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East Oregonian
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Court kills rules to cut coal plant pollution &RQWUROOHGKXQWGUDZ
results available
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press
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appeals court has struck down pollution
rules intended to reduce haze from coal
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Northwest.
Haze reduces visibility and is caused
by tiny particles of nitrogen oxide
and sulfur dioxide. The Clean Air Act
requires companies to use the best avail-
able technology on older coal plants to
reduce the pollutants, which can cause
health problems such as respiratory
illness.
But a three-judge panel of the 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the
rules from the Environmental Protection
Agency would arbitrarily require PPL
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costing tens of millions of dollars
without assurance of improvements in
visibility.
Tuesday’s ruling applies to the
2,100-megawatt Colstrip plant and a
second plant in Billings that recently
shut down partly because of the
projected cost of complying with sepa-
rate mercury pollution rules.
The 2012 haze rules aim to protect
regional air quality, including in parks
and scenic areas such as Yellowstone
National Park in Wyoming and Theo-
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North Dakota.
The court’s decision only affects
portions of the rules dealing with the
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by its parent company to form Talen
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rules, saying less expensive technology
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causing pollution.
Talen spokesman David Hoffman
said the court’s decision was a “total
victory” for the Allentown, Pennsylva-
nia-based company.
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power plants in the West and produces
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AP Photo/Matt Brown, File
This 2010 file shows the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, a coal-fired pow-
er plant in Colstrip, Mont. A federal appeals court has struck down pol-
lution rules intended to reduce haze in the atmosphere from the burning
of coal in Montana for electricity consumed across the Pacific Northwest.
Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Hoffman said the EPA, in conjunc-
tion with environmentalists, crafted a
rule designed to cost Talen money and
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stay in operation.
The court’s decision sends the rules
back to the agency to be revised. EPA
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before deciding what steps to take next,
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The EPA had forecast reductions
of more than 12,000 tons of pollutants
from Colstrip annually under its rules, at
an estimated cost of $83 million.
The regulations also have drawn a
challenge from several environmental
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mental Information Center and Sierra
Club. They said the pollution limits set
by the EPA were not stringent enough.
The 9th Circuit rejected the groups’
contention that the EPA should have
required additional pollution-reduction
technologies beyond those in the rules
for two of Colstrip’s four power gener-
ation units.
However, the court agreed with
both PPL and the environmentalists
that EPA did not adequately explain its
choice of technologies for Colstrip’s
two older units, which Judge Diarmuid
O’Scannlain described as “the heart of
the dispute.”
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$25 million for sulfur dioxide reduc-
tions at the older plants, the judge wrote
that “this improvement very well may
be necessary and ultimately cost-effec-
tive. But EPA has supplied no reasons
justifying that determination.”
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groups said the ruling offered a second
chance for the EPA to eliminate haze
from burning coal.
“Once they take a hard look, the
outcome will be in our favor,” said
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ronmental Information Center. “We
are talking about massive amounts of
pollution and control equipment that’s
used by hundreds of plants across the
country.”
Special I-90 overpass will help animals cross safely
6($77/( $3 ² ,QWHUVWDWH LV
a lifeline for the Northwest, connecting
people and economies across the
Cascades and linking the region to the
rest of the country.
For wildlife, though, it’s a killer
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habitat more ruthlessly than any fence,
isolating populations and undermining
the genetic vigor that’s key to long-term
survival.
But part of that barrier is now being
lifted.
On Tuesday, the state Department
of Transportation will break ground
east of Snoqualmie Pass on the state’s
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150-foot-long structure is designed to
provide safe passage for species ranging
from black bear and cougar to deer, elk
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It’s part of an ambitious project to
convert a 15-mile stretch of interstate
into one of the world’s most wild-
life-friendly highways.
“This is really a remarkable effort,”
said Patricia Garvey-Darda, a biologist
for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National
Forest. “The goal is to connect all the
species and all the habitat.”
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from Hyak to Easton will incorporate
more than 20 major underpasses and
overpasses engineered partly or wholly
with wildlife in mind. Dozens of small
culverts will also be rebuilt to allow
easier passage.
Four new underpasses are already
open, and cameras are capturing images
of deer, ducks, coyotes and river otters
moving through.
“We think this is going to make
a lot of difference for wildlife,” said
WSDOT project manager Brian White.
The wildlife structures are being
piggybacked on a nearly $1 billion
project to widen I-90 from four lanes to
six, straighten curves, reduce avalanche
hazards and generally improve driving
conditions on one of the nation’s busiest
mountain highways. Some 28,000 cars
traverse Snoqualmie Pass on an average
weekday, and the number can more than
double on sunny weekends.
Except for reducing collisions with
vehicles, animals weren’t especially
high on WSDOT’s priority list when the
agency started planning the expansion
more than 10 years ago. But restoring
connections between wildlife popula-
tions in the North and South Cascades
is a long-term goal for the U.S. Forest
Service, which owns the right of way.
The area is also of keen interest to
conservation groups that toiled for
decades to eliminate a historic checker-
board pattern of timber ownership and
bring almost 100,000 acres back into
federal management.
“I-90 has a tremendous impact on
wildlife in the Cascades,” said Jen
Watkins, of Conservation Northwest
and the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition.
BLOOMIN’ BLUES
Wagging Hound’s tongue
Name: Hound’s tongue
6FLHQWL¿F QDPH Cyno-
JORVVXPRI¿FLQDOH
tongue” is probably a
reference to the shape of the
leaves. Cynoglossum is from
two Greek words, “N\QRVL”
Hound’s-tongue is a for dog, and “JORVVD”
plant that may best be for tongue, and the word
referred to as a mixed “RI¿FLQDOH” is Latin referring
blessing. On the one hand it WR RI¿FLDO PHGLFLQH 0DQ\
produces tons of burs, and common names have been
on the other it has provided used for this plant in Europe
relief from a number of and in North America,
maladies on two continents. including
Beggar-lice,
The plant is a native of Beggar-ticks, Canadian-bur,
Europe, where it was used 'RJEXU
*LSV\ÀRZHU
for centuries or more for 0RXVHOHDI
5RVHQREOH
curing various ailments. It Sheep-lice, Stick-seed, and
was brought
Tory-weed.
to
North
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America over
uses in Europe
200 years ago
include
and is well
beating
the
established
leaves with
across
the
old pig grease
continent as
to heal dog
a
roadside
bites. It was
weed.
said
that
Probably
leaves
laid
its
least
under the feet
admirable
keep
dogs
trait
is
from barking
“cockle-
at you.
In
burs,”
the
Vermont
seeds
with
around 1800,
Bruce Barnes/For the East Oregonian
hooked
a physician
prickles that Hound’s-tongue
received
a
stick to socks
leg
wound
by the dozen. Those seeds in an accident, and was
also get tangled in the fur of successfully treated with
cats, dogs, and other long- Hound’s tongue leaves by an
haired animals.
Indian chief.
The plant stands about
Indian tribes across the
2 to 3 feet high, with continent have used this plant
lance-shaped long leaves to treat bleeding, cancer,
overlapping on the central sores, kidney problems, and
VWHP 7KH ÀRZHUV DUH LQ tuberculosis.
tight coils at the ends of
:KHUH WR ¿QG This
branches, and bloom as the plant is just now coming into
FRLOXQUROOV7KHÀRZHUVDUH bloom at middle elevations.
a deep red-maroon nearly a Look for it in disturbed areas
half-inch across.
such as along the edges of
The name “Hound’s roads in forest areas.
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Name: Yellow and Blue
Forget-me-not
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QDPH
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ÀRZHUV ZDV QRW IRUJRWWHQ
by their lover. One German
tale is of a knight, who
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for his lady, slipped and fell
First, take a look at the in the river, throwing her the
photo, and be aware the plant ÀRZHUV DQG FU\LQJ ³IRUJHW
is only three inches tall. The me not.”
ÀRZHUV DUH RQO\ DERXW WZR
Other names for these
millimeters wide.
plants include mouse-ear,
The plant in the photo is scorpion grass, and snake
about as tall as it gets, though grass.
it sometimes has branches.
7KH ÀRZHU EXGV DUH LQ
7KHFRORURIWKHÀRZHUSHWDOV a tight coil (like the tail of
may be blue
a scorpion),
or
yellow,
which opens
even on the
as the buds
same plant.
start blooming
The
leaves
from
the
and stems are
bottom of the
covered with
stem upward.
soft hairs.
Thoreau, in
The name
1852, found
0\RVRWLV is
forget-me-not
from Greek
f l o w e r s
words
mus
interesting.
and ous, for
He stated, “it
mouse
and
is the more
ear, combined
beautiful for
to refer to
being small
mouse ears.
and
unpre-
Bruce Barnes/For the East Oregonian tending,
Some of
for
the 40 or Forget-me-not
HYHQ ÀRZHUV
so
Forget-
should
be
me-not species worldwide modest.”
have leaves that are shaped
Some eastern Indian
similar to the ear of a mouse. tribes had a more practical
The word discolor means view of the 0\RVRWLV plants.
having different colors. One tribe rubbed the plant
Others of the 6 species in the on their hair to hold the hair
%OXH 0RXQWDLQV DUH PXFK in place, and another mixed
larger plants, some quite it with feed to aid cows in
showy, as tall as two feet birthing.
high and covered with tiny
:KHUH WR ¿QG This
EOXHÀRZHUV
plant may be found now at
The name Forget-me-not middle elevations in grassy
for plants in the genus open or wooded areas of the
0\RVRWLV, is found in both %OXH 0RXQWDLQV ,W LV IDLUO\
French and German tradi- common but hard to spot due
tions. Whoever wore the to its size.
Oregon hunters can now
check to see if they drew a
big game tag for the fall.
Draw results are
available online at https://
or.outdoorcentral.us/or/
hunterreport, or by calling
1-866-947-6339.
Hunters will need
to provide their hunter
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which is printed on all
license documents and
stays the same from year
to year.
Anyone unable to
ORFDWHWKHLULGHQWL¿FDWLRQ
number can call the
Oregon Department of
Fish & Wildlife’s licensing
division at 503-947-6101.
A total of 137,015
big game hunt tags were
available in the draw this
year. ODFW received
407,402 hunt applications
²XSIURPD\HDU
ago.
ODFW limits the
number of tags for some
hunts to control hunting
pressure and distribute tags
fairly for the state’s most
popular hunts. In Eastern
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pronghorn, bighorn sheep
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hunts are all limited entry,
DVZHOODVPRVWULÀHHON
hunts.
Hunters who drew a tag
are reminded to buy it no
later than the day before
the hunt begins.
Contributed photo, Oregon State Police
The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division
is looking for whoever unlawfully wounded a buck
deer in the Starkey Unit near La Grande.
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There are no deer
hunting seasons open
The Oregon State Police during this time of year.
Anyone with infor-
Fish and Wildlife Division
is investigating a buck deer mation about the case
that was illegally shot on or should call OSP’s Turn-in
before June 3 in the Starkey Poachers program at 1-800-
452-7888.
Unit outside La Grande.
Callers can remain
According to Sgt. Chris
Hawkins, a concerned resi- anonymous, and may be
dent reported the poaching eligible for a reward offered
just a couple miles off Inter- by the Oregon Hunters
state 84 and a short distance Association.
Information can also be
XS /DGG &UHHN 5RDG
The animal was mortally provided to OSP Senior
wounded, shot twice in the Trooper Kris Davis in La
KHDGZLWKDFDOLEHUULÀH Grande at 541-805-4757.
East Oregonian
Hiker slips off trail, hangs
from cliff for 45 minutes
3257/$1' $3 ²
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the season was almost her
last.
Her foot slipped while
hiking with her sister
Sunday at the Columbia
5LYHU *RUJH HDVW RI 3RUW-
land.
She fell off the trail and
over the side of the cliff.
Her options: Find some-
thing to hold or go into a
100-foot freefall.
“As I slid down, there
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life is about to end,”’ she
wrote on her blog.
The
19-year-old
clutched a branch that
broke and started to slide
again. She then quickly
found a root sticking out
of the cliff; it was small,
but big enough to hold her
for about 45 minutes until
passing hikers came to the
rescue.
One of them, Wim Aarts,
climbed down nearby trees
with a rope made from
clothing.
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grabbed the clothing rope
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DERYH ²DQG HYHQWXDOO\
returned to safety and her
sister Stacy.
“I walked to her as
fast as my shaking legs
would let me, and I threw
myself in her arms as we
both began to sob on each
other’s shoulder,” she
wrote. “I had never been
so happy to see her and to
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$DUWV SUDLVHG 0HDGV
for remaining calm in a
desperate situation.
“If you want to rescue
someone, you want to
rescue someone level-
headed like she was,” Aarts
told 7KH2UHJRQLDQ
0HDGV OLYHV QHDU
Portland and recently
completed her sophomore
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Though she escaped her
brush with death, she told
7KH 2UHJRQLDQ it hasn’t
escaped her dreams.
“I’m waking up kicking
my legs, thinking that I’m
back on the cliff,” she said.
YOU’RE INVITED TO A
MEDICARE
BIRTHDAY PARTY!
Are you turning 65 between
now and the end of September?
If so, we would love to see you!
Join us for a FREE and
fun event & learn more
about Medicare
• The basics of Medicare
• Your rights & responsibilities
• Social Security & Disability Benefits
Saturday, June 27
10am-1pm
GSMC Conference Center #1
Sponsored by:
Good Shepherd Medical Center
SHIBA Office
Questions? Call 541-667-3507
or hosborne@gshealth.org