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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2015)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015 T HE D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager Gov. Brown sounds a trumpet T California governor declares water emergency iming is everything in politics. The same is true for moving public attitudes. Many have wondered when California would get serious about the severe drought. That moment arrived last Wednesday when Gov. Jerry Brown announced an executive order aimed at reducing the state’s water usage by 25 percent. To emphasize the dire circum- stances, Gov. Brown made his announcement in a location in the Sierra Nevada above 7,000 feet. Instead of being covered by snow- pack, the ground was bare. It was a vivid depiction of drought. As we noted last Monday in an editorial about antiquated water law (“Now is the time for water rights reform”), the law across the West is a systemic impediment to smarter allocation of water re- sources. But setting that aside, there is a lot that a governor can accomplish. The governor announced a re- bate program to push replacement of older generation washing ma- chines and other appliances. The state Water Resources Control Board has issued orders to cur- tail lawn watering, and the Los Angeles Times said that 50 percent of Los Angeles water goes onto lawns. Too much of Los Angeles’ scant rainfall goes into the ocean. There are new planning guidelines in place that will feed the aquifer underneath L.A. California was a desert when it was settled. Massive water proj- ects fueled Los Angeles’ growth. That kind of aqueduct building is of another era. There was also an HUDZKHQ3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVWVHQD tors added amendments to prohibit the study of transferring water out of the Columbia River. Today that notion especially does not add up. The watershed that feeds the Columbia River also has a record low snowpack. Instead of looking at massive projects, the Western states should be looking at the broad array of conservation known to hydrolo- gists — including how computer sensors can make water delivery in urban settings and to agriculture PXFKPRUHHI¿FLHQW Little oil spills add up A Deal with them appropriately n Exxon Valdez oil spill every year, but spread around in patches and streaks all over the U.S. — this is what a never-ending pat- tern of small spills and leaks adds up to. The consequences are sig- QL¿FDQW DQG LW¶V ZRUWK HYHU\RQH¶V attention to avoid these problems. A story by Seattle’s KUOW last month outlined the scope of the 95 percent of U.S. oil spills that are comparatively small — less than a single highway tanker truck de- livery; some much less. Together, they add up to hundreds of spills in Oregon and Washington each year from a wide variety of sourc- es. Though certainly lacking the drama to attract anything more than local media attention, and of- ten not even that, these spills kill untold numbers of plants, birds and other aquatic creatures, while generally degrading the quality of the environment. Nationwide, they cost nearly $3 billion a year to clean up. KUOW focused on a spill of 2,000 to 3,000 gallons that was traced 24 miles to a failing feed- lot storage tank. Up to 50 people worked 11 days to mop it up. It doesn’t take much to cause prob- lems: It’s been calculated that a tank leaking a drop every 10 seconds could release 60 gallons in a year. Many of these spills are the legacy of earlier years in the petro- leum era that began around 120- plus years ago. Petroleum prod- ucts can continue doing damage for thousands of years. Improved awareness and stronger regula- tions have made steady progress in mitigating these ticking environ- mental bombs, but many remain. In our area, some of these sources include: • Spills and inappropriate dis- posal of oil and fuel products asso- ciated with World War II defense activities. • Abandoned and forgotten un- derground storage tanks and fuel lines installed to service maritime, highway, aviation, forestry and ag- ricultural vehicles and vessels. • Tar tanks used to treat pound nets. • Fuel and lubricants in sunken vessels. • Tanks used to store home heating oil. Rumors sometimes surface of storage tanks unearthed during construction activities and then quietly reburied. In other cases, en- vironmental testing has disclosed the presence of oil spreading in groundwater from old spills and sumps, rendering property close to worthless. In nearly every case, it makes ERWK ¿QDQFLDO DQG HWKLFDO VHQVH WR DYRLG WKHVH LVVXHV LQ WKH ¿UVW place and to confront them head- on when they come to our atten- tion. Expensive as it may be to effectively deal with an obsolete or abandoned storage container, it is far more expensive to clean oil up after it has spread through sur- rounding soil and water. Clearly, the best approach is make sure tanks and lines don’t OHDN LQ WKH ¿UVW SODFH ,I \RX QR longer need them, get rid of them in an appropriate manner — con- tact Oregon DEQ for guidance. $QGLI\RX¿QGDQDEDQGRQHGWDQN or other source of potential pollu- tion, report it. Associated Press File In near freezing weather, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt stop to admire the Great Falls in Yellowstone Canyon, Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, Sept. 26, 1937. Our land, up for grabs By WILL ROGERS New York Times column S AN FRANCISCO — A battle is looming over America’s public lands. ,W¶V GLI¿FXOW WR XQGHUVWDQG ZK\ given decades of consistent, strong support from voters of both parties for protecting land, water and the thousands of jobs and billions of GROODUV LQ HFRQRPLF EHQH¿WV WKHVH resources make possible. Recently, the United States Sen- ate voted 51-49 to support an amend- ment to a nonbinding budget resolu- tion to sell or give away all federal lands other than the national parks and monuments. If the measure is ever implement- ed, hundreds of millions of acres of national forests, rangelands, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and his- toric sites will revert to the states or local governments or be auctioned off. These lands constitute much of what’s left of the nation’s natural and historical heritage. This was bad enough. But it fol- lowed a 228-119 vote in the House of Representatives approving anoth- er nonbinding resolution that said “the federal estate is far too large” and voiced support for reducing it and “giving states and localities more control over the resources within their boundaries.” Doing so, the resolution added, “will lead to increased resource production and allow states and localities to take ad- YDQWDJHRIWKHEHQH¿WVRILQFUHDVHG economic activity.” The measures, supported only by the Republicans who control both houses, were symbolic. But they laid down a marker that America’s public lands, long held in trust by the gov- ernment for its people, may soon be up for grabs. We’ll get a better sense of Con- gress’ commitment to conservation this year when it decides whether to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, created in 1965 DQG ¿QDQFHG E\ IHHV SDLG E\ RLO companies for offshore drilling. The program underwrites state and local park and recreation projects, con- servation easements for ranches and farms, plus national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. nation’s most densely pop- Nearly $17 billion has ulated state. Again, support gone to those purposes was lopsided, with 65 per- over the years, including cent of voters in favor. But 41,000 state and local park Gov. Chris Christie, a Re- and recreation projects, publican, is now proposing some of which my orga- to divert a quarter of the nization has helped put funds to purposes other together. (Another $19 bil- than land acquisition and lion was diverted by Con- preservation. gress to other purposes.) And in Maine, money The program expires Sept. Will Rogers approved by voters for a 30 unless Congress keeps popular state program called Land it alive. Land protection has long been an for Maine’s Future is now caught issue for which voters of both parties up in a political tussle. The program have found common cause. Since was founded in 1987 to conserve 1988, some $71.7 billion has been land and has protected 560,000 authorized to conserve land in more acres. It has enjoyed wide support; than 1,800 state and local elections LQ QHZ ERQG ¿QDQFLQJ ZDV in 43 states. Last year, $13.2 billion approved by 60 percent of voters was approved by voters in 35 initia- casting a ballot. But Gov. Paul R. tives around the country — the most LePage, a Republican, is refusing to in a single year in the 27 years my spend about $11 million unless his organization has tracked these initia- plan to increase timber harvesting on state-owned lands is approved. tives and, in some cases, led them. What’s often lost in these debates But this consensus is being ig- nored, and not just in the nation’s is that these public lands provide HQRUPRXVHFRQRPLFEHQH¿WV capital. In 2013, the country’s national parks, wildlife refuges, monuments It is diffi cult and other public lands had an estimat- ed 407 million visits, which contrib- to understand uted $41 billion to the economy and the hostility helped to support 355,000 jobs, ac- cording to a report by the Department of elected of the Interior last year. ,W LV GLI¿FXOW WR XQGHUVWDQG WKH offi cials, given KRVWLOLW\ RI VRPH HOHFWHG RI¿FLDOV these days to public lands, given the the historical, historical, bipartisan commitment to bipartisan protecting our land and heritage. This summer, millions of Americans will commitment get outdoors and enjoy these wise in- vestments. to protecting The writer Wallace Stegner saw “geographies of hope” in our remain- our land and ing wild places, and wrote that visit- heritage. ing them is “good for us when we are young, because of the incomparable n November, for instance, 4.2 mil- sanity it can bring, as vacation, and lion Florida voters approved a state rest, into our insane lives.” And, he constitutional amendment to provide added, “It is important to us when we $22 billion over the next 20 years are old because it is there — import- for land and water protection. But ant, that is, simply as an idea.” Rather than selling off the lands some legislative leaders want to use the money mostly for programs other we all own, or looking for other uses than the land protections voters ex- for the money approved at the bal- lot box for conservation, our leaders pected. New Jersey voters also approved a VKRXOGOLVWHQWRYRWHUVDQG¿QGZD\V constitutional amendment in Novem- to protect more of the places that ber to dedicate corporate business make America special. Will Rogers is the president of the tax revenue to preserve open space, farmland and historic places in the Trust for Public Land. I Open forum No vista of bridge T hose who enjoyed vistas of the Astoria Bridge as they walk along the Riverwalk west of Second Street need to be concerned about what is before the Astoria Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. They say they are going to vote on the Bridge Vista Plan, but in reality, they will be voting on the Block the Bridge Vista Plan. The area over the water in front of Stephanie’s Cabin will allow a series of 35-foot-tall buildings. This will not only block the vistas of the bridge from Stephanie’s Cabin, but also of those looking out the win- dows of the Ship Inn restaurant. They will require some space between the buildings, but that will only allow views north to the state of Washington, and not vistas of the bridge. Those strolling along the Riverwalk, or viewing from the trolley, will mainly see buildings at full implementation of this short- sighted vision for this stretch of the Columbia River, and not vistas of the bridge. Please attend Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. Planning Commission meeting to let them know that the 35-foot buildings they are proposing over the river will probably cost our city as many jobs DV WKH\ FUHDWH 7KH\ ZLOO GH¿QLWHO\ destroy something very special about our city that is currently available for all to enjoy, and which attracts many people to our area. The Planning Commission could restrict the height of water-related uses over the river to less than few feet above the river bank, which would allow use of that area and pre- serve vistas of the bridge, but they need to hear from you. Buildings, like the Holiday Inn Express, need to be restricted to the south side of the trolley tracks. GEORGE (MICK) HAGUE Astoria +DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ Washington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Web: www.merkley. senate.gov • State Rep. Brad Witt (D): State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E., H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state. or.us/witt/ Email: rep.bradwitt@ state.or.us • State Rep. Deborah Boone (D): 900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Sa- lem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986- 1432. Email: rep.deborah boone@ VWDWHRUXV'LVWULFWRI¿FH32%R[ 928, Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone: 503-986-1432. Web: www. leg.state.or.us/ boone/ Where to write • U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washing- ton, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225- 0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District RI¿FH 6: 0LOOLNDQ :D\ Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005. Phone: 503-326-2901. Fax 503-326- 5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/ • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D):