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
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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
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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-
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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
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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
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longer need them, get rid of them
in an appropriate manner — con-
tact Oregon DEQ for guidance.
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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.
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given decades of consistent, strong
support from voters of both parties
for protecting land, water and the
thousands of jobs and billions of
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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-
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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
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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
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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.
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offi cials, given KRVWLOLW\
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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
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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
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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
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Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005.
Phone: 503-326-2901. Fax 503-326-
5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D):