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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2015)
A4 V IEWPOINT Hood River News, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 JOE PETSHOW Publisher/President, Eagle Newspapers, Inc. CHELSEA MARR General Manager JODY THOMPSON Advertising Manager DICK NAFSINGER Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011) TOM LANCTOT Past President, Eagle Newspapers, Inc. KIRBY NEUMANN-REA Editor TONY METHVIN Columbia Gorge Press Manager DAVID MARVIN Production Manager Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area. NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Printed on OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION recycled paper. Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News, P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796 Member of the Associated Press Beat the Heat O ur readers write Hydrate, and look out for each other B eat the heat — don’t let it beat you, or your chil- dren or pets. Excessive heat has caused more deaths than all other weather related events in this country. Heat related illness can affect anyone at any age; please pay special attention to the tips below if you are over 65 years of age, or if you have existing medical problems like heart disease, if you work outdoors, or if you care for children under the age of four. Heat-related illness is preventable, here are some helpful tips: Stay Cool ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Find air-conditioned shelter Avoid direct sunlight Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing Take cool showers or baths Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device Stay Hydrated Drink more water than usual Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more fluids Avoid alcohol or liquids containing high amounts of sugar ■ Remind others to drink enough water ■ ■ ■ American Red Cross also recommends: Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid extreme temperature changes. Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored cloth- ing. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays. ■ Slow down, stay indoors and avoid strenuous exer- cise during the hottest part of the day. ■ Postpone outdoor games and activities. ■ Use a buddy system when working in excessive heat. ■ Take frequent breaks if you must work outdoors. ■ Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the heat. ■ Check on your animals frequently to ensure that they are not dehydrated. Please remember that you should NEVER leave chil- dren or pets alone in a vehicle. ■ ■ ■ Crossroads decision We stand at an important cross- roads today. Are we going to exert leadership to confront and deal with climate change, or continue to deny it is happening and leave the prob- lem to our children? Putting a price on carbon pollu- tion, which is the main cause of cli- mate change and up to this point has been free, would enable our capital- ist market economy to efficiently re- duce carbon use. British Columbia and California have already enacted laws pricing carbon; if Oregon and Washington were to join them, our combined economy would be the fifth largest in the world. This would send a powerful message, and set an example, for the rest of the world. Right now the Oregon Legislature is considering carbon pricing with House Bill 3470 and Senate Bill 965. If you care about the climate crisis, I urge you to ask our local Oregon del- egation to support these bills. In Hood River County that is Senator Chuck Thomsen, 503-986-1726, and Representative Mark Johnson, 503- 986-1452. In Wasco County that is Senator Ted Ferrioli, 503-986-1950 and Representative John Hoffman, 503-986-1459. There isn’t much time before the Oregon legislative session ends. If you intend to act, please do so soon. Peter Cornelison Hood River No scam W HERE TO WRITE President — Barack Obama, White House, 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave., Washington D.C., 20500 E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov U.S. Senators — Jeff Merkley, SDB-40B, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753; E-mail: oregon@merkley.senate.gov; Ron Wyden, 717 Hart Office Build- ing, Washington D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Web address: www.senate.gov/member/or/wyden/general/ 2nd Congressional District Representative — Greg Walden, 14 N. Central Ave., Suite 112, Medford, OR 97504. Phone: 541-776-4646; E-mail: www.walden.house.gov/contactgreg Governor — Kate Brown, 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310. Phone: 503-378-3111; E-mail: www.governor.state.or.us/email.htm District 26 State Senator — Chuck Thomsen, 900 Court St. N.E., S-307, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986- 1726; E-mail sen.chuckthomsen@state.or.us District 52 State Representative — Mark Johnson, 900 Court St. N.E., Bldg. H-385, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1452; E-mail: rep.markjohnson@state.or.us Hood River County Board of Commissioners — Chair Ron Rivers, Vice Chair Maui Meyer, members Les Perkins, Bob Ben- ton and Karen Joplin, Hood River County Courthouse, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-3970. County Administrator — Dave Meriwether, Hood River County Courthouse, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386- 3970. Hood River City Council — Mayor Paul Blackburn, members Laurent Picard, Mark Zanmiller, Kate McBride, Becky Brun, Peter Cornelison and Susan Johnson Hood River City Hall, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-1488. E-mail: cohr@gorge.net A recent letter (“Marketing scam”) asserted that spring water is heavily processed and incorrectly describes the spring water bottling process. The author describes water “squeezed backwater through a micro membrane filter,” which sug- gest she is describing a reverse os- mosis treatment process for water purification and mineral removal. By its definition for spring water, FDA (which regulates bottled water) does not allow reverse osmosis treat- ment as it would significantly change the chemical composition of the spring water from that of the natural source. Nestle and most bot- tlers do not add “large doses of chlo- rine” as was asserted. And, in fact, if a bottler adds any at all, it is typi- cally removed using activated car- bon before being bottled. More com- monly, bottlers use ozone and/or ultra-violet light as disinfectants. The water “needs to come out of a spring” not because it’s a “market- ing tool” but because it’s federal law: 21CFR165.110(a)(2)(vi). We believe people should drink more water — be it tap or bottled. But when the only other packaged beverage choic- es available to consumers contain caffeine, alcohol, sugar, artificial sweeteners/colors, etc., we believe consumers should have the option to choose the bottled water types (spring, purified, etc.) they prefer in- stead. David Palais, Ph.D. Nestle Waters North America Inc. Redding, Calif. Why oppose innovation? America is about innovation. We are on the cusp of an energy transi- tion much larger than the PC, tele- com, or smart-phone revolutions, engendered by the plummeting costs of renewable energy. The sunshine and wind are free fuels we can col- lect, and renewables are technolo- gies that get cheaper (think flat- screen TVs), verses fossil fuels that get more expensive as they get scarcer. These cost crossovers will soon become a flood, and the new technologies will enable a deregula- tion of energy and utility companies to open up markets and remove costs. Part of that deregulation is charg- ing a fair rate for pollution to level the energy playing field. Republi- cans advocate “free markets,” so they should oppose our massive sub- sidies to fossil fuels. The Interna- tional Monetary Fund estimated US fossil fuel subsidizes at $500 billion annually — over $1500 per citizen. Instead of all these subsidies to fossil fuels and renewables, we should fix the accounting by charg- ing for carbon pollution, like Oregon HB 3470 proposes, and as recom- mended by most economists and wise old Republicans like Hank Paulson and George Shultz. Instead, Republicans are ridiculing a price on carbon pollution as a “tax on mo- bility,” “tax on freedom” or “puni- tive measure,” even though it would accelerate the transition to cheaper transportation, lower subsidies, and cleaner air. The GOP platform says, “Conser- vation is a conservative value.” So why don’t we value conserving our natural resources? “We are the party of sustainable jobs and economic growth — through American energy, agriculture, and environmental poli- cy.” But in both Washington and Oregon, Republicans have opposed clean-fuels bills that stimulate local- ly produced biofuels and renewable natural gas, and cheaper transporta- tion such as electric vehicles (al- ready the lowest cost for com- muters). And job creation is signifi- cantly higher with renewables than from fossil fuels. What is so partisan about creating jobs, slashing unfair subsidies, or cutting pollution? Am I missing something, or are these contradic- tions simply a party hijacked by truckloads of money from oil inter- ests, poisoning our politics to delay their inevitable demise? Tell your legislators to ignore the hijackers and support clean fuels and HB3470. Eric Strid White Salmon, Wash. Marijuana restrictions On July 1, 2015, Oregon will join Washington and Colorado in legaliz- ing marijuana in certain limited sit- uations. Oregonians should be aware that the legalization of marijuana does not come without restrictions. It is important for the public to know some of the many remaining mari- juana prohibitions where marijuana possession and/or use remain ille- gal. After July 1, the following will continue to be illegal in Oregon: ■ Possession of more than 8 ounces of marijuana in private and/or four plants per residence. ■ Possession of more than 1 ounce of marijuana in public. ■ Possession of any amount of marijuana by anyone under the age of 21. ■ Use of any amount of marijua- na in public. ■ Transporting any amount of marijuana out of state. ■ Driving a vehicle while im- paired by marijuana, or by a combi- nation of marijuana and any other drug or alcohol. These are only a few of the re- strictions regarding marijuana. Be- fore using or possessing marijuana under the new law, people should study and be aware of that conduct which has been legalized and what has not. I respect the will of the voters and will support the Peoples’ right to legally possess and consume mari- juana. However, when the law is bro- ken, putting children and the public at risk, my office will not hesitate to hold offenders accountable. Eric J. Nisley Wasco County District Attorney ON THE AGENDA These are the regular meeting times of governing bodies for these agencies: Cascade Locks Cascade Locks City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 140 W. WaNaPa St., second and fourth Mondays of the month. Cascade Locks Planning Commis- sion, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 140 W. WaNaPa St., sec- ond Thursday of the month. Cascade Locks Port Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 140 W. WaNaPa St., first and third Thursdays of the month. Hood River City of Hood River Planning Commission meeting, 5:30 p.m., Hood River City Hall Council Chambers, 211 Second St., general- ly the first and third Mondays of the month. Place and dates subject to change. Hood River Port Commission, 5 p.m., 100 E. Port Marina Drive, board room, first and third Tues- days of the month. Hood River City Council, 6 p.m., Hood River City Hall Council Chambers, 211 Second St., second and fourth Mondays of the month. Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District, 6 p.m., Aquat- ic Center, 1601 May St., third Wednesday of the month. Place subject to change. Hood River County Hood River Soil and Water Con- servation District Board of Direc- tors meeting, 4 p.m., OSU Exten- sion Service Building, 2990 Experi- ment Station Road, first Thursday of the month. Hood River County Board of Commissioners regular session, 6 p.m., 601 State St., first floor con- ference room, third Monday of the month. Time subject to change. Library District Board meeting, 7 p.m., 502 State St., conference room, third Tuesday of the month. Hood River County Planning Commission meeting, 7 p.m., 601 State St., first floor, generally sec- ond and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Hood River County Water Plan- ning Group, 2 p.m., 601 State St., first floor conference room, gener- ally first Wednesday of the month. Hood River County Commission on Children and Families Board meeting, 5:15 p.m., Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital boardroom, generally first Tues- day of the month. Hood River County School Board, 6:30 p.m., meets at schools and district facilities on a rotating schedule (visit hoodriver.k12.or.us for location), second and fourth Wednesdays of the month unless school vacations or other holidays interrupt the schedule. Hood River County Transporta- tion District, 9 a.m., Hood River County Transportation District Board Room, 224 Wasco Loop, sec- ond Wednesday of the month.
