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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 Tribes in Columbia River Gorge hit by White House decision Homes were submerged by dams on river By ANDREW SELKSY Associated Press SALEM — The Trump administration is neglecting the U.S. government’s obli- gation to build new homes for Indians whose original abodes were submerged by dams along the Columbia River, members of congressional delegations from Oregon and Washington state said. The hundreds of tribal members are living in dilap- idated trailers and other sub- standard housing along the Columbia River. The prom- ised new homes haven’t been built yet even though decades have passed since the dams were built. Now a funding decision by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget has put even the preparation work on hold. In a letter, the politicians told Mick Mulvaney, direc- tor Office of Management and Budget, that “the federal gov- ernment has a legal and moral responsibility” to maintain the funding. They urged him to reconsider his decision. The letter, dated Friday and released to the media on Mon- day, was signed by U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cant- well of Washington, Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Rep. Earl Blu- menauer of Oregon. All of the lawmakers are Democrats. When the dams were built, starting with the Bonneville Dam in 1938 and then hydro- electric dams in the 1970s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to relocate, replace or otherwise mitigate for losses of home and villages that became buried by water, said Charles Hudson, who works with an agency of the four Columbia River Treaty tribes. The Indians and their ancestors had pulled salmon and other fish from the river AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka Members of congressional delegations from Oregon and Washington state say the Trump administration has walked away from the federal government’s obligation to build new homes and villages for Indians whose original abodes were submerged by the building of dams along the Columbia River decades ago. for thousands of years, Hud- son said. Not only did the dams submerge their homes and villages, they eliminated the waterfalls and rapids that were trusted fishing spots where the salmon congregated before leaping upstream. Even after the dams appeared, backing up the river and creating large pools, many families stayed along the banks because fishing was their traditional custom and livelihood. They moved into trailers and other makeshift housing on plots of federal land, where they were told to wait for the promised new housing, Hudson said. “No shovels have turned yet,” Hudson said. “Here we are 50, almost 60 years later, and they are still waiting.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates and maintains 700 dams in America, had recommended roughly $3 million be spent on planning for the new vil- lages, like conducting archae- ological assessments and site evaluations, and had received about half the funds in the 2017 budget cycle, Hudson said. But an Oct. 24 letter from the Corps cited by the five pol- iticians said most of an esti- mated $1.5 million has been spent, and that future work “will cease until the remain- ing funds are received.” The members of Congress said they understood that Mul- vaney had denied a request by the Corps to shift funding to provide that remaining $1.5 million. “We have seen first-hand the cramped, outdated, make- shift housing with limited access to reliable utilities and restrooms that tribal mem- bers are living in today. This is a matter of public health and safety, upholding treaty rights, and requires immedi- ate attention,” the members of Congress said in their letter to Mulvaney. The Office of Manage- ment and Budget and the White House did not imme- diately respond to requests for comment. Hudson said non-Indian communities that were sub- merged were rebuilt by the government and have libraries and post offices. “In comparison, the tribal communities were glaringly neglected,” said Hudson, who is with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Appliances & Home Furnishings food drive Now through Dec 31 st 2017 bring in 10 cans of food get on all 10% Off furniture & m attresses Hours: MON-FRI: 8-6PM SAT: 9-5PM SUN: 10-4PM Appliance & Home Furnishings “We Service What We Sell” 503-861-0929 529 SE MARLIN AVENUE , WARRENTON, OR GEARHART VOTERS BEWARE: KNOW THE TRUTH Don’t let out-of-state big money and self-serving corporate interests buy Gearhart’s election. Does the current ordinance prohibit families or guests from staying at properties for free? No. The short-term nightly rental ordinance applies only to the act of “renting.” The very definition of a “rental” is money has to change hands. Regular residential uses are allowed under current laws. Would unlimited nightly rentals help our economy? No. Our current laws provide a balance of vacation rentals and our full-time residents who spend money all year-round. This creates a sustainable economy. Does Measure 4-188 have any enforceable regulations protecting residents? No. All current regulations regarding the number of permits, septic, safety or even parking are eliminated. Period. There will be NO mechanism for ANY regulation enforcement if the measure passes. Will the number of short-term nightly vacation rentals ever go to zero? No. There will always be short-term, nightly rentals available in Gearhart. There are around 200 units potentially available now and always in an R-3 zone. Currently, the city can review or change the number of rental permits through its normal legislative process. E GEAR S AV Short-term rental permits can also be HA passed down through inheritance. Do our current laws go too far in their protection of our citizens’ rights? No. Our laws regulating nightly rentals have a reasonable cap protecting residents from any negative impacts. Our occupancy A limits, septic, safety and parking I RH NT AR regulations are similar to other cities E T RESID like Seaside, Cannon Beach or Manzanita. GE VOTE NO! VOTE NOW! Paid for by: Keep Gearhart Residential www.keepgearhartresidential.com L P ON 4 -188 A NO T VOTE KEE Do Gearhart’s current laws make it harder to sell your home? No. Our city Ordinance 901 protects property values through zoning laws. Home sales are soaring right now, due to new full-time residents moving in because of our nightly vacation rental ordinance. Do current laws prevent homeowners from renting their property? No. Any property owner can rent their entire home, just a room, or only a level for 30 days or more, without a permit. Does Measure 4-188 have any fire or life safety provisions that protect families? No. ALL fire, safety and building code inspections are required to be done by our city building inspector. Measure 4-188 removes this requirement and allows any “licensed home inspector” to inspect homes. These home inspectors CANNOT LEGALLY INSPECT for fire and life safety per state law. They are not allowed or required to report that a home might not have fire escapes, bedrooms with no windows, or any safety hazards. R Does Measure 4-188 have ANY cap on the number of short-term nightly vacation rentals? No. Measure 4-188 would allow UNLIMITED NIGHTLY VACATION RENTALS in ALL our neighborhoods. The ability of the city to review or revise the number of rental permits or regulations is removed, completely.
