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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2015)
REGION Wednesday, April 1, 2015 ECHO Spring Fling fundraiser offers full evening East Oregonian Live music, a barbecue dinner, wine and a live auc- tion will help raise money for the Oregon East Sym- phony. The Spring Fling pro- vides a full evening of fun, including a chance to go home with some great auc- tion items. In addition, the event helps raise money to support the symphony. Auction items include vacation getaways, works by local artists and even a seat on stage during an Or- egon East Symphony con- cert. Money raised will be used towards maintaining a strong community orchestra and Playing For Keeps, the symphony’s kindergarten through high school clas- sical music education pro- gram. The Spring Fling is Fri- day, April 10 from 6-9 p.m. at Sno Road Winery, 111 W. Main St., Echo. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased DWWKHV\PSKRQ\RI¿FH Contributed photo Local artist Tammy Burnett works in her studio. The glass mosaic violin is included in the auction during the Oregon East Symphony Spring Fling fundraiser April 10 at Sno Road Winery in Echo. S.W. Fourth St., Pendleton; Armchair Books, 39 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton; or www.brownpapertickets. com/event/1387205. For more information, contact 541-276-0320, oesprograms@gmail. com or visit www.orego- neastsymphony.org. STANFIELD — An evening of fun will raise money to help support the 6WDQ¿HOG)RXUWKRI-XO\ celebration. The event is Friday, featuring a spaghetti feed and bingo from 6-8 p.m. DW6WDQ¿HOG(OHPHQWDU\ School, 1120 Main St. Tickets are $7 if purchased by Thursday at Main Street 0DUNHWWKH6WDQ¿HOG3XEOLF Library or Bare Necessities. Tickets are $10 at the door. Also, free Easter egg hunts are planned for three age groups, including kids under 4, ages 4-8 and those 9 and older. Don’t forget WREULQJDÀDVKOLJKWDQG an Easter basket. The egg hunts start at 7:45 p.m. For more information, call Cecili Longhorn at 541-571-3812 or 541-449- 1254. Umatilla gets ready to slam dunk the junk UMATILLA — Slam 'XQNWKH-XQN'D\LQ Umatilla coincides with Shred Day for the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center. The community-wide cleanup day encourages volunteers to sign up to help discard trash and old appliances. The city will provide dumpsters for local residents to use free of charge. For more information or to volunteer, call 541-922-3226. CI Shred’s truck will be available Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at H Street across from the Umatilla 3XEOLF/LEUDU\6L[WK St., to shred documents IRUFLWL]HQVRI8PDWLOOD and the surrounding area. People are encouraged to make a donation for the shredding service. For more information, call 541-922- 4825. Rotary Club to distribute trees HERMISTON — In celebration of Arbor Day, free trees will be given away to all who are willing to plant them. Sponsored by the Hermiston Rotary Club, the event is Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. in the parking lot at Smitty’s Ace Hardware, 1845 N. First St., Hermiston. The event will continue until all trees are given away. Trees available include red maple, river birch, green ash and Peking lilac and a conifer. Umatilla chamber plans annual Easter egg hunt UMATILLA — Personnel and volunteers with the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center are gearing up for WKH¿IWKDQQXDO(DVWHU(JJ Hunt. The event is Saturday at 10 a.m. at West McNary Park, located near the dam. Kids ages 0 to 10 are welcome to come and participate in the egg hunt. A pair of lucky winners in each age group will win an (DVWHUEDVNHW¿OOHGZLWKDOO kinds of goodies. For more information, call 541-922-4825. Discover China orientation set HERMISTON — Have you ever wanted to visit the Great Wall of China, tour the Bund in Shanghai or take a boat ride on the West Lake? -RLQWKH+HUPLVWRQ and Umatilla chambers of commerce Tuesday, April 7 at 4:30 p.m. at the Hermiston Conference Center boardroom, 415 S. Highway 395, for an orientation meeting about an all-inclusive, 10-day trip to China for $2,399 per person. The price includes round-trip airfare from Seattle, accommodations in IRXUDQG¿YHVWDUKRWHOV three meals a day, all in-country transportation, JUDWXLWLHVWD[HVIHHV GHOX[HEXVWRXUVDQG professional English speaking tour guides. The trip will tour seven of China’s ten wonders of the world. Tour dates are Oct. 19-28, 2015. Hermiston FKDPEHU([HFXWLYH'LUHFWRU Debbie Pedro will share a power point presentation of the trip she took in October 2014 and answer any questions. For more information, contact 541-567-6151, debbie@hermistonchamber. com or visit www. hermistonchamber.com. Saturday, April 18, 2015 Hermiston Conference Center 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Our Annual Meeting theme “Homegrown” will recognize an array of products grown and processed in our local area. Learn about UEC accomplishments in the past year, and what we expect in the year ahead. As always, attendance is free to UEC members. We hope your will join us! Featured Speaker J Judy Hill Lovins of Aspen Colorado, a A fine art photographer and “homegrown” native of Hermiston, will share her life story. Page 3A County worries bill would give veto power to irrigation districts control districts in Umatilla County,” the board wrote in its testimony. “Our planning The Umatilla County department provides notice Board of Commissioners is to those entities for land use opposing a bill in the legis- decisions and incorporates lature they say would essen- recommendations shared by tially give veto power to irri- those districts. In our view, gation districts over proposed there is not a problem with land division and develop- that process.” $SULO 6QHOO H[HFXWLYH GL- ment. Under House Bill 2894, rector of the water resources cities and counties would not congress — a Salem-based be able to approve a devel- QRQSUR¿W RUJDQL]DWLRQ UHS- opment until they have de- resenting agricultural water termined the project does not suppliers statewide — ac- interfere with or threaten local knowledged the positive irrigation districts and their working relationship in Uma- tilla County. However, she operations. If the project does interfere said not all areas enjoy that with irrigation facilities, such VDPHOX[XU\ The subdivision review as pipelines or canals, the dis- trict would have 30 days to process varies from city to suggest further conditions for city and from county to coun- ty, and some districts are giv- approval. Building without the dis- en no ability to weigh in on trict’s input can lead to serious development until after it has unintended consequences, EHHQ¿QDOL]HG6QHOOVDLG Irrigation districts used to according to the bill’s chief backer, the Oregon Water Re- have the authority in state law sources Congress. Past issues to review and approve subdi- have included canal breaches, vision plats until 1993, when ÀRRGLQJ RI SURSHUW\ DQG LP- the statute was removed with- RXWDFOHDUH[SODQDWLRQ6QHOO pacts to water quality. But Umatilla County of- said. Since then, she said dis- ¿FLDOV DUJXH H[LVWLQJ ODZV tricts have faced a number of already guarantee districts a costly lawsuits and insurance voice in the subdivision re- claims from developers who view process. Commissioners built too close to irrigation ca- said HB 2894 would create a nals and other infrastructure. HB 2894 would once again second, parallel review pro- cess with no obvious venue establish a consistent process for the districts to commu- for developers to appeal. A public hearing for the nicate with city and county bill was March 19 in the planners, Snell said. The bill House Committee on Rural is not meant to give districts a Communities, Land Use and veto stamp over plats, just en- Water. A second hearing has sure the review process does not bypass critical informa- not been scheduled. “There are more than 30 tion about irrigation facilities. “We don’t want to get in irrigation districts, water im- provement districts and water the way of development, but By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian BRIEFLY Easter fun supports Fourth of July event East Oregonian we want to make sure de- velopment is going to be in- formed by the district,” she said. Umatilla County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott said she believes the OWRC’s intentions are good, but the planning department can’t de- fer permit decisions to a third party. “We have this great work- ing relationship with our (ir- rigation) districts, but I can’t hold up a permit based on the standards or desires of a dis- trict,” Mabbott said. “I just think the irrigation districts have gotten a bit ahead of themselves on this thing.” The county already no- WL¿HV GLVWULFWV ZKHQ D SODW LV proposed or amended, a pro- cess Mabbott said has been tried and true for more than 40 years. Rather than pass a new law, she said it would be more productive for the OWRC to provide training materials to city and county planners if there are ongoing disputes in other parts of the state. 5D\ .RSDF] PDQDJHU RI WKH 6WDQ¿HOG ,UULJDWLRQ 'LV- trict, said the bill is nothing new. In order to remain in high-population areas, he said there must be something on the books that makes devel- opers contact their neighbor- ing irrigation district before they build. “We can’t stop the de- velopment, but we can help RUJDQL]HRUPRYHLWLIWKHUH¶V D SUREOHP´ .RSDF] VDLG “There has to be some kind of safety net in there.” ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4547. BOARDMAN &RDOWHUPLQDOVHFXUHV'(4ZDWHUFHUWL¿FDWLRQ By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says a proposed coal shipping terminal on the Columbia River near Boardman will meet state and federal water quality standards, so long as WKHSURMHFWGHYHORSHUVDWLV¿HV a lengthy set of conditions. 2I¿FLDOVZLWK'(4LVVXHG what is known as a 401 Water 4XDOLW\&HUWL¿FDWLRQ7XHVGD\ to the Coyote Island Termi- nal, part of Ambre Energy’s SODQV WR H[SRUW PLOOLRQ tons of coal per year to Asia. The embattled proposal already received air quality, water quality and construc- tion storm water permits from DEQ, but faces more legal challenges to breaking ground. Ambre has appealed a decision by the Oregon Department of State Lands WRUHMHFWDUHPRYH¿OOSHUPLW needed for construction of a dock at the Port of Morrow. That hearing won’t take place until December. Critics also question whether Ambre could break even on its $242 million in- vestment, given slumping coal markets overseas. Last year, the Australia-based company sold its entire North American coal assets to Re- source Capital Funds, a pri- YDWH HTXLW\ ¿UP LQ 'HQYHU after failing to draw other investors. At the time, Ambre VSRNHVZRPDQ/L])XOOHUVDLG the project’s leadership team would remain intact. The company received another potential boost from the Wyoming Legislature, which approved a bill allow- ing the Wyoming Infrastruc- ture Authority to issue up to $1 billion in bonds to support 1RUWKZHVWFRDOH[SRUWV&RDO shipped out of Boardman would come in by rail from the Powder River Basin re- gion of Wyoming and Mon- tana. Both states are partici- pating as limited parties in Ambre’s appeal against the Oregon Department of State Lands. The agency ruled in September 2014 the terminal would interfere with tribal ¿VKLQJULJKWVRQWKHULYHU If the appeal is successful, Ambre says the project would add 25-30 jobs and 2,000 construction jobs. Mean- while, DEQ imposed near- ly eight pages of conditions in order for the terminal to maintain its 401 Water Qual- LW\ &HUWL¿FDWLRQ LQFOXGLQJ spill prevention, water quality monitoring and handling of waste materials. Ambre would be required to immediately shut down operations at the terminal and notify the appropriate agen- FLHVLIWKH\H[SHULHQFHDZDWHU quality problem that leads to GHDGRUGLVWUHVVHG¿VK More information about the DEQ permit can be found online at www.oregon.gov/ GHTSDJHVFRDOH[SRUWDVS[ - C ONCLUDED - C ONCLUDED
