Tuesday, October 6, 2015
OFF PAGE ONE
GAS: Natural gas burns cleaner than coal
TRADE: TPP nations account for up to
42 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports Continued from 1A
Cranking out the juice
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Page 10A
East Oregonian
going to be happy with this,”
Suess said.
“This partnership levels
Suess hopes other coun-
WKH SOD\LQJ ¿HOG IRU RXU tries, including China and
farmers, ranchers, and manu- Indonesia, will eventually
facturers by eliminating join TPP.
more than 18,000 taxes that
But not all agricultural
various countries put on our groups support the deal. Bill
products,” Obama said in a Bullard, CEO of R-CALF
statement. “It includes the USA in Billings, Mont.,
strongest commitments on said his organization will
labor and the environment encourage Congress to reject
of any trade agreement in the deal.
history, and those commit-
“We are very disap-
ments are enforceable, pointed that what we have
unlike in past agreements.”
is but yet another trade
Brett Blankenship, pres- GH¿FLWJHQHUDWLQJ IUHH WUDGH
ident of the National Asso- agreement that will only
ciation of Wheat Growers, cause more harm to our U.S.
told the Capital Press he cattle and sheep industries,”
supports the pact but that the Bullard said.
organization’s analysts will
Bullard
said
trade
HYDOXDWHWKH¿QDOWH[W
agreements give developing
“We have always viewed countries a forum to force
WKH7UDQV3DFL¿F3DUWQHUVKLS the United States to relax its
as a great opportunity for health and safety standards.
potential marketing gains, He wants to see the United
as well as preventing future States work to increase
market access losses,” health and safety standards
Blankenship said. “Without in other countries before
the multilateral approach allowing them access to the
of a broad-based trade U.S. market.
agreement, our competitors
“(TPP) will result in the
have been working on further relaxation of our
country-to-country bilateral health and safety standards
agreements, which would and the further erosion of
leave American products our ability to maintain the
outside of the trade zone.”
highest health and safety
Randy Suess, a former standard in the world,”
U.S. Wheat Associates Bullard said. “Currency
chairman, said Japan may valuations have far more
be allowed to protect several impacts on trade than tariff
commodities,
including compromises or reductions.”
wheat and barley, under the
Blankenship
pointed
pact. Japan doesn’t grow to the success of securing
much wheat and heavily trade promotion authority
subsidizes its wheat and — called fast-track authority
barley farmers, he said.
— for the Obama admin-
“It’s not that big of a istration in June, which
deal, but it seems like if allowed the TPP negotia-
we’re really going to have tions to continue. Congress
a true free-trade type policy, won’t be able to modify the
everything would have to be agreement, only vote for or
on the table, and I guess that against it.
isn’t going to be the case,”
The TPP nations account
he said.
for up to 42 percent of all
Suess said the agreement U.S. agricultural exports,
is designed to level the totaling $633 billion, U.S.
SOD\LQJ¿HOGIRU86IDUPHUV Agriculture Secretary Tom
Some of the countries in Vilsack said in a statement.
the agreement are already
“Failing to grasp this
good trading partners, and opportunity would be a
others, such as Vietnam, are mistake, worse than just
emerging markets for the losing out on potential gains,
United States, he said.
our producers would fall
“As far as wheat and behind other countries that
barley goes, I think we’re are negotiating their own
Continued from 1A
preferential arrangements
in TPP countries,” Vilsack
said. “We are committed
to working with Congress
within the framework of the
recently passed trade promo-
tion authority to obtain a
strong bipartisan under-
standing of and support for
this historic trade deal that
EHQH¿WV IDUPHUV UDQFKHUV
and all those who live, work
and raise families in rural
communities.”
The president has to
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the pact, and only then will
Congress begin the process
of voting on it.
As a result, a vote on the
TPP likely will not happen
until well into 2016, where it
is likely to get ensnarled in
the politics of a presidential
election year. Congress can
only give the deal an up-or-
down vote. It can’t amend
the agreement.
Many of the tariff reduc-
tions and other changes will
be phased in over several
\HDUVVREHQH¿WVWRWKH86
economy could take time to
materialize.
Peter Petri, a professor
RI LQWHUQDWLRQDO ¿QDQFH DW
Brandeis University, says
he doesn’t expect the deal to
lead to any U.S. job gains.
But he forecasts it will boost
U.S. incomes by $77 billion
a year, or 0.4 percent, by
2025, mostly by creating
export-oriented jobs that will
pay more, even as other jobs
are lost.
Another target for oppo-
nents was drug companies’
efforts to protect some of
their products from cheaper
foreign competition.
U.S. drug makers wanted
12 years of protection from
competitors for biologics —
ultra-expensive medicines
produced in living cells. That
is longer than in any country
but the United States. Critics
say blocking competition
from near-copies drives up
drug prices and makes them
too expensive for people in
poor countries.
Drug companies didn’t
get the dozen years they
wanted; they got about eight
years of protection.
GUARD: First deployment was to Afghanistan in 2010-11
He said it will be inter-
esting to see another part of
sent thousands of refugees WKHZRUOGEXWGLI¿FXOWWRSDUW
ÀHHLQJ´
with loved ones for a year.
The 168th Aviation Regi-
“Leaving family at home
ment, Atkins said, will use with my two children and my
CH-47 Chinook helicopters wife, it’s always tough that
to move supplies and passen- way,” he said. “It’s not some-
gers.
thing I’m looking forward
Before the ceremony, Sgt. to.”
August Radke said this will
For this deployment,
be his second deployment however, Radke won’t be
ZLWKWKHUHJLPHQWWKH¿UVWWR away from his entire family.
Afghanistan in 2010-11.
His older brother, Chief
“That was just a whole :DUUDQW 2I¿FHU -DFRE
culture shock going to a Radke, is a pilot deploying
different world,” he said of with the regiment.
$IJKDQLVWDQ ³, GLG ¿QG D
Jacob Radke said he was
lot of similarities, as far as deployed to Iraq in 2004-05
À\LQJDURXQG:DOORZD/DNH as a ground medic unit with
and the Snake River Valley the Washington National
is kind of similar. It just kind Guard before joining the
of brought it into perspective, Oregon Guard with the
made me miss home a little intention of becoming a pilot.
bit.”
“I’m looking forward
Continued from 1A
2012 NW Carden Ave.
541-276-1522
to it,” he said of the new
deployment. “It’s going to
be an interesting experience.
I haven’t been to Iraq (which
borders Kuwait) for 10 years,
and this time it will be in
the air as opposed to on the
ground. It will be interesting
to see what’s changed in 10
years and a different perspec-
tive from the air.”
Spc. Brandon Bonney
said he has enjoyed being in
the Guard since 2011 but has
never been deployed.
“I’m just ready to get it
VWDUWHG´KHVDLG³,W¶VWKH¿UVW
deployment, so it’s going to
be a new experience.”
it’s the longest job he’s ever seen planned and
one of the more complex.
“It’s all being driven, in my mind, by the
environment,” Mody said. “This is a very low
carbon footprint plant.”
The easy comparison is right next door,
where the Boardman Coal Plant is slated to
close or convert to an alternative, renewable
source of fuel by 2020.
Carty, on the other hand, represents 45
years of progress in energy technology, Mody
said. Natural gas not only burns cleaner than
coal, but the plant is able to capture a bulk of
its own heat to create steam, which is then
used to drive a second turbine at the plant.
The result, Mody said, is an increase in
HI¿FLHQF\E\DVPXFKDVSHUFHQW
“It’s a very important resource for our
customers, and for PGE,” he said.
Carty uses what is known as a combined
cycle system, splitting power generation
between two Mitsubishi-manufactured
turbines with a combined capacity of 440
PHJDZDWWV 7KH ¿UVW JHQHUDWRU UXQV RII WKH
combustion of natural gas, burning at a
temperature of about 1,100 degrees.
A heat-recovery steam generator,
however, captures the majority of heat that
ZRXOG RWKHUZLVH EH ZDVWHG DQG ¿OWHUV LQ
high-purity water to create steam, used to
drive the second turbine.
Transformers at the plant take the elec-
tricity that’s generated and step it up to 500
kilovolts, which is essentially like pressur-
izing the power to move it over long distances.
7KH SRZHU LV FDUULHG ¿UVW WR WKH *UDVVODQG
Substation a mile away, and from there fed
onto the Bonneville Power Administration
transmission system in Gilliam County.
At capacity, Mody said the station will
be a dependable source of electricity for
customers and enable PGE to invest in more
renewable energy, like wind and solar.
Oregon gets its electricity many
different sources, including:
• Hydro power ...............44.7 percent
• Coal .............................33.4 percent
• Natural gas ..................11.8 percent
• Wind...............................5.2 percent
• Nuclear ..........................2.8 percent
• Biomass ......................0.54 percent
• Waste ...........................0.23 percent
• Petroleum ....................0.12 percent
• Geothermal .................0.12 percent
• /and¿ll gas .................0.09 percent
• Solar ............................0.02 percent
Source: Oregon Department of Energy
“We’re very excited to have this serve our
customers next year,” Mody said.
Despite their close proximity, Carty was
never envisioned as a replacement for the
Boardman Coal Plant. The $513 million
VWDWLRQ ZDV LGHQWL¿HG LQ 3*(¶V ORQJ
range energy plan to a customer demand that
continues to grow at a rate of 1-1.5 percent
every year.
Steve Corson, a spokesman for PGE,
also said the plant will help minimize the
XWLOLW\¶V H[SRVXUH WR ÀXFWXDWLQJ SULFHV RQ
the wholesale power market. PGE decided
to turn to wholesale power purchases after
decommissioning the Trojan Nuclear Plant
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Carty will help PGE maintain demand
after several Mid-Columbia hydro power
contracts expire in the coming years.
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of 20 full-time jobs.
Mody said the project is lucky not only to
have the right infrastructure, but great neigh-
bors in the community.
“It’s very hard to get good sites,” he said.
“We don’t have any people protesting, or
anything like that. It’s creating clean jobs for
the community.”
CBARC: Oregon wheat assessment was $2M in 2014
drought and lower yields are
anticipated for 2015.
just a lot of adjustment to a
As money gets tight,
lot of new stuff,” Rowe said Padget said every dollar
in an interview with the East becomes closely scrutinized.
Oregonian. “You have to And like anything else,
expect these growing pains.” change can lend itself to
Some of the new uncertainty.
researchers at CBARC are
“We just want to make
not only from out of town, sure those dollars are targeted
but out of the country: where you get the greatest
Valtcho Jeliazkov, who rate of return,” Padget said.
replaced Petrie as director, “We’re constantly providing
grew up in Bulgaria, while input on what we want.”
-XGLW %DUURVR ZKR ¿OOHG
In addition to Pendleton,
Ball’s position, earned her &%$5& RSHUDWHV D ¿HOG
doctorate at the Institute of station in Moro not far
Agrarian Science in Madrid, from Padget’s farm. Erling
Spain.
Jacobsen, the Moro farm
Darren Padget, a Sherman manager, also recently
County wheat farmer and retired. Padget is part of the
chairman of the Oregon committee charged with
Wheat Commission, said ¿QGLQJKLVUHSODFHPHQW
it’s crucial for CBARC staff
To OSU’s credit, Padget
to continue meeting with said he feels the university
JURZHUVLQWKH¿HOGWREHWWHU has been receptive to the
understand the region’s growers’ needs.
unique climate and cropping
“I believe there’s a lot of
systems.
hard decisions to be made
“That’s probably the in front of us,” he said. “We
biggest concern I have,” don’t have an endless supply
Padget said. “There’s a lot of money.”
to learn, and they really have
CBARC did get a
to lean on the growers to welcome boost from the
understand it.”
Wheat Growers League in
About half of Oregon’s August after the organization
wheat assessment — every purchased 57 acres adjacent
grower is assessed a nickel to the Pendleton station,
per bushel — goes toward and leased them back to the
research with OSU labs and center for research. It’s the
extension. The assessment ¿UVW&%$5&KDVDGGHGODQG
was just a little more than VLQFH
$2 million in 2014, though
Steve Clark, vice presi-
Continued from 1A
dent of university relations
at OSU, said the college
recognizes the turnover at
CBARC and the need to
foster new strategic partner-
ships.
The CBARC Liaison
Committee will meet at 8
DP1RYKRVWLQJDQRSHQ
house for growers to come
tour the station and meet the
new staff in Pendleton.
“That will be a great
opportunity for the univer-
sity to listen and learn,”
Clark said.
Since coming on board
almost a year ago, Jeliazkov
said he’s met with 20 indi-
vidual farmers along with
the Wheat Growers League
and Wheat Commission. In
every meeting, he said he has
two main questions: What
are problems facing farms,
and how can CBARC help?
Though every farm is
different, Jeliazkov said
growers seem most inter-
ested in breeding new wheat
varieties, followed closely
by weed control, applying
fertilizers and herbicides
in drought and testing the
EHQH¿WRIFRYHUFURSV
Jeliazkov said the former
scientists had great credi-
bility with the growers, and
they look forward to estab-
lishing that for themselves.
“It will take time,” he
said. “New people bring new
expertise, and new ideas.”
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