other age-
restricted products. Hand out minor-in-
possession citations when youths are
caught — just like with alcohol.
Ignoring the potential in vape and
other lower-health risk products such
as premium cigars only serves to pro-
tect big tobacco from competitors that
could signifi cantly reduce (not elimi-
nate) tobacco health impacts. That is a
better process than prohibition — and
safer as well.
John Hill
Oregon Cigar Association, president
STAFF
Phone:
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50
You can save up to 34% off the single-copy
price with home delivery.
Call 541-963-3161
to subscribe.
150 feet — much smaller than the “500-
foot clearcut” some B2H opponents have
erroneously claimed. Vegetation and trees
will be managed to encourage safety and
preserve wildlife habitat.
Idaho Power is committed to working
with landowners to fi nd the right spot
for every B2H structure on their prop-
erty. Landowners will be compensated
for easements across their property.
B2H’s greatest benefi t to Eastern
Oregon communities could come from
opportunities for long-term economic
development. When the line is built,
it will increase capacity on existing
transmission lines in Baker, Umatilla
and Union counties. B2H will help keep
energy prices affordable — a major ben-
efi t during the summer, when irrigation
and cooling demand soars — and could
attract new businesses to the area.
B2H also will add an estimated $4
million every year to the tax bases of
the counties it crosses. The counties can
use this money to fund new projects for
their communities, maintain infrastruc-
ture and help control property taxes.
Idaho Power strives to be a good cor-
porate citizen and neighbor wherever
we do business. As we prepare to build
B2H, we look forward to a long and
fruitful relationship with the people
who live, work and play in Eastern
Oregon.
541-963-3161
An independent newspaper founded in 1896
(USPS 299-260)
The Observer reserves the right to adjust subscription
rates by giving prepaid and mail subscribers 30 days
notice. Periodicals postage paid at La Grande, Oregon
97850. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
(except Dec. 25) by EO Media Group,
1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260)
COPYRIGHT © 2020
THE OBSERVER
The Observer retains ownership and copyright
protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising
copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may
not be reproduced without explicit prior approval.
Toll free (Oregon):
1-800-422-3110
Fax: 541-963-7804
Email:
news@lagrandeobserver.com
Website:
www.lagrandeobserver.com
Street address:
1406 Fifth St., La Grande
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to:
The Observer, 1406 Fifth St.,
La Grande, OR 97850
Periodicals postage paid at:
La Grande, Oregon 97850
Publisher........................................Karrine Brogoitti
Classifieds ........................................ Devi Mathson
Regional circulation director ....................Kelli Craft
Home delivery advisor.................Amanda Fredrick
Editor .....................................................Phil Wright
Customer service rep ......................... Mollie Lynch
News clerk....................................Lisa Lester Kelly
Advertising representative...............Juli Bloodgood
Sports editor .......................................Ronald Bond
Advertising representative...................... Amy Horn
Reporter................................................Dick Mason
Graphic design supervisor................Dorothy Kautz
Reporter....................................Sabrina Thompson
Graphic design ..............................Cheryl Christian
IT support ........................................Nicole Gilbride
Chris Rush, Regional Publisher