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.