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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2015)
Page 6A East Oregonian DEPOT: Federal government used eminent domain to seize privately owned land in 1941 Continued from 1A guage reinstating the BRAC process was signed into law as part of the National De- fense Authorization Act. Chance told the board at Monday’s meeting that he didn’t think it was time yet to “be political” and ask Sen. Ron Wyden, Sen. Jeff Merk- ley and Rep. Greg Walden to go to bat for them again. However, Congressional delegates expressed a will- ingness to get involved when they heard the news. Spokeswoman Courtney Warner Crowell said Merk- ley was monitoring the sit- uation but was hopeful both sides could come to an agree- ment. “The Senator has worked hard in the past to make sure that this process moves along smoothly and he will contin- ue to provide any help that he can to the community as they move forward with negotia- tions,” she said. Walden spokesman An- drew Malcolm called the news “surprising and disap- pointing.” “Greg will do all he can to the Pentagon honors its com- mitments to the community,” he said. Wyden issued a statement saying he would work with the Columbia Development Authority and the Pentagon to try to resolve the issue. “The Umatilla communi- ty helped shoulder a deadly burden for this nation for decades,” he said. “It is very disappointing to hear that the Pentagon now wants to return the favor by charging the community to have the land back.” According to Umatilla County records, before the 1940s the roughly 20,000 acres comprising the entire depot belonged to a vari- ety of individuals, families and companies including Railroad and the Western Ir- rigation Company. Umatilla County and Morrow County also owned some of the land. In 1941 the federal gov- ernment used eminent do- main to seize much of the privately owned land, usu- ally compensating owners between $200 and $800 for their entire parcel. The Herm- iston Herald also reported a to condemn more than 4,000 acres of land owned by Uma- tilla County and Morrow County, valued at $1.25 an acre. Records show the govern- ment also paid for easements and bought more land in the late 1950s. The Umatilla Army Depot Reuse Authority, now known as the Columbia Develop- ment Authority, was formed with the understanding that the Army would return that land to the county tax rolls through the authority. It plans to turn some land over to the Oregon National Guard for a training facility, make some into a wildlife preserve and sell or lease the rest for in- dustrial and agricultural use. There is precedence for the Pentagon using a no- cost Economic Development Conveyance or Public Ben- closed military installations to local reuse authorities, including a former Naval training center in San Diego in 2000 and a former Naval air station in Alameda, Cali- fornia, in 2013. In most cases the no-cost EDC was for a base much smaller than the Umatilla Chemical Depot. But a local reuse authority called Pueb- loplex is currently working with the Army on an EDC application to redevelop the former Pueblo Chemical De- pot in Colorado. CDA authority mem- ber Kim Puzey suggested at Monday’s meeting that it might be time for a few au- thority members to take a project is “closely aligned with our situation.” ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. MARIJUANA: Have until Continued from 1A ly to tell whether the agency will need more time to imple- ment the commercial recre- ational pot program. “Everybody’s trying to take a deep breath after the holidays, and trying to re- ally clamp down and focus on getting this thing done,” Patridge said. The amount of time needed to set up the regula- tory system will depend in part upon the agenda state lawmakers set in the 2015 sessions. Patridge said the OLCC must also take the time to adequately research the successes and problems with existing legal pot reg- ulations in Washington and Colorado. Results of the survey will help the agency to plan a statewide listening tour, the details of which it plans to announce later this month, according to an OLCC press release. - vey through January 12 at marijuana.oregon.gov. FRANCE: The assault lasted 5 minutes Continued from 1A said they were linked to a Ye- meni terrorist network, and Cedric Le Bechec, a witness who encountered the escap- ing gunmen, quoted the at- tackers as saying: “You can tell the media that it’s al-Qa- ida in Yemen.” - dition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive and ongoing investigation. Cherif Kouachi was sen- tenced to 18 months in pris- on after being convicted of terrorism charges in 2008 Iraq’s insurgency. He said he was outraged at the torture of Iraqi inmates at the U.S. pris- on at Abu Ghraib near Bagh- dad. The masked, black- - is’ Bastille monument in the Wednesday noontime attack on the publication, which had long drawn condem- nation and threats — it was depictions of Islam, although it also satirized other religions Shouting “Allahu akbar!” they called out the names of Artist Corinne Rey told the French newspaper L’Hu- manite that she punched in the security code to the Char- and her young daughter were “brutally threatened” by the gunmen. Eight journalists, two po- worker and a visitor were killed, said prosecutor Fran- cois Molins. He said 11 peo- ple were wounded — four of them seriously. collided with another vehicle, then carjacked another car before disappearing in broad daylight, Molins said. Among the dead: the pa- per’s editor, Stephane Char- bonnier. The staff was in an edito- rial meeting and the gunmen headed straight for Charbon- nier — widely known by his pen name Charb — killing him and his police bodyguard a police union spokesman. Rey said the assault “last- desk.” Two gunmen strolled out to a black car waiting below, one of them calmly shooting the head as he writhed on the ground, according to video and a man who watched in fear from his home across the street. OFF PAGE ONE FLU: Continued from 1A - toms. Once the virus gains a days of misery and a cou- ple of weeks before feeling close to normal,” Crowder said. “It takes quite a toll on the body.” of people each year in the United States, but the death toll varies widely. During the 1986-87 season, 3,349 people died, while in 2003- 49,000. The state of Wash- ington has seven deaths this season. the best weapon against the virus, has fallen short. The dominant strain — H3N2 — mutated in the spring, which means the bug causing the most damage is absent from the vaccine. Waldern and Crowder getting. “The vaccine is still do- - enza B,” Waldern said. Crowder said he started ago while serving in the mil- itary, and came down with He said the level of pro- tection varies from year to year, but some protection is Thursday, January 8, 2015 better than zero. Later in the season, a subtype of the vi- rus — one that is covered by the vaccine — is expected to circulate. arrived, “it’s hard to avoid,” Crowder said. “It’s a respi- ratory illness transmitted by droplets.” First symptoms usual- ly include aches and fever, followed by a dry cough, sore throat and occasional vomiting and diarrhea. The very young and old and in- dividuals with such physical conditions as asthma, heart disease and diabetes, might shortens the course of the ill- ness. The drug is most effec- of showing symptoms. well if administered really early in the disease process,” Crowder said. “It will short- en the duration by a day or two.” The two public health - frain from rushing back to work and spreading the vi- rus to co-workers. “Stay home,” Waldern said, “until fever-free for at least 24 hours and until resolved.” ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. FUEL: New rules will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 73M tons over the decade Continued from 1A in Oregon by a total of 7.3 million tons over the next decade. That decrease is rela- tively small, when compared with Oregon’s carbon emis- sions from transportation in a single year. In 2010, the latest year for which agency has data, vehicles in Oregon emitted 22.6 million tons of carbon dioxide. The average emissions decrease anticipat- ed from the low-carbon fuels program would have translat- ed to a 3 percent reduction in 2010. One way that fuel pro- ducers and importers can meet the new state standards is by blending more ethanol and biodiesel into gasoline and diesel. The Oregon De- partment of Environmental Quality will also establish a system for entities such as electric vehicle charging stations to generate carbon credits, which fuel producers and importers can purchase to offset some of the carbon content in gasoline and die- sel. Although a majority of commissioners voted in favor of the fuel standards, some also cited concerns about the program. “I’m going to vote in fa- vor of this, mainly because I think it’s the Legislature that makes the policy and if it’s - tered or appealed, they need to do that,” Commissioner Colleen Johnson said. How- ever, Johnson said she was concerned that there might not be an adequate supply of low-carbon fuels necessary for the program to work and costs associated with the pro- gram could cause some em- ployers to cut jobs. “I think that’s a downside that will affect people’s lives, and I think we should always take that seriously,” Johnson said. Jane O’Keeffe, chair of the commission, voted against the low-carbon fuel regulations and said she was concerned about the impact to low-income people. “I am worried that there will be jobs lost,” O’Keeffe said. Commissioner Mor- gan Rider said that the state should regulate carbon emis- sions, but the commission also needs to receive regular updates on the program to en- sure that it works.
