12 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016
Local
NRAC: Frustrations with USFS B2H updates
• RAIL FIRE
SALVAGE
DISCUSSED
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County
Natural Resource Advisory
Committee (NRAC) met
for its regular meeting, on
Tuesday afternoon, in the
Commission Chambers of
the Baker County Court-
house. Highlights of the
meeting include a discus-
sion begun by local miner
Ed Hardt, who voiced
frustrations over the years
of delays in the U.S. Forest
Service’s (USFS) mining
Plans of Operations ap-
proval process.
Attendance included
NRAC Chair Doni
Bruland, Baker County
Commissioner Bill Harvey,
NRAC Coordinator Eric
Wuntz, Ken Anderson,
Chuck Chase, Cynthia
“Cookie” Long, Alice
Knapp, Jan Alexander,
Jake Bingham, Laurene
Chapman, and Emily
Braswell.
Public attendance in-
cluded Hardt, and Tork and
Wanda Ballard.
Bruland called the meet-
ing to order, and she asked
for suggestions in deter-
mining what constitutes
a quorum (the number of
members required to be
present, in order to legally
transact business), since
only four members had at-
tended the August meeting,
less than half of the com-
mittee, and no decisions
were made at that time as a
result. Harvey said that a
rough draft of the commit-
tee bylaws will be formed,
and sent to members,
which will include the
criteria for a quorum.
The first segment of
Public Participation (there
are normally two; one near
the beginning of the meet-
ing, and one near the end)
included Wanda, who said
she had observed that Han-
cock Forest Management
had no trouble removing
timber from slopes in the
County, regardless of the
incline (this was in refer-
ence to one of the road-
blocks USFS cites with
approving timber sales—
the allowable percentage
of slope).
Wuntz and Harvey pro-
vided an update regarding
the coordination process,
between the County, and
federal agencies. Wuntz
said that the Rail Fire this
summer, five miles west
of Unity, burned nearly
all of the area intended
to be treated, as part of
the USFS’s Rail Project.
He said that the USFS
proposes a timber salvage
project, up to 250 acres, at
this point.
Harvey said that the
County is working on
some fuels reduction
projects in partnership with
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Stephanie McCurdy and Jeff Maffuccio.
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Long-time miner Ed Hardt stands and voices his frustration with mining
regulations and the Federal Government.
the Oregon Department of
Forestry (ODF), the Or-
egon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW), and
other agencies and organi-
zations.
Harvey said representa-
tives from the USFS will
be present to provide a
Blue Mountains Forest
Plan Revision (BMFPR),
on Monday, December 5,
2016, 2 p.m., in the Com-
mission Chambers. This
will include discussion
of the release of the Final
Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS, which is
expected early next year).
Bruland spoke about the
BMFPR mining priorities
for Baker County, which
Alexander had changed, as
discussed previously with
the group. According to
the document, she replaced
“Maintain the ability to
mine for minerals” with
“Manage the minerals
program to provide for
exploration, development
and production of a variety
of minerals on the Forest
in coordination with other
resource objectives, envi-
ronmental considerations
and mining laws.”
Bruland discussed items
in a recent USFS Sched-
ule of Proposed Actions
(SOPA), copies of which
she handed out to com-
mittee members. Included
were the BMFPR EIS, with
an expected implementa-
tion date of April 2017;
the Blue Mountains Forest
Resiliency Project EIS,
with a date of April 2018;
the Wallowa-Whitman Na-
tional Forest Travel Man-
agement Plan EIS, with no
date listed (on hold); the
Two Eagle Vegetation EA
(Environmental Analysis),
with a date of June 2018;
the Charles Grier Johnson,
Jr. Research Natural Area
Establishment Project EA,
with no date listed; the
Pine Valley Range Allot-
ment Management Plans
EA, with a date of Sep-
tember 2017; the Powder
River Mining EIS, with a
date of January 2019; the
Rail Fire Salvage CE (Cat-
egorical Exclusion), with a
date of January 2017; the
Sparta Vegetation Manage-
ment Project EA, with a
date of March 2018; the
Spruce Gulch Quarry EA,
with a no date listed; the
Upper North Fork John
Day Mining EA, with a
date of September 2018;
the West Sumpter Fuels
Maintenance Project CE,
with no date listed; and the
Whitney Fiber Optic Cable
Project EA, with no date
listed.
Hardt was asked by
Bruland to speak about the
SOPA, and about issues
the USFS’s Plans of Op-
erations approval process
(Hardt had mentioned
this topic during a County
Commission session,
and he had informed the
Commission Board and at-
tendees that he intended to
discuss it also during this
NRAC meeting).
Hardt said, “I want to
just say that the Forest
Service is discriminating
against the miners. There
are court cases all over,
where there’s discrimina-
tion, and I can prove to
you that the miner is being
discriminated against...”
Hardt went through a list
of projects he’d recorded
on paper, as well as some
in the handout list, and
he said, numerous times,
“It (the EA, and approval
of Plans of Operations)
should have been done.”
He pointed out the Pow-
der River Mining EIS entry
in the handout, and he
said, “How the hell did it
change, from an EA, to an
EIS?” Long said that, there
were potential impacts
discovered, so, an EIS was
deemed necessary, and Al-
exander said that Whitman
District Ranger Jeff Tomac
complicated the issue, by
combing the Upper and
Lower Powder River’s
potential mining impacts
on bull trout. Hardt said,
“From 2009, to 2016, it
changed to an EIS...That’s
not an EIS—that’s BS ...”
Hardt continued with
examples of how quickly
certain EAs were complet-
ed, contrasted with mining
EAs, including his own,
which he says has been
in that same status, and
incomplete, since 2000.
“If they (the USFS) gets
somebody on these, they
can do them in a month.
They can do them in six
months. Not 20 years, not
10 years...I’m 83 years
old, right now...When they
started this, I was 65...”
Harvey said the docu-
ment states that the scop-
ing process started in 2009
(the Upper North Fork
John Day Mining EA), and
Hardt said that’s wrong,
and it should be 2000.
Alexander voiced her
own frustrations with the
process, including men-
tioning that Granite-area
miners experienced similar
delays.
Hardt said that the dates
have changed, and projects
grouped together, and
Anderson said that, every
time a new SOPA is out,
dates can change, and the
process can be delayed
indefinitely.
Alexander said, “I 100%
agree with Ed...” She dis-
cussed some of the efforts
the Eastern Oregon Mining
Association (EOMA)
has put forth, in dealing
with this issue, and when
Harvey asked her how the
BLM (Bureau of Land
Management) process
compares, Alexander said
it was much more stream-
lined, with less delay.
Bruland informed the
group that NRAC meet-
ings are not scheduled for
November or December,
in order to allow commit-
tee members time off to
celebrate the holidays.
Two killed in crash near Boardman
On October 24, 2016 at
approximately 7:30 p.m.
Troopers from the Oregon
State Police Pendleton
Area Command responded
to the report of a head-on
crash on Interstate 84 east-
bound near milepost 167
(east of Boardman).
Preliminary investi-
gation indicates a 2009
Honda Ridgeline oper-
ated by Clifford Ammons,
age 77, of Reedsport was
traveling westbound in
the eastbound lanes of
Interstate 84 when it col-
lided head on with a 2005
Ford Mustang operated by
Francisco Ramirez, age 27,
of Stanfield.
Both Ammons and
Ramirez were pronounced
deceased at the scene.
A dog that had been
riding in the Honda was
injured in the crash and
transported to a veterinary
clinic in Hermiston for
treatment.
The Interstate remained
closed for approximately
4.5 hours to allow for
extrication of the victims,
scene investigation and
removal of debris.
Troopers are attempting
to determine the location
where the Honda Ridgeline
entered the Interstate trav-
eling the wrong direction
and believe that may have
occurred at the Hwy. 730
interchange near milepost
168.
Oregon State Police
are asking any witnesses
who observed the vehicle
traveling the wrong way
prior to the crash to contact
the Oregon State Police
Pendleton Area Command
at 541-278-4090.
Oregon State Police
were assisted at the scene
by the Boardman Police
Department, Morrow
County Sheriff's Office,
Umatilla County Sheriff's
Office, Boardman Fire De-
partment and the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion.
Oregon State Police
were also assisted by the
Douglas County Sheriff's
Office in making next of
kin notifications.
Idaho Power Communication Specialist Stephanie
“Sam” McCurdy, and Facility Siting Coordinator Jeff
Maffuccio, sat at a table in The Little Bagel Shop on
Main Street in Baker City Tuesday morning, and pro-
vided an update regarding the Boardman to Hemingway
(B2H) Transmission Line Project.
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Final En-
vironmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is expected to be
released on Friday, November 18, 2016, according to the
BLM, which prompted the recent update from McCurday
and Maffuccio.
The project “...is a proposal by Idaho Power to design,
construct, operate and maintain a new single-circuit,
500-kilovolt (kV) power line between Melba, Idaho,
and the Boardman, Oregon area. The proposed route is
approximately 300 miles long and crosses federal, state
and private land in six counties in Oregon and Idaho,” ac-
cording to Idaho Power information. The proposed route
would cross Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Baker, and Mal-
heur counties in Oregon, and Owyhee County, in Idaho.
Both McCurdy and Maffuccio emphasized that Idaho
Power and its contractors aren’t conducting transmis-
sion line location surveys (they’re not “putting stakes in
the ground,” they said), nor negotiating easements with
landowners currently, but rather, cultural, plant, bird
and wildlife habitat surveys, in order to assess potential
environmental impacts of each potential route. These
surveys include requests to landowners, in order to access
property (any private information isn’t shared).
According to Idaho Power, the project would result in
additional capacity, allowing greater amounts of electric-
ity to move throughout the Western U.S.; the line will
interconnect with existing transmission facilities owned
by Idaho Power’s project partners, PacifiCorp, and the
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA); and the inter-
connection would help meet a regional need, and pro-
vide benefits to the entire project area, much of which is
served, directly or indirectly, by all three transmission
providers.
According to Idaho Power, economic benefits to Oregon
counties includes tax revenue; according to the company,
it has paid over $500,000 in tax dollars since 2010, just
in Oregon. Maffuccio emphasized the yearly economic
benefits for Baker County, as well as the benefits to local
merchants, during the line’s construction.
McCurdy and Maffuccio said that they, like the public,
would need to wait until the BLM’s release of its FEIS,
which they anticipate will be very large, in order to com-
ment about the details.
Walden speaks
against rising
insurance costs
Washington, DC—U.S. Rep. Greg Walden issued the
following statement regarding reports that some insur-
ance plans under Obamacare will see premiums rise by
double digits next year:
"Around our region, I hear the same stories from
Oregonians—the new health care law is simply not
affordable. Consumers are losing access to their health
care providers and plans, and deductibles and premiums
continue to rise. Now the Administration has admitted
that premiums for many plans under the new law will go
up by double digits next year. Enough is enough. There is
a better way to fix our health care system. I support a plan
that would fix this mess with real, patient-centered reform
that would lower costs, not raise them and give consum-
ers more control over their health care, not less.”
For more on the House’s “Better Way” health plan sup-
ported by Walden, please visit better.gop.
MayDay to hold
fundraiser
MayDay, Inc. in Baker City Saturday, October 29, 3:30
p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to closing at Elkhorn
Lanes. Join an evening of cosmic bowling fun. The cost is
$15 per person for three games with teams up to si people
each. Proceeds go to help victims and survivors of all
types of abuse in Baker County.