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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TuESDAY, DEcEmbER 18, 2018
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
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OUR VIEW
Robust state role must continue at Hanford
T
he Trump administration’s
environmental policies are
the ultimate screw-you
moment for the youngest Amer-
icans, as well as for generations
unborn. Following on the Environ-
mental Protection Agency’s recent
easing of rules on coal, the news of
a proposal to reclassify high-level
radioactive waste at the Hanford
Nuclear Reservation is a jaw-drop-
per. It is also a threat to our region.
Hanford is the Pacific North-
west’s largest environmental chal-
lenge. Its mountain of nuclear
waste was born in the secrecy and
exigencies of World War II. Once
that veil was lifted and Northwest
states understood the implications
of radioactive waste in the ground
and water adjacent to the Colum-
bia River, Oregon and Washing-
ton lawmakers pressed for fed-
eral responsibility and a seat at the
table. Prominent among our advo-
cates were U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield
of Oregon and Washington Attor-
ney General Christine Gregoire.
That 20-year-old agreement set a
30-year timetable for cleaning up
Hanford’s toxins. In view of the
daunting complexity of the work
and unforeseen problems, this time-
line is now expected to continue
well into the mid-21st century.
Perhaps it is simply typical of
President Trump’s shallow under-
standing of longstanding agree-
ments of all sorts, but the notion
that the federal government could
Associated Press
An undated aerial view of part of the Hanford nuclear reservation.
unilaterally redefine the situation at
Hanford is both laughable and con-
temptible. The momentum at Han-
ford has been moving in the other
direction. Washington and Ore-
gon would not surrender their hard-
won roles in the oversight of Han-
ford cleanup. Federal courts would
certainly back Washington state
in defending its contract with the
U.S. Department of Energy and the
EPA.
This editorial page over decades
has decried the pace of cleanup at
Hanford. It is essential that all of us
— certainly including we who live
downriver from Hanford — pay
attention to what’s going on. Ore-
gon’s U.S. senators — Ron Wyden
and Jeff Merkley — and Wash-
ington’s senators — Patty Murray
and Maria Cantwell — must leave
no doubt that this Trump proposal
is indefensible and merits a swift
burial.
“Burial” was a policy theme for
far too long at Hanford, and contin-
ues in some senses today. Under-
ground storage tanks which kept
toxic sludge out of sight, if not out
of mind, have been overly prone
to leaks into the groundwater and
surrounding air. More recently,
entire trainloads of diverse poison-
ous waste from the bomb-building
era have been causing problems in
tunnels where they were secreted
away. In a suspiciously impromptu
decision, these nightmarish tunnels
are being pumped full of grout.
Nearby residents express doubts
about whether this stopgap answer
will come back to haunt us.
“Burial” also comes to mind
in the context of longstanding
national failures in how we inter-
nalize the human, environmen-
tal and monetary costs of war. For
too long, Hanford as a facility was
treated with much the same lack-
adaisical attitude too many of
our leaders display toward veter-
ans — burying their suffering and
needs in an underfunded and some-
times poorly run bureaucracy. Like
the Veterans Administration, Han-
ford will benefit from continuing
close oversight. The cleanup cer-
tainly must be financially account-
able. But first and foremost, it must
achieve its aims of making cer-
tain its surroundings and the wider
Columbia River region are kept
safe for generations to come. The
expediencies of war are no excuse
for potentially deadly shortcuts in
confronting the aftermath of those
decisions.
These commitments cannot and
must not be hamstrung by political
expediency — by this or any future
presidential administration.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Can we work together
on climate change?
T
he Nov. 30 articles in The Daily Asto-
rian, “A dire picture of climate change
in the Northwest” and “Pro-Con: Is carbon
tax the right way to fight climate change?”
got me thinking about economic uncertain-
ties in the face of regional changing ocean
and forest conditions.
This uncertainty leaves local natural
resource — and tourism — industries vul-
nerable as emissions exacerbate negative
impacts. How, in our divisive political cli-
mate, can we work together to address
these risks?
While adaptation efforts, such as the
work by the shellfish industry and the Nat-
ural Hazards Mitigation Plan are neces-
sary, we need to unite to implement pre-
dictable market-based solutions to reduce
emissions nationwide.
Recently, the Energy Innovation and
Carbon Dividend Act, co-sponsored by
members from both parties, was intro-
duced in Congress. The policy aims to
capture the true cost of emissions, includ-
ing the increasing impacts to our natural
resources and economy.
By pricing carbon incrementally every
year, America’s emissions will be reduced
by 40 percent within 12 years. Generated
fees will be allocated to all Americans on a
monthly basis, and will create 1.2 million
jobs in the clean energy economy.
I urge U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici
and Jamie Herrera Beutler, who have
worked hard to protect our ocean resources
and rural economies, to support the bill.
It’s time to set aside our partisan differ-
ences and work together to start address-
ing this very real threat for the good of our
local economy and our nation.
JUSTIN SAYDELL
Astoria
Christmas tree thoughts
I
n my younger days, it was our family
tradition to go into the forest with the
proper permit, and select and cut our own,
special Christmas tree. Often that tree
turned out to be a foot or so too tall for our
living room, but after trimming it to fit,
we carefully placed it, best side out, to be
admired by all.
We decorated it with lights, ornaments,
artificial icicles and a star on the very top.
It was beautiful. That tree, in a sense, ush-
ered in a happy, joyful season. Family
and friends gathered for a wonderful din-
ner with all the trimmings. Gifts were
exchanged, Christmas carols were sung
and special hymns and songs heard, all
over town.
People greeted each other with smiles
and wishes of “Merry Christmas.” Efforts
were made to share with those less fortu-
nate — especially food for the hungry, and
toys for the children.
But soon the tree withers. Lights and
ornaments are removed and saved for next
year, and the tree is discarded. Unfor-
tunately, many of the other good things
about the season are put aside also —
joy, happiness, peace, benevolence and
friendly attitudes.
My children are all grown now, and we
no longer cut our Christmas tree. It was
replaced with an artificial one, but we try
to hold on to the more important things
about the season. Family gathering, joy,
peace, happiness, mindful of helping the
needy, and above all, remembering that
God’s greatest gift to mankind was
Christ.
KEN TIPPS
Astoria Church of Christ
We can act better than this
The difference today is, modern tech-
nology makes both good and bad happen
at warp speed.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
N
Welcome to Astoria
ow that the election season, in
all its glorious ugliness, is finally
over, allow me a few strictly bipartisan
thoughts.
First, truth is truth. It’s not relative, and
it really matters. In the just-finished elec-
tion cycle, we were subjected to vicious,
negative and untruthful ads in unprece-
dented numbers, from all sides of the aisle.
What happened to the high road?
“Truth doesn’t matter because we won”
is not sustainable. There is always a bigger
hammer somewhere. Fear-mongering hurts
our humanity and drives us back toward
the caves we came from.
If our elected officials can’t reach
across, up and down, over and under the
aisle, and work together for the common
good, then we the people should vote them
into the nearest retirement village. That’s
democracy, right? Right.
Each of us possess the ability to respect
each other, and this is the only thing that
can make all 330 million of us, one coun-
try. This is vital, because divide and con-
quer is all too real. America has already
fought one Civil War too many.
We can act better than this. We must
act better than this if we are to survive as a
civilized country. History’s lessons can be
painful. The Roman Empire ruled most of
the known world for well over 400 years,
and likely many Romans thought it would
never fall. But in 395 A.D., it split apart,
and the collapse began.
attended my first Astoria City Council
meeting Dec. 3. Code changes were on
the docket, and talk was that people were
going to try to persuade the council to hold
off on the vote until certain changes were
made.
On entering the council room, I heard
a baby crying and saw what I would con-
sider a rather significant police presence. I
did not know this issue was so divisive.
I watched from the back of the room
as the council began to plow through
their agenda for the night. When the
issue of home stay lodging came up, to
my surprise, the mayor opened it up for
comment.
People streamed to the podium, making
their views known in no uncertain terms.
Their voices were heard. Everyone got
their chance and had their say.
The pens came out, changes were
made. But it did not turn out as I had
hoped. The vote was taken, 5-0. The code
changes were approved. Legislation small
and petty, but so it goes.
But thinking back on the night, the
loudest voice Monday night was the one
of a baby crying for her daddy, and that
daddy is now our new police officer. So in
the end, the baby got what she wanted, and
I got my two takeaways:
No. 1: The City Council bent over back-
I
wards to make sure everyone was heard.
No. 2: We all won, we all will be safer
because our new police officer was sworn
in.
Welcome to Astoria.
JOHN GINDER
Astoria
A trust broken
T
he Astoria City Council meeting on
Dec. 12, to hear public comment on
Hollander’s request for a four-story hotel
on our waterfront, was a disturbing event.
Astoria residents jammed the room and
expressed concern over this permanent
huge structure that will block views, and
change forever the look and feel of a pop-
ular part of the Riverwalk. Some coun-
cil members expressed confusion over
the wording of the code. They zig-zagged
up and down, round and round, and then
ended up allowing this huge development.
I had assumed council members would
be especially careful with such a perma-
nent alteration. Their confusion had left
room to listen to the residents of Astoria
sitting there clearly in opposition. Sadly,
those voices were discounted as they made
their final decision approving this unpopu-
lar over-sized development.
People who live here know what the
river means to Astoria. No code is neces-
sary to tell us. It was a shameful outcome.
The council members who ignored the
wishes of the audience may want to hide
their faces when in public … a trust bro-
ken. They will be remembered.
LYNNE FARRAR
Astoria