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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2015)
Page 6A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Wednesday, January 7, 2015 LABOR: Wants to raise POWER: Project could cost $880-$940 million farming, which makes up a ing transmission lines. The Boardman Tree Farm. Continued from 1A rigated circles, he said. At 125 acres per circle and $15,000 per acre, that’s more than $13 million in lost value. “The cumulative effects are crippling to us,” Reeder said. As proposed, the Board- man to Hemingway trans- mission line would begin at Portland General Electric’s Grassland Substation, under construction as part of a new near the existing Boardman Coal Plant. From there, the - egon counties before ending at a substation southwest of Boise. The draft environmental report splits the project into six segments, with a range of alternatives in each segment. Each alternative is meant to mitigate effects to farmland, forests, endangered species and cultural resources. Scott Whitesides, envi- ronmental planner with the BLM, said the primary con- cern in northeast Oregon is economy. “Primarily, it’s about loss of acreage because (Idaho Power will) have that right- of-way,” Whitesides said. The draft EIS is not a de- cision-making document, Whitesides said, and resi- dents now have 90 days to weigh in before the coop- erating agencies — which include the Forest Service and Bureau of Reclamation decision. Earl Aylett, a farmer in both Morrow and Umatil- la counties, said the project would interrupt agriculture immensely and questioned whether the line is actually needed. “(The line) goes through a lot of land to get where it’s to the people where it goes through,” Aylett said. “It’s not something I want.” Boardman to Hemingway - ho Power’s 2006 integrated resource plan as a means to alleviate constraints on exist- Columbia Basin and south- ern Idaho share power across the grid during times of peak demand, which alternate be- tween winter and summer months, respectively. The project is needed to ensure reliability of custom- ers’ growing power demands, said manager Todd Adams, as well as keeping rates af- fordable. At the same time, he said the company sympa- thizes with farmers and will continue work to mitigate the burden placed on them. “There’s been a lot of valid concern,” Adams said. “We know nobody appreci- ates a power line except the power company.” - ed a preferred alternative that is the result of compromise between all agencies and affected landowners. Ad- ams said they will push for a route that runs along the west side of Bombing Range Road, though that will take some negotiating with the U.S. Navy. The Grassland Substation alternative would also avoid any impacts to the Idaho Power hopes to have both state and federal permitting done as early as 2018, with the project up and running by 2020. Depending cost between $880-$940 mil- lion. Company spokeswom- an Stephanie McCurdy said they are trying their best to make everyone happy, but in reality that’s a tall order to “People want the lights the switch,” McCurdy said. “There have to be larger compromises in order to make that happen, and build- ing a transmission line is one way to do it.” The public has until March 19 to comment on the draft EIS. More information, including a schedule of proj- ect meetings and virtual open house, is available online at www.boardmantoheming- way.com. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4547. BUSINESS: Continued from 1A Linda Carter spoke out against the amendment not as an attendee but as a Round-Up vendor. Because she lives three miles outside Pendleton city limits, Carter said she paid the out-of- town fee. In talking with other vendors, Car- ter said an increase to the fees would cut into the merchants’ already mod- already dealt with fee raises and new requirements in the past and recom- mended the ordinance be left alone. Councilman Al Plute agreed. said. “These are small potatoes.” Councilwoman Becky Marks said the council should at least look into prorating permanent business fees, which would demonstrate to potential investors that Pendleton was business friendly. Except Councilman Chuck Wood, to her view. The council voted 6-2 to table the amendment. Other issues discussed during the meeting: • The council also unanimously ap- $76,000 needs assessment for a new - provement bond. • The council unanimously appoint- ed Councilman Neil Brown as council president, taking over for Tom Young. Brown will preside over meetings if Photo by Antonio Sierra Councilors McKennon McDonald, left, Al Plute and John Brenne sign doc- uments after being sworn-in at a Pendleton City Council meeting Tuesday. Mayor Phillip Houk is absent. • Four councilors elected in Novem- ber 2014 were sworn in at the meeting, including new Councilwoman McKen- non McDonald. • Houk made appointments to seven committees at the meeting, which were all unanimously approved. replacing Mike Thorne on the Airport Commission with East Oregon Com- munity Bank commercial lender Mike Short. - placements for the open vacancies left behind by Tyson Furstenberg and Lou Porter, who sat on the Planning Com- mission and the Capital Improvement Program Commission, respectively. Fifteen committee members were - sponses from three other committee members. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. Oregon’s minimum wage Continued from 1A “We have come to the realization that these long-standing systemic problems have got to come to an end.” On his priority list for 2015: • More money for state grants to public schools to re-establish career and tech- nical education. • An increase in Oregon’s minimum wage, now $9.25 per hour, to around $12 to enable workers to exceed the federal poverty level. • More legal tools to combat wage theft, when businesses fail to pay work- ers what they have earned. • Several steps to imple- ment pay equity among men and women, and minorities, including paid sick leave. More career programs When Avakian began his push for state grants in 2011, many public schools had dropped shop classes and other forms of career and technical education not connected with college preparation. Four years and almost $14 million later, more than 200 Oregon schools have re-established such pro- grams as part of a joint ef- fort of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, the state De- partment of Education, and businesses. Avakian said it’s a priori- ty that unites Democrats and Republicans, labor unions and businesses, and educa- tors at all levels. “What it really means is providing great pathways to good-paying jobs, and pro- viding Oregon businesses with exactly what they need from good local workers to produce the goods and ser- vices they sell,” he said. “The good news is that everybody is talking about doing something and want- ing to advance it.” Gov. John Kitzhaber’s budget proposes money for expanded career and techni- cal education, and Avakian says he would like to see It can take decades for sage- brush to return, though nonna- only to burn a few years later. Jewell’s order is an attempt to stop that cycle and protect the sagebrush steppe that gen- erally is considered part of the iconic Western landscape. “It’s the Western way of life,” Schneider said. “We should be taking all the steps to protect this way of life and the economic engine it sup- ports to make sure it’s around a really long time.” Population estimates for greater sage grouse range from 100,000 to 500,000 birds. They occupy 290,000 square miles of habitat in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Da- kota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The species already has put on hold development of wind farms and oil and gas drilling plans in some areas. Experts say an endangered species listing for the sage grouse could damage Western states’ economies. Last month, President Barack Obama signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill with a provision that barred mon- ey from being spent on rules to protect the chicken-sized bird and three related types of grouse. Eastern Oregon continue analyzing sage grouse data and make a deci- sion on whether protections are warranted by fall. Jewell instructed the task force to work with federal, state and local agencies to consider priorities on where invasive species, and devise strategies to recover burned areas. Her order stemmed at least in part from a Novem- ber conference in Boise or- ganized by Schneider. The meeting brought together scientists and land man- ways to protect Great Basin rangelands from the plague Forum Minimum wage In contrast, the loom- ing debate about a mini- mum-wage increase is like- ly to be more contentious. Oregon’s wage just rose from $9.10 to $9.25 per hour, second only to Wash- ington’s $9.47, as a result of an automatic linkage that voters approved in 2002 to the Consumer Price Index. “I think it’s important that our policy should be to make sure that nobody who is working full time and is raising a family is living be- low the federal poverty lev- el,” Avakian said. At the current rate of $9.25, a full-time mini- mum-wage worker would earn $19,240 annual- ly, slightly less than the $19,790 that was the 2014 federal poverty level for a household of three. (New levels for 2015 will be an- nounced soon.) At a rate of $12, that same worker would earn $25,000, well above the fed- eral poverty level. Future increases, Avaki- an said, should continue to Avakian said an increase 450,000 Oregon workers, it would give them additional purchasing power of almost $250 million that would boost businesses. Avakian said he isn’t Portland-based coalition wants the minimum wage to go to $15, which Seattle will have in 2018 — but that whatever it is, it should be statewide. The coalition also wants to repeal a 2001 law that bars Oregon cities and counties from setting their own minimums. “I am glad to see so many folks having a discussion about raising the minimum wage,” he said. “It’s really a sign of families still strug- gling. What you are really getting at is making sure that everybody has the ability to get ahead and do well.” The Smart Step Family Join us at New Hope Church Study begi ns January 7th, @ 6 PM The Smart Step Family Discover keys to building a healthy blended family; tips for raising your blended family the smart - not hard - way. WILDLIFE: Sage grouse occupy 290,000 square miles of habitat Continued from 1A lawmakers set aside $50 million to continue such grants. increasing in intensity. One of the possible chang- es suggested at the conference by BLM Director Neil Kornze was to put the protection of rangeland resources ahead of property. The protection of human life would remain the top priority. Materials will be available in class. For more information call 541- 567-8441. McKay Creek Estates presents: SAFETY Join us as we host a lecture series to increase safety awareness on fall prevention, common home injuries and provide solutions to keep you and your loved one safe! Know Your Numbers TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 3:30 PM S FIRST SafetyMan says “Always be Safe to Ensure an Active & Independent Lifestyle” - CONCLUDED Learn about cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) numbers and more. The Truth Behind Senior Moments TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 3:30 PM - C O N C L U D E D Bridget Farley “Russia - Deconstructing a Dictator: Who is Vladimir Putin and What Does He Want?” Tuesday, January 13 th , 2014 at 7:00 p.m. BMCC, Rm St-200, 2411 NW Carden Ave., Pendleton For more information please call Karen at 541-966-3177. Need not be member to attend. Learn what’s normal and what not when it comes to short-term memory loss. Staying Active to Prevent Falls TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 3:30 PM - C O N C L U D E D Learn what activities are best to improve your strength and balance. Don’t Let the Blues Get You Down TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015, 3:30 PM Learn how to identify and manage depression. Please detach and send with payment Name Phone # Address City E-mail address Please include a season fee of $20 per individual member. Please make checks payable to BMCC. $6.00 at the door, students free Lecture reminders will be sent via E-mail, as will weather cancellation notices, if necessary . Thank you for mailing your membership forms to: InterMountain ESD (IMESD) 2001 SW Nye Ave. Pendleton, OR • Attn: Karen Parker All Participants will be entered into a raffle for a $25 Gift Card. To RSVP and to find out more about our Move In Specials call (541) 276-1987 or visit us today! Managed by McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Place Pendleton, Oregon 97801 Prestige Senior Living, L.L.C. www.PrestigeCare.com
