Opinion
A4
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
OUR VIEW
Residents
come to the
aid of their
neighbors
A
meal site was set up.
A Joseph company sent sheets of ply-
wood to residents and businesses.
Construction workers busy with a state con-
tract project stopped and helped out residents.
Those were the types of actions seen across
Wallowa County last week in the wake of a once-
in-a-century hailstorm that triggered damage
seemingly everywhere.
Those eff orts — and the work of so many
others who stepped up to help — illustrate the
kind of grit and determination that has always
been a hallmark of Wallowa County.
Every one of the businesses and every one of
the individuals who as a group or individually
decided to lend a hand deserve a great deal of
praises.
As a nation and a state, we often fi nd ourselves
locked into heated political disagreements. Some-
times we don’t see eye to eye on issues. Often we
are vehement in our support for our own cause.
From a distance, it could be seen that we, as a
nation, state or region have more to argue about
than we do to agree with.
Yet when disaster strikes, when, so to speak,
the chips are down, we see individual eff orts
like those that were — and continue to be — so
common in Wallowa County.
No one can control the weather and certainly
no one expected the kind of storm that lashed the
county last week. Life is unpredictable as is the
weather. Yet one thing we can count on and can
predict with a high degree of certainty is when
tragedy arrives there are going to be people on
the farms and ranches and in the towns across
our region that will seek to help, rather than
hinder. People who will follow the better angels
of their nature and come to the rescue.
That kind of assistance can be rare but, at least
in Eastern Oregon, it is not. The people of Wal-
lowa County not only showed their true nature in
terms of helping their neighbor, but also demon-
strated the kind of resiliency that is uncommon in
many places. Rather than complaining or giving
up, people jumped into debris and decided to
make a diff erence.
The entire county should be proud of its res-
idents and businesses, and remember that why
we may disagree sometimes, when it comes to a
disaster we are going to step up and help out.
EDITORIALS
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YOUR VIEWS
Power line appeals
later this month
We learned from the Baker City
Herald on July 15 that Baker County
Commissioner Mark Bennett held a
meeting with local landowners poten-
tially facing eminent domain by Idaho
Power’s plans to build the massive 500
kV Boardman to Hemingway (B2H)
transmission line. The line would
cross fi ve counties in Eastern Oregon,
approximately 300 miles.
First, I want to commend Commis-
sioner Bennett. Since the beginning
of this B2H saga he has fought to pre-
serve the heritage of Baker County
and the Oregon Trail, as well as retain
the integrity of the tourism destination
they have built — the National His-
toric Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.
Now, he is following through on
a promise that he and fellow Baker
County commissioners passed (via a
resolution) long ago, that is, if any resi-
dents of their county were facing emi-
nent domain that the county would
do what they could to help, including
fi ling an amicus (friends of the court)
brief in support of the landowners.
The latter has not occurred yet,
but Commissioner Bennett is demon-
strating his concern and leadership.
Where are the commissioners in other
counties?
Second, I want to clarify a mis-
statement made at this meeting. The
attorney that was quoted in the article
was incorrect in his statements about
the B2H and the status of the Stop
B2H Coalition.
Be assured that the Stop B2H Coa-
lition is alive, well, and still fi ghting
for the public — protecting our lands
and habitats, preserving our heritage.
The B2H is not a done deal. At
the end of August, Oregon’s Energy
Facility Siting Council (EFSC) will be
in La Grande to hear 30 appeals in the
case. The procedural errors over the
past two years, made by an adminis-
trative law judge, have demonstrated
a bias against the public and toward
the utility and their high-powered
attorneys.
EFSC’s fi nal decision is expected
this fall. If we do not prevail, Stop
B2H intends to appeal to the Oregon
Supreme Court (a judicial court).
For updates and news, go to: www.
stopb2h.org Once we know the times
and format of the meetings on Aug.
29-31 we will post to our website and
our Facebook page.
Fuji Kreider
secretary/treasurer,
Stop B2H Coalition
La Grande
sure the Union County Planning
Department and the Union County
Commissioners would like to hear
from you. Letters from the public
could well slow this project down until
the wrinkles are ironed out.
David Moyal
La Grande
You should be concerned
about Hot Lake quarry
Many, many years ago when Idaho
Power proposed and pushed hard
for the B2H line to come through
Oregon to serve Idaho only, locals
rose up against it and I was active in
that cause. So many issues and many
negative impacts have still not been
addressed or resolved. At that time, I
was in Meridian, Idaho, often and was
taken aback by the mass development
of large single-family homes on large
lots often with mandated large lawns,
no solar, heavy electric use, and little
sign of thinking about the future.
Reading many articles, Idaho does
seem to be more conservation ori-
ented, and yet with a date of having
all clean energy by 2045 they are
still behind Oregon, with our goal for
clean energy of 2040. Much of what
Idaho is counting on is using our
cleaner electric sources by putting a
300-mile power line through Oregon
private and public lands.
So many Oregonians have spent
so much time and money fi ghting this
proposal. In my opinion, Idaho has
been so behind in protecting the envi-
ronment that they have not earned any
right to sabotage Oregon and so many
special areas close to La Grande.
We are now, with good reason,
subject to having our properties des-
ignated high risk for fi re, which could
impact insurance costs. Some of the
B2H line construction and equip-
ment will be in hard-to-access for-
ested areas. Will it impact fi re ratings?
Do we really need another higher risk
project tearing up our state mostly
for Idaho’s benefi t and little that helps
Oregon? Not in my opinion.
Maxine Hines
La Grande
An application to signifi cantly
expand a small existing quarry above
Hot Lake Lane is pending before the
Union County Planning Department It
was supposed to be reviewed on July
25, but the applicant has asked for a
delay until Aug 22.
The applicant is asking for an
amendment to the Union County Gen-
eral Plan and for approval of a 40-acre
baserock and aggregate quarry that
will eventually cut 200 feet vertically
into the hillside. However, he does not
satisfy the basic requirements for such
an amendment.
Union County residents should
be concerned about this project. The
land is designated Critical Big Game
Habitat, but the application lacks the
required big game plan. The site sits
above Ladd Creek and will aff ect
habitat of waterfowl, wading birds
(including sandhill cranes) and upland
game birds.
There is no consultation or opinion
from ODFW included with the appli-
cation. There is no traffi c plan included
with the application, although truck
traffi c from the quarry will head north
past the Hot Lake RV park and hotel,
signifi cantly impacting operations
at those popular tourist destinations.
There is no water management plan
to cover the possibility of heavy storm
runoff or snowmelt running through
the quarry and into Ladd Creek.
And, of course, there is the scenic
impact of a 40-acre aggregate site on
visitors to Ladd Marsh and travelers
heading east out of La Grande toward
Union.
If this proposal worries you, I’m
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B2H will allow Idaho to use
Oregon’s cleaner energy
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