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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM
Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
Drill here but not there? Heck, no
T
he ink had barely dried on our
editorial this week expressing
concerns about the Trump
administration’s green light to more
private offshore drilling leases when an
odd thing happened.
Ryan Zinke, the president’s interior
secretary, traveled to Florida to meet
urgently with the governor, Rick Scott.
And at the end of an extremely cor-
dial meeting, Zinke announced that
there would be no oil and gas drilling
off the Florida coastlines.
Apparently, the governor told him
Florida’s economy was “unique” and
relies so much on tourism that state
officials were worried that if anything
went wrong with any drilling there was
a danger of potential environmental
contamination.
Does that sound familiar?
Oregon could make the exactly same
argument.
So could Washington.
So could California and Alaska, two
states which have coastlines longer than
some entire countries.
And, let’s not to leave out the East
Coast.
It’s far from a red versus blue state
controversy. In fact, Republican gover-
nors in New Hampshire, South Carolina,
Maryland, Massachusetts and Georgia
are aghast at Florida’s preferential treat-
ment. And leaders in Rhode Island, New
York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia,
North Carolina and Connecticut have
all opposed new drilling leases off their
coasts, too.
Close to home, we worry about our
economy, especially the vulnerable
West Coast fisheries, which are vulner-
able to potential environmental disas-
ters. Commercial fishing supports more
than $500 million in personal income in
Oregon.
In 2016, the Oregon tourism industry
directly employed almost 110,000; vis-
itors spent more than $11 billion here.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
An offshore oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
A worker removes oil from the sand at Refugio State Beach north of Goleta, Calif., a
month after a May 19, 2015 oil spill north of Santa Barbara.
Tourists don’t want to look out at giant
man-made monstrosities while playing
on our beaches.
The West Coast, quite rightly, jumped
on the administration’s Florida action
and cried “foul!”
Oregon’s Sens. Ron Wyden and
Jeff Merkley joined leaders represent-
ing other coastal states to tell the Trump
administration that they don’t want off-
shore oil and gas drilling. They are
demanding the same respect given to
Florida, which was granted the exemp-
tion. Arguments are the same for all our
coasts.
Since the Florida revelation, much
has been discussed about Donald
Trump’s business empire in the
Sunshine state, including his Mar-a-
Lago resort in Palm Beach. If that was
a factor in the decision, then it was
unconscionable. And Florida’s gover-
nor, Scott, is a Republican, whereas the
three West Coast states have Democratic
Party governors.
But even if you take those suspicions
out of the equation, the Florida excep-
tion simply fails to meet the fair play
sniff test. That state’s concerns are legit-
imate — and exactly the same as ours.
It is perfectly reasonable that we
demand equal treatment. The only bright
spot in this controversy is that elements
of the negative reaction are likely to
cross party lines with equal passion.
GUEST COLUMN
Questions for the
Port of Astoria
T
ransparency and public trust are gone
from the Port of Astoria. At the last
Port meeting, I asked a question about
a $1.7 million Key Bank loan for our storm-
water project. I’d like to know more about the
terms of the loan to build the stormwater sys-
tem. It is my understanding the first year had
no payments, the second year required interest
payments only, and not until the third year is
the Port of Astoria required to make principal
and interest payments.
The administration convinced the Port
Commission to approve the stormwater loan
because the Port of Astoria
would only pay half, and the
impacted tenants would pay
the other half. Port of Astoria
Executive Director Jim
Knight told the commission
that he had no push back
Bill
from the tenants on this loan
Hunsinger payment issue.
Knight’s excuse was,
“we haven’t done anything with the tenants
because we wanted to make sure it works
before we ask the tenants start paying their
share.” I guess that means if it doesn’t work,
the tenants don’t have to make the payments,
and the Port of Astoria/taxpayers have to pay
for this cost.
Over the last 18 months, the commis-
sioners have asked for “stormwater” to be an
agenda item. I have been told by Commission
President Frank Spence that it would be an
agenda item, but it has never happened.
Questions asked by commissioners that
have not been answered:
1. What is the actual total price of the
stormwater project?
2. Do the tenants know the terms of the
stormwater loan, and shouldn’t they have
been part of the loan discussion?
3. Which tenants are responsible for half
of the total loan cost, and have they been
contacted?
4. Shouldn’t the Oregon Department of
Transportation be responsible for a big part
of the loan, since the U.S. Highway 101 toxic
residue runs downhill into the Port of Astoria?
5. How do we get new tenants to come to
the Port of Astoria properties, and what would
be their share of this infrastructure cost?
6. When the project was completed, the
Port of Astoria staff stated the stormwater
project was $200,000 over budget, where The
Daily Astorian reported it was $750,000 over
budget (“Stormwater project at Port behind
schedule,” March 29, 2017). Why wasn’t the
commission informed about the over-budget
costs by the administration, instead of reading
it in the paper?
7. What about the cost of the Department
of Environmental Quality fines for non-com-
pliance with the Port of Astoria’s general
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System stormwater discharge permit(s)?
The actual questions are:
• Is the stormwater project working, and
properly processing the water prior to entering
the Columbia River?
• Were the DEQ-required tests of the out-
flow, which were supposed to be performed in
2017, ever done?
• What are the results of the stormwater
tests?
Months ago I asked Port of Astoria
Finance Director Will Isom, “Can the Port of
Astoria not afford to make the payments?”
His answer was, “Yes we can.” His unspecific
comment was interesting to me, knowing well
we had upcoming litigation, $100,000 in fines
to DEQ, and $660,000 in match money for
our Connect Oregon grant that is long over-
due, or on the books.
Bill Hunsinger serves on the Port of Asto-
ria Commission.
WHERE TO WRITE
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D): 439
Cannon House Office Building, Washington,
D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-0855. Fax 202-
225-9497. District office: 12725 SW Mil-
likan Way, Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005.
Phone: 503-469-6010. Fax 503-326-5066.
Web: bonamici.house. gov/
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313 Hart
Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Web: www.
merkley.senate.gov
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D): 221 Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Web: www.
wyden.senate.gov
• State Rep. Brad Witt (D): State Capi-
tol, 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, Salem, OR 97301.
Phone: 503-986-1432. Email: rep.deborah
boone@state.or.us District office: P.O. Box
928, Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone: 503-
986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.or.us/ boone/
• State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D): State
Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., S-314, Salem,
OR
97301. Telephone: 503-986-1716.
Email: sen.betsy johnson@state.or.us Web:
www.betsyjohnson.com District Office: P.O.
Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056. Phone: 503-
543-4046. Fax: 503-543-5296. Astoria office
phone: 503-338-1280.
• Port of Astoria: Executive Director, 10
Pier 1 Suite 308, Astoria, OR 97103. Phone:
503-741-3300. Email: admin@portofastoria.
com
• Clatsop County Board of Commis-
sioners: c/o County Manager, 800 Exchange
St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR 97103. Phone:
503-325-1000.