3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018 Interior secretary downplays drilling By TOM BANSE Northwest News Network Warrenton The mast of a large commercial fishing boat that sank at the Warrenton Marina docks last year is now a flagpole in front of the marina offices and bath facilities. Marina staff towed Western Skies onto land and demolished it last year after the abandoned 70-year-old, 43-foot long vessel sank and leaked more than 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the water. They planned to salvage a few of the vessel’s features, including the mast and porthole windows. Mayor Henry Balensifer said repurposing the mast as a flagpole not only saved the city the cost of a new pole, it also involved extra work and creativity on the part of marina staff. ‘I think it just shows the pride our employees have in the work they do,’ he said. SKIES HIGH Federal agency wants to protect butterfly Associated Press SAN JUAN ISLAND, Wash. — Fed- eral wildlife officials want to protect a rare white and green butterfly found only on Washington’s San Juan Island. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday announced that it is pro- posing to list the island marble butterfly as an endangered species and designate about 813 acres of mostly public land on San Juan Island as critical habitat for them. The island marble butterfly has been declining since it was rediscovered on the island in 1998 after decades of no documented sightings. Their small pop- ulation makes them vulnerable to habitat loss and predation, the agency said. The last remaining known population is in an area that is part of San Juan Island Historical Park. Surveys in 2017 found fewer than 200 adults. “After years of delay, the service must move quickly to implement conserva- tion measures to reverse declines,” Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conser- vation, said in a statement. The butterflies were once found on or near Vancouver Island in the 19th cen- tury. But they weren’t observed again for 90 years until 1998 when a Washington state zoologist discovered the butterfly on San Juan Island. Later surveys found them on San Sheriff’s office will get new roof Project to be done by June By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Employees at the Clat- sop County Sheriff’s Office will get a new roof over their heads this summer. County commissioners approved a $77,293 contract Wednesday with Longview, Washington-based Weath- erguard, Inc. to replace the 10,000-square-foot roof. The material and labor warranty for the roof will be 30 years. Weatherguard has com- pleted similar projects at the Oregon Film Museum as well as the main county offices. The roof was installed in 2006 and the sheriff’s office moved there in 2016, but county staff discovered dete- riorating roofing material during the remodel. Because the roof was still under war- ranty, the county reached an $11,725 settlement agree- ment with the original manufacturer. The project is scheduled to be completed by June. In other business Wednes- day, commissioners: • Adopted new fees begin- ning Thursday. One of the fees is $450 property owners must pay for a vacation rental application. Commission- ers approved vacation rental safety regulations in January. The fee will go toward safety inspections. An enterprise zone appli- cation fee will cost $75. The Community Development Department will also charge $30 more for changed address or street name applications. • Continued a hearing until April 25 on an ordinance that would impose a 3 percent tax on retail marijuana sales. At that meeting, commissioners may refer the tax to voters on the November ballot. Juan Island and Lopez Island, but many of those populations have not been detected in recent years. The species is now observed only in a single area cen- tered on south San Juan Island known as American Camp. The Xerces Society and other groups first petitioned the federal agency in 2002 to list the butterfly as an endangered spe- cies. The agency declined to do so then. The group petitioned the service again in 2012. The federal agency in 2016 ultimately found that protection for the island marble butterfly was war- ranted but that there were other candi- dates that had higher priority. The Fish and Wildlife Service is tak- ing comments through June 11. Karen Reagan/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the island mar- ble butterfly has been declin- ing since it was rediscovered on San Juan Island in 1998. In congressional testimony Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said he has heard the strong opposition from the West Coast to the Trump administration’s plan for offshore oil and gas drilling. He expressed doubt drilling would ever hap- pen along the Pacific Northwest coast. Zinke appeared before a House Appropriations subcom- mittee for a review of the Inte- rior Department’s budget. U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Washing- ton, quizzed Zinke on offshore drilling. “I’m hoping I can ask you today if you are prepared to announce that you’ll withdraw our state from consideration,” Kilmer said. Zinke said he would keep all states in the planning process until it plays out. But then he basically said don’t worry about it. “There is little or no resources of oil or gas off the coasts of Oregon or Washington,” Zinke said. “There is no infrastructure to support an oil or gas industry off the coast of Oregon or Wash- ington. And there is, I would say, passionate opposition to do so.” Zinke said he’s hoping to pro- vide resolution when his agency completes its plan for offshore leasing by the fall. Back in January, the Trump administration announced a pro- posal to open up almost the entire outer continental shelf of the con- tiguous United States to new oil and gas leases. The idea immedi- ately drew wide, bipartisan oppo- sition from state and local elected officials in the Northwest. Wash- ington Attorney General Bob Fer- guson warned the state would sue if the proposal moved forward. Early on, Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Ins- lee, both Democrats, asked Zinke to withdraw their states’ waters from consideration as drilling territories after Zinke quickly removed Florida at the request of Republican Gov. Rick Scott. “Drilling off our coasts risks our economy and way of life,” Kilmer reiterated Wednesday. “A spill would threaten fisheries, shellfish growers, tourism, and jobs across our region.” In January, Zinke framed the rationale for expanded offshore oil and gas drilling as “unleash- ing” America’s potential. “Responsibly developing our energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in a safe and well-regulated way is important to our economy and energy secu- rity, and it provides billions of dollars to fund the conservation of our coastlines, public lands and parks,” Zinke said in a pre- pared statement. College hikes tuition $3 per credit The Daily Astorian Tuition at Clatsop Commu- nity College will go from $99 to $102 per credit, effective summer term. The Clatsop Commu- nity College Board voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve the tui- tion increase. Rosemary Bak- er-Monaghan, the lone “no” vote, had vowed not to support any more tuition increases. Board members had weighed the financial burden on students against the funding challenges the college faces. The college developed a budget this year assuming tui- tion and fee revenue would increase by 8 percent with the addition of new programs and the opening of the redeveloped Patriot Hall. But staff reported last month that the college is down nearly 8.5 percent in tui- tion and fee revenue from the same point last year, equal to around $200,000. WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 The college last raised tui- tion in 2014 by $1, from $98 to $99 per credit, to fill a gap left by state funding. Each $1 increase in tuition is estimated to equal $25,000 in additional funding. Tuition and fees paid by students have increased statewide by more than 30 per- cent over the past decade on average. Baker-Monaghan had vowed not to vote for another tuition increase, citing numer- ous tuition hikes in the past. College President Christo- Clatsop Post 12 Sheppard’s Pie Friday Apr. 13 th pher Breitmeyer has said the college will look at ways to mitigate the tuition increase, such as focusing financial aid toward lower-income students and lowering textbook costs. 5:00 pm Downtown Astoria Every month, year ‘round! With Salad & Bread Apri Jan l . 13 th 14 th 4 pm until gone $ 8. 00 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 Visit Downtown Astoria on the 2nd Saturday of every month for art, music, and general merriment! Presented by the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association astoriadowntown.com facebook/astoriadowntown.com