FROM PAGE ONE
A6 — THE OBSERVER
OTEC
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2022
Oregon
Trail Electric
Cooperative
crews install
an iron power
pole in Grant
County.
Continued from Page A1
“I would say 80% of
what’s in there was already
being done as prudent utility
practices,” he said.
Reducing risk
A key part of that eff ort,
he said, is trying to pre-
vent a common cause for
both power outages and for
sparks that can ignite wild-
fi res — a tree or tree limb
falling onto a line.
To reduce that risk,
OTEC maintains corri-
dors along its transmis-
sion lines that are cleared of
trees close enough to poten-
tially fall into a line. These
rights-of-way are generally
120 feet wide, Wirfs said.
Naturally, the transmis-
sion lines at highest risk
are those that pass through
densely forested areas.
Local examples include the
line that runs from Baker
City through Sumpter
Valley and on to Granite,
and the line leading to
Anthony Lakes.
Wirfs said those lines,
which were previously
inspected every other year,
as the PUC requires, will
now be patrolled annually.
OTEC’s plan also
explains how the utility
makes changes during
the fi re season — gener-
ally July 1 through Oct. 15,
depending on conditions —
that are designed to reduce
the risk that a power line
damaged by a tree or other
cause will ignite a fi re.
Transmission and distri-
bution lines are equipped
with “reclosers,” Wirfs
said. Those are electronic
devices that are designed
to restore power to a line
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative
within a second or two if
the “fault” — for instance,
a tree limb that hits the line
but then falls to the ground
— is brief.
The purpose, Wirfs said,
is to ensure that a small
problem, such as a single
limb that strikes a line but
doesn’t damage it, doesn’t
result in a long outage.
Outside the fi re season,
reclosers are set to operate
up to four times in rapid
succession, Wirfs said.
But on lines in higher
risk areas, such as forests,
reclosers are limited to
operate just twice during
the fi re season.
The reason, Wirfs said,
is that if a fault remains on
the line, the more often a
recloser operates and reen-
ergizes the line, the greater
chance it might spark.
Limiting the recloser
to two operations reduces
that risk, he said. That also
increases the chances that
a fault that doesn’t damage
the line will result in an
extended power outage, but
Wirfs said that tradeoff is
necessary to reduce the fi re
threat.
The fi re-related settings
for reclosers is not a new
policy for OTEC, Wirfs
said.
Intentional power
shutoff s
The mitigation plan also
addresses “public safety
power shutoff s” — when a
utility intentionally turns
off power to a transmission
line during periods when
the fi re risk is extreme.
Wirfs said OTEC has not
had to do so. He called that
a “last resort” situation.
OTEC’s plan lists the
criteria the cooperative
would use to determine
whether to order a public
safety shutoff , one of which
is “immediately predicted
winds of 50 mph or higher
within the vicinity of OTEC
facilities subject to shutoff .”
Fortunately, Wirfs said,
winds of that strength are
rare in OTEC’s territory.
Moreover, he said a
survey of the cooperative’s
tree-caused power outages
showed that most — 10 of
13 — happened during the
winter or otherwise outside
fi re season.
Both last year and again
earlier this summer, OTEC
sent letters to members
who have service in areas
at high risk for wildfi re to
alert them to the possibility,
however remote, of inten-
tional power shutoff s.
About 2,200 mem-
bers — around 8.5% of
OTEC’s total — have ser-
vice in those areas, said Joe
Hathaway, the cooperative’s
communications manager.
OTEC’s wildfi re mit-
igation plan states that
the cooperative’s dispatch
center monitors weather
forecasts and each day
assigns a risk level. When
the National Weather Ser-
vice issues a red fl ag
warning — meaning that
any fi re that starts could
spread quickly — OTEC
delays routine work on
transmission lines. The
cooperative might delay
such work on other days
when thunderstorms or
other severe weather is pos-
sible, but a red fl ag warning
is not in eff ect.
RAIL
Continued from Page A1
Whitman College in Walla Walla or
if you want to go to Eastern Oregon
University, how do you get here if
you’re not driving? And what does
that do to the quality and ability of
that school to survive?” Hamilton
said.
Economy, environment and
equity
According to AANW, passenger
rail is an ideal option for addressing
what they call the “three Es’” —
economy, environment and equity.
Passenger trains provide bene-
fi ts to the economy and taxpayers.
On average, overnight visitors trav-
eling to Eastern Oregon spend $102
per day as a solo tourist and $282 per
day as a group, according to the Eco-
nomic Impact of Travel in Oregon
2021 report. Easy travel options help
strengthen local economies, according
to AANW.
“Travel means business,” Bilka
said.
This also is the case for rural com-
munities. For example, Meridian, Mis-
sissippi — which has a population of
39,000 people — invested $7.5 mil-
lion in a new Amtrak Station. This
has brought $200 million into a three-
block radius of the station during the
last 20 years.
Trains also can provide more
mobility for signifi cantly less cost.
During the presentation, Bilka refer-
enced a recent decision by the state of
Virginia to invest in a new statewide
passenger and freight network rather
than expanded highways.
Adding one additional lane to
52 miles of highway was estimated
to cost $12.5 billion and was not
expected to reduce road congestion, so
the state opted to invest in rail
instead.
The rail project is estimated at $3.7
billion — a third of the cost.
Rail transport provides environ-
HAIL
Continued from Page A1
The hailstorm destroyed
30% of his 40-acre fall
wheat crop, 70% of his
80-acre spring wheat crop
and 70% percent of his
50-acre barley crop.
All Aboard Northwest/Contributed Graphic
A map depicting All Aboard Northwest’s vision for what passenger rail lines could look like
for Eastern Oregon and the surrounding area.
mental benefi ts, such as emitting less
greenhouse gases, increased fuel effi -
ciency and reducing highway pollu-
tion caused by congestion.
Lastly, passenger rail lines help
with equity. There is a large portion of
the United States that is not supported
by passenger rail.
Bilka joked about Amtrak’s “Con-
nect US” map because it does not
really connect the U.S. if not all states
— including most of Oregon — are
not serviced.
A common critique
A common concern raised in con-
versations about passenger trains is
whether the mode of transportation
should exist if it cannot run without
government subsidies. Many critics
point to the fact that Amtrak operates
at a net loss.
“If you think about it, every form
of transport on the planet is subsidized
one way or the other,” Hamilton said.
“So, the question is how is it subsi-
dized and to what extent? Consider
how much money you as taxpayers put
into highways, how much money you
put into the air traffi c control system,
you put into all the other forms of
transportation.”
According to Hamilton and Bilka,
the purpose of Amtrak is not to make
Ricker’s 80-acre pep-
permint crop also took a
major hit, but he is not sure
yet how extensive his losses
will be.
He was set to soon begin
harvesting his pepper-
mint until the hail struck
and wiped out much of the
crop’s leaves. Now, Ricker
money, but to provide a service.
Next steps
The Greater Northwest Passenger
Rail Summit is scheduled for Aug.
22-23 in Billings, Montana. At this
meeting, the Federal Railroad Asso-
ciation will share how states can
apply for funding. Bilka and Ham-
ilton said this is the time for commu-
nities to start advocating for passenger
rail access in their communities
by reaching out to local and state
governments.
The Oregon Department of Trans-
portation will need to submit an
expression of interest to stay informed
about the process and apply for the
grant funding when it becomes avail-
able, according to AANW.
“This year is an amazing opportu-
nity because, again, there is $66 bil-
lion on the table. And they’re all going
to be sent out in grant forms, which
means local states, communities,
tribes, interstate organizations, have
to apply for it,” Hamilton said. “And
we know that other states are going
to be applying, so the fi rst thing you
need to do is you need to be asking
your elected offi cials, specifi cally your
governor, your state DOT, your state
legislatures, to submit an expression
of interest.”
plans to water his pep-
permint extensively over
the next two weeks to see
how much regrowth he can
generate.
Ricker also said the
timing of the storm was ter-
rible because his crop was
ready to harvest.
“I was ready to start col-
lecting with my combine,”
he said.
Ricker said this was the
worst hailstorm in recent
memory.
“It is the worst I’ve
seen,” said Ricker who has
been farming for 23 years,
all in the Grande Ronde
Valley.
RELAY
Continued from Page A1
Relay stemmed from
Steele’s passion for
humanitarian support. She
has been involved with
the nonprofi t organization
Far Reaching Ministries
for over a decade, and has
traveled to South Sudan
several times in the last
fi ve years. While there,
she saw the impact of a
ruinous civil war, ethnic
massacres, famine and
continued humanitarian
emergencies on the coun-
try’s most vulnerable pop-
ulation — children.
“When you see that
level of need, you can’t get
it out of your mind,” she
said.
Back in the states,
Steele looked for a way
to raise money for relief
eff orts around the world.
It was her brother, Clayton
Collins — a seasoned
marathon runner with
a knack for developing
race courses — who had
the idea to use a race as a
fundraising eff ort.
Together, Steele and
Collins, along with their
spouses and two long-
time friends, registered
Doomsday Racing as a
nonprofi t and got to work.
The fi rst year, the board
planned the race to be
more than 200 miles long
— a two-day relay that
lasted through the night.
Doomsday board mem-
bers and volunteers fondly
reminisce about the many
animal encounters that
participants have had over
the years when running
early in the day or late at
night — from raccoons to
elk.
“One guy came to me
just terrifi ed, he said a cow
had chased him,” Steele
recalled.
This is the third year
the relay has followed the
shorter, 82-mile course.
In the fi nal leg of this
year’s race, each team
member ran a portion of a
trail course that the board
marked out across the
Anthony Lakes Ski Resort.
This year, 24 teams
participated in the relay,
each with between one and
six runners of various skill
levels and ages.
For Steele and the
Doomsday Racing team,
the day kicked off at
3:30 a.m. Teams began
showing up an hour later.
By then, volunteers from
La Grande’s Calvary
Chapel were busy fl ipping
pancakes, frying up sau-
sages and brewing coff ee
to help fuel relay partici-
pants for the day.
As the clock
approached 5 a.m., some
team members began
warming up, while others
decorated their cars
— using colorful paint
markers to write their
team name under the light
of phone fl ashlights and
headlamps.
Runners for the relay’s
fi rst leg took their places
at the top of the hour, and
with a countdown from the
morning crowd, they were
off , headlamps bobbing
onto the Ukiah-Hilgard
Highway.
Over the next several
hours, racers traversed
their way to Anthony
Lakes. Team cars stopped
at designated transition
markers along the way to
pick up and drop off run-
ners for each leg.
As the sun began to
rise, Gail Kimberling
cheered on her grand-
daughter, Kasey, as she
approached the fi rst transi-
tion point.
“Good job,” Kimber-
ling said, high-fi ving her
granddaughter. “Five and a
half miles.”
Kimberling and the
Carrion On team is one of
several multigenerational
teams that comes back to
run the relay each year.
Last year, Kimberling, a
long-time runner and the
cross country and track
coach at Pine Eagle High
School, wasn’t able to
race. She had broken her
toe, and due to an infec-
tion, almost had to have it
amputated.
This year, Kimberling
was back on the course
with her daughter and
grandchildren — and all
her toes.
“I love people like
that,” said Steele of Kim-
berling. “They inspire me.
I’m like, ‘hey, that’s what
I wanna be when I grow
up.’ ”
During the relay’s fi rst
year, John Pace was one
of the oldest participants,
while his granddaughter,
Ahnica Shoemaker, was
the youngest runner. Now,
their family members
make up two teams in the
yearly event. Pace and
Shoemaker both agreed
that for them, it’s a priority
to support a local relay
that is working to raise
money for non-commer-
cial causes.
“We decided this is the
one we wanted to do, and
we’ve stayed with it every
year,” Pace said.
Although several teams
like Kimberling’s have
been faithful relay partic-
ipants since the start, the
race draws newcomers as
well. A few of this year’s
teams were made up of
employees from some of
the race’s corporate spon-
sors. Steele estimated that
around three-quarters of
teams will sign up again.
“I know that’s why they
run with us,” she said.
“They want to be able
to support and this is a
way that’s very doable for
them, and their runners
and it just fi ts well.”
The Elkhorn Relay
was even able to carry
on during the pandemic.
During the summer of
2020, the board began sub-
mitting permits, unsure of
whether things would get
shut down. With a COVID
safety plan in place and
over 90 miles of the Elk-
horn mountain range in
which to social distance,
runners were able to par-
ticipate in the relay. Steele
said that year felt particu-
larly special.
“There were a lot of
tears at the fi nish line,”
she said. “I think a lot of
it was just that people had
been so lonely and were
excited to get out and do
something as a community
again and do something
they love.”
In the past few years,
Doomsday Racing has
donated proceeds from the
race to a feeding program
in South Sudan, run by Far
Reaching Ministries. The
nonprofi t has also donated
funds to Send Hope Now,
an organization that runs
aid programs and proj-
ects in India. According to
Steele, the proceeds sup-
port the program’s orphan-
ages for HIV-positive chil-
dren, providing funds
for medical needs, food,
clothing, education and
career support.
“I know that what we
do is only going to impact
a small corner of the
world or a small amount
of suff ering,” Steele said.
“Maybe that’s all you can
do, but it’s something.”
Beyond the relay’s phil-
anthropic goals, Steele
noted that the folks
involved in the race are
enough of a reason to keep
it going each year.
“The running commu-
nity’s pretty dang awe-
some,” she said. “You
always have a really good
time, just being part of this
race and meeting all these
people.”