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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2015)
4 letters to the editor/community bulletin board april16 2015 Readers Lend Their Voices... To the Editor, According to the miners, their world will end if the Depletion fee is increased as proposed by Measure 5-243. The proposed increase in the Natural Resource Depletion Fee will be on the May 19, 2015 ballot for voter approval. The miners are saying that it will be disastrous for small businesses; that they will have to cut back on hours and operations, when in reality, they are increasing work hours and operations to seven days a week to handle demand for the rock they mine. This fee has not been increased in 18 years. Heck, even the County is projecting increased mining in 2015 and 2016. In 2012 – 2.19 million tons of rock was mined In 2013 –2.87 million tons of rock was mined In 2014 2.51 million tons of rock was mined The projected mining tonnages for 2015 and 2016 are 3.12 million tons and 3.3 million tons, respectively. How can this mean that there will be a loss of jobs or a slowdown of production? How will the increase in mining mean that people will lose jobs or small businesses will suffer? Cal Portland runs three barges per day, 7 days per week out of their site on the Multnomah Channel. Just one of those barges hold 2,200 tons of rock. Multiply these tonnages by 52 weeks in a year, throw in the cost of a ton and you can see that our miners are making a lot time, after 18 years, that the fee be of money. Huge amounts of rock increased for roads improvements are going out of our county. The and CCRider Transportation? I urge reporting that the miners are required you to vote yes on Measure 5-243 on to provide the county is essentially May 19th. an honor system. So we have no real idea how much is actually being Thelma Bonar mined and sold. The miners have it Chief Petitioner too easy here. You will not be able to Safer Roads Bridges and CCRider drive them out with a stick!!! Transportation On top of that, these companies enjoy an IRS depletion To the Editor, deduction, which is usually 5% of Measure 5-243 is an the value of the depletion. When initiative that raises our county the math is done, they receive a huge aggregate extraction fee 35 cents business deduction. The State of a ton. Part of the fee will go to Oregon also allows for a depletion repair county roads and the rest will allowance that helps miners, the go toward helping our Columbia timber industry and natural gas County Rider Transportation Service industry. The small businesses that stay in business. the miners are so worried about are Good roads are part of our already passing any increases on to infrastructure and the commerce their customers. within our county depends on our The miners are also saying roads. Even if we ignore our roads that this measure targets one industry, we can not ignore the fact that if we which simply is not true. The IRS cut CC Rider we will lose jobs. defines “Depletion” as the using up of Last year CCRider fixed natural resources by mining, drilling, rides accounted for more than quarrying stone or cutting timber. 126,000 rides. Many of these people The depletion deduction allows the depend on CCRider to get to work. miners to account for the reduction Others depend on CCRider to take of a product’s reserves, whether it them to school or shopping. In be rock, timber, stone or natural addition to the fixed rides, flex route gas, i.e., the natural gas in Mist/ and dial-a-ride accounted for 23,000 Birkenfeld. Some natural resources riders last year. CCRider is part of can eventually be replaced, like the our County infrastructure and lots trees that owners are required to of people, workers, students, and replant, but this is not an option for seniors depend on it. the miners. When the rock and the In 1997 the gravel companies natural gas is gone, they are gone for were charging $6-$10 a ton, they are good. now charging $20-$30 a ton. The Voters, if you believe the cost raised by our 35 cents a ton miner’s propaganda, we will extraction fee will only be $3.50 lose our public transit system, for a 10 ton truck load, a pittance as we know it and our roads will compared to the profits that these continue to deteriorate. We will multi-national mining companies be left with nothing but holes in make. PRECIP the ground. Our rock and gravel are a In 1990, the Commissioners county natural resource. Once it is .09 put out a measure to increase gone, all that will remain are broken 0 the depletion fee by a nickel. roads and unfilled holes in the 0 The voters approved that ground. 0 measure. Then again, in 1996, If you love our county and 0 the Commissioners put out you want to build infrastructure and 0 another measure to increase jobs, please vote “YES” on Measure 0 the depletion fee by 10 cents to 5-243 0 15 cents. And you the voters 0 overwhelmingly approved that Bill Eagle .03 measure too. Isn’t it about St. Helens, OR T 0 .27 HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 1.75 Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. .20 Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 0 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond .20 or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters space permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email: scott@ 0 vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064. 0 .05 0 .10 .90 .15 Call for meeting times and locations .02 T Columbia Community Mental Health .13 Call 503-397-5211 -or- 1-800-294-5211 0 For after hours Crisis call: 1-866-866-1426 T http://www.ccmh1.com/crisis.html .02 .15 Narcotics Anonymous NW Region 503-345-9839 4.06 Vernonia Weather March 2015 DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Ave/Tot HIGH 56 51 55 57 61 65 66 71 67 65 56 66 66 57 59 61 52 60 65 60 57 56 51 56 57 71 66 61 64 66 52 60.4 LOW 26 25 23 22 26 29 29 28 31 33 41 39 51 51 33 33 34 37 36 41 35 39 35 47 45 42 42 39 39 43 36 35.8 Weather data is collected at the U.S. Weather station at the Vernonia Water Plant Do You Need Help? http://portlandna.com/ Alcohol Anonymous NW Region 503-366-0667 http://www.pdxaa.com/ Upcoming Events Coffee with the Columbia County Commissioners - Friday, April 17, 9:00 AM at the Black Iron Grill, 831 Bridge Street. Stub Stewart State Park Clean Up Day - Saturday, April 18, 9:00 AM - Noon at the Hilltop Day-Use Area. Call Park Ranger Terra Kemper for more info. 503-324-0606 x223 Vernonia Sportsman’s Banquet - Saturday, April 18, 6:00 PM at the Vernonia Christian Church, 410 North St. Tickets on sale at R&S Market. The Power of Play: Promoting Health and Creativity - Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 PM at the Vernonia Public Library. Join Jonathan Blasher and Tara Doherty for this Conversation Project sponsored by Oregon Humanities. Upper Nehalem Watershed Council Board Meeting - Thursday, April 23, 6:30 PM at the UNWC office, 1201 Texas Ave. Vernonia Volunteer Firefighter’s Pancake Breakfast - Saturday, April 25, 7:00 AM - Noon at the Vernonia Fire Station, 555 E. Bridge St. Payment by donation only. Make Vernonia Shine Day - Saturday, April 25, 9:00 AM - Noon. Register at City Hall, 1001 Bridge St. Contact Donna Webb 503- 429-5201 or donnatwebb@gmail.com 20th Annual Spring Garden Fair by Columbia County Master Gardeners™ - Saturday, April 25, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at the St. Helens High School. Spring Tea - Saturday, April 25, 1:00-3:00 PM at the Vernonia Christian Church, 410 North St. Sponsored by Vernonia P.E.O. to honor mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and girlfriends. Light luncheon, entertainment, photos, etc. $7 tickets are available at R&S Market. Mist-Birkenfeld Volunteer Fire Fighter Assoc. Spaghetti Feed - Saturday, April 25, 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the Mist-Birkenfeld Main Station, 12525 Hwy 202, Mist. Adults $5, Kids 5-12 $3, Under 5 free. 503-755-2710 Kindergarten Round Up - Thursday, April 30. Call 503-429-1333 to schedule an appoint- ment. Safe Kids Columbia County Car Seat Clinic - Saturday, May 2, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM at the Vernonia Fire Station, 555 E. Bridge Street. More info: 503-556-3736 Friends of the Banks Public Library Plant, Book and Art Sale - Friday, May 8, 2:00 - 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 9, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at Schlegel Hall in Sunset Park, Banks. Vernonia Community Garden Fair & Plant Sale - Saturday, May 9, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at the School Commons. 503-429-0196 LEED/Green Globes Celebration - Saturday, May 9 at 10:30 AM inside the Vernonia Schools building. Non-discrimination Statement West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http:// www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint filing cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866)632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202)690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.