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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017 New federal effort tries to save dams along Snake River Federal court has sought to protect salmon By COURTNEY FLATT Northwest Public Radio A new bill in Congress would make sure Washing- ton state’s four lower Snake River dams stay standing. It’s pushback against a recent court order to find “a new approach” to protect threat- ened and endangered salmon and steelhead. That approach could include removing or altering the dams. That’s not something U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash- ington, thinks would be good for the Northwest. Newhouse introduced the legislation, along with four other North- west representatives. “Removing the Snake River dams would be harmful to our communities, the envi- ronment and our economy. This legislation is needed to support the critical role that Snake River dams play by pro- viding Washington commu- nities with clean, renewable hydropower,” Newhouse said. The bipartisan legislation Alan Berner/The Seattle Times Water flows through the spillways of the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River in Washington state. New federal leg- islation would protect dams amid a debate over endangered salmon and steelhead. would keep a federal plan to protect salmon in place until 2022. Right now, the govern- ment has until 2021 to finish a new federal Columbia River biological opinion. The opinion has been con- tested through lawsuits for more than two decades. In the most recent deci- sion U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon rejected the government’s plan for fish. It’s the fifth time the plan has been rejected. Simon ruled all options must be on the table, includ- ing a deep look at whether the four lower Snake River dams should be altered or removed. “Despite billions of dol- lars spent on these efforts, the listed species continue to be in a perilous state,” Simon wrote. “The (Federal Columbia River Power System) remains a sys- tem that ‘cries out’ for a new approach.” The bill would also effec- tively overturn Simon’s deci- sion to increase more spill over eight dams on the Colum- bia and Snake rivers. Simon ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to spill more water over the dams to help juvenile salmon migrate out to the ocean. Environmental groups strongly oppose the bill. A news release from the groups said increased spill is the “most effective action in the near-term to improve sur- vival of endangered salmon populations.” “This legislative pro- posal is misguided, counter- productive and based on an extremely poor understanding of the plight of our salmon and any realistic changes to how Columbia Basin hydro-sys- tem would operate to bet- ter protect salmon,” said Bill Arthur, Sierra Club chairman of the Columbia-Snake River Salmon Recovery Campaign. Too much spill can increase dissolved gas in the water, which can cause something akin to the bends in fish. The bill was also intro- duced by U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Jaime Herrera Beutler, both Wash- ington state Republicans — as well as Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, and Greg Walden, R-Oregon. “As we work to improve fish runs, we must not lose sight of the importance to the region of renewable hydro- power, recreation and trans- portation,” Walden said. “The uncertainty created by ongo- ing litigation over operations impacts all of that.” State Senate approves audio recording grand jury proceedings Oregon one of two states to use note takers ‘What domestic violence victim will be willing to share her story when she knows that a recording of her statement could be handed over to the man who beat her or her children just days earlier?’ By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — The state Sen- ate voted 21-7 Tuesday to require audio recordings of grand jury proceedings. The bill modernizes the state’s more than 150-year- old handwritten record-keep- ing process by requiring county district attorneys to electronically audio record grand jury proceedings and maintain and store copies of the recordings. “This bill will bring our justice system into the 21st century, but it’s about more than that,” said state Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, who has spearheaded similar legislation for several years. “We’re working on Indepen- dence Day right now. July Fourth is a beautiful day, and it’s about freedom and lib- erty. We have a chance to ensure liberty, justice for all and an opportunity to ensure our criminal justice system remains above all reproach.” The bill heads for a vote in the House later this week. The requirement will be gradually phased in for the state’s 36 counties. The mandate triggers in March for Multnomah, Deschutes and Jackson counties, all of which have populations of 150,000 or greater. The state’s other 33 counties will have to start the recordings by July 2019. The bill provides about $10 million for the cost of purchasing electronic record- ing devices and hiring staff to manage the recordings in Capital Bureau The state Senate on Tues- day passed a bill mandat- ing that grand jury proceed- ings be recorded. The bill moves to the House, where it is expected to pass. the three counties. The Leg- islative Fiscal Office has noted that there could be sig- nificant costs to the state in the 2019-2021 budget as the remaining 33 counties begin the recordings. The prosecutor must pro- vide a copy or transcript of the recording to the defense attorney within 10 days after a defendant is arraigned on an indictment. The defense attorney is prohibited from sharing the actual copy of the recording with the defen- dant and may not disclose personal identifying infor- mation about the victim, wit- nesses or grand jurors to the defendant. The recordings are otherwise confidential. Prosecutors also may request a protection order from the court to redact cer- tain information they believe could put a victim or witness in danger. Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, said the bill’s main weakness is it disal- Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis lows hearsay testimony by law enforcement officers on behalf of witnesses. The only exceptions are for people with certain disabilities and minors. “I really wish we had kept in protections for victims so case officers could testify on their behalf,” Thatcher said. She said she voted against the bill because she felt it was rushed in the waning days of session, which must consti- tutionally end by Monday. “I am all for recording grand juries but we need to proceed more cautiously when it comes to the vic- tims,” she said. Forty-eight states and the federal court system already electronically audio record grand jury testimony. Oregon and Louisiana are the only two states in the nation that still rely on hand- written juror notes, rather than audio recordings, as documentation of testimony in front of grand juries. “I have found that no mat- ter how skilled or how expe- rienced the note taker is, there will be things that are inaccurate or left out inad- vertently,” said Prozanski, W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 “Diamond” Dave Bennett You found us, enriched us and played fondly for the gleeful masses for 32 consecutive years in a show that is now slightly less colorful without its Maestro Banjo playing extraordinaire. Dave, we love you and thank you so very much for your years of dedication and performance in a show that will not be the same without your brilliance. Shanghaied in Astoria and the Astor Street Opry Company have dedicated this year’s run to Dave Bennett, his wonderful wife Chris and family for sharing Dave with us, his extended theater family. a municipal prosecutor and former assistant district attorney. “As a felony pros- ecutor in Lane County I wanted my witnesses in front of the grand jury because I wanted them prepared to be able to testify in public in front of the Circuit Court. This process opens the grand jury process so that we have a clear and accurate record of what witnesses say during the process, without interpre- tation. It’s fair to prosecutors and the defense.” Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis, in a guest column in The Orego- nian in June, wrote that he and other prosecutors would likely reserve grand juries for unusual cases if they must be recorded. Prosecutors, he said, would instead conduct preliminary hearings, which he said take more time and could be costly for the state. “Recording grand juries will have a chilling effect on justice,” Marquis wrote. “What domestic violence victim will be willing to share her story when she knows that a recording of her statement could be handed over to the man who beat her or her children just days ear- lier? Even the most optimis- tic among us know how trag- ically that could end.” The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Join us for the Relay For Life of Clatsop County! About the Relay For Life Movement Saturday, July 8 th , 2017 The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest fundraising event to end cancer, uniting four million people around the world to celebrate survivorship, remember lives lost, and fight back against this disease. Teams camp out and participate by taking turns walking around a track or path. Symbolizing the battle waged around the clock by those facing cancer, the event empowers communities and individuals to take a stand against the disease and take action by supporting the Society’s lifesaving mission. Astoria High School Track 10:00 am - 12:00 am Register your team today! RelayForLife.org/ClatsopcountyOR Learn about American Cancer Society programs and services. Join others in fighting back against cancer! For more information, contact: nancy.hillis@cancer.org 361.676.6378 RelayForLife.org | 800.227.2345
