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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2015)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Tuesday, December 29, 2015 Enviro groups oppose Yakima water plan YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — As a long-term plan to ensure a future with enough water for farmers and wildlife in the Yakima Basin moves forward, critics complain there hasn’t been enough transparency in the process. Last month, a Senate committee in Washington, D.C., approved legislation to authorize the ¿rst 10-year phase of the 30-year plan, which calls for more than $4 billion for additional water storage, ¿sh passage, water conservation and habitat protection. The Yakima Herald-Republic reports a House bill is also being drafted. Praised for ending decades of litigation and bitterness between competing interests, the plan is called vital to the future of the fertile Yakima Valley, one of the nation’s greatest farming regions. But it is not without opponents, who say the process hasn’t been inclusive enough. There have also been worries about cost and being able to satisfy the diverse needs of water users. “We continue to object to the Yakima Workgroup portraying the Yakima Plan as the product of diverse interest groups, when the workgroup remains unresponsive to comments and concerns from those not at the table,” said Elaine Packard, a representative from the state chapter of the Sierra Club. Lake Kachess homeowners worry about wells drying up, lower property values and reduced ¿re protection when the reservoir is drawn down. To the south, cabin owners and campers don’t want to see Bumping Lake expanded by a new dam that would Àood cabins, campgrounds and old-growth forest. Some environmental groups oppose any new reservoirs. Finally, there are ¿scal watch- dogs who say the plan’s bene¿ts don’t justify the price. Some opponents met with the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Maria Cant- well, D-Wash., last fall. “Sen. Cantwell’s staff was handed a mess. The plan is poisoned fruit from a contaminated process, so it could not be made acceptable,” said Bill Campbell, a retired scien- tist who lives along Lake Kachess. Distrust of the plan and the work- group are so high, critics say the only ¿x is to scrap the whole thing. That would be the wrong move for the region, Yakima County Commissioner Mike Leita said. But Chris Maykut, a Bumping Lake cabin owner and president of a group opposing the new dam plans, called the plan a house of sticks. BRIEFLY “Everyone got something they wanted and if one group pulls out, it falls apart, ‘’ Maykut said. In 2009, the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the state Depart- ment of Ecology convened a group of “stakeholders” — irrigators with junior water rights, the Yakama Indian Nation, county of¿cials and ¿sh and wildlife agencies — to review past studies and look for solutions to the basin’s water short- ages. The agencies developed the workgroup’s ideas into the Inte- grated Plan. But opponents say the plan is the work of agriculture interests seeking a way to build more water storage and work around past attempts that failed cost-bene¿t tests. Opponents contend the plan ignores an independent economic review by a team of Washington State University scientists who found that the water supply projects failed cost/bene¿t tests and the bene¿ts from ¿sh passage are not as large as initially estimated. Supporters maintain that looking at the economic bene¿ts of each component of the plan in isolation misses the point — it was designed as an integrated plan because it’s worth more together than the sum of its parts. Leland Pollock said in an email to the Argus. “After 20 years of the monument, the schools have dramatically lost students,” he said. Since the Utah monument was designated, enrollment at Escalante High School dropped from 150 to 50, he said. “They are considering closing the school,” Pollock said. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was desig- nated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton in recognition of the region’s unspoiled natural beauty, according to information from Headwaters Economics. The monument is located in Kane and Gar¿eld counties in Utah, but ironically the signing ceremony was conducted across the border in Arizona, said Dixie Brunner, editor of the South Utah News, Kanab, Utah, who attended the event. That only increased the anger of the local residents, Brunner said. “People (in Kane County) went absolutely nuts when the monu- ment was designated,” she said. That included black balloons released, big protests, and the like, ONTARIO — In the debate over the creation of a national monument in Malheur County’s Owyhee Canyonlands, the local opposition, holds up the similar- ly-sized 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah as a reason not to have one. Those opposed to protections of a 2.5 million-acre area in the canyonlands include members of the Task Force in Opposition to the Wilderness/Monument Proposal of the Owyhee Canyonlands. While proponents, including members of Oregon Natural Desert Associ- ation, maintain that local industries will not be impacted by a designa- tion, local opponents do not agree, instead saying a designation would greatly impact Malheur County’s economic future. Indeed, Grand Staircase-Es- calante National Monument is cited by the Gar¿eld County Commission as a major reason for its county’s economic downturn. “We declared a state of emer- gency in June,” Commissioner Didn’t receive your paper?&DOO EHIRUHQRRQ7XHVGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\ RUEHIRUHDP6DWXUGD\ for same-day redelivery — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 2I¿FHKRXUV0RQGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\DPWRSP &ORVHGPDMRUKROLGD\V SUBSCRIPTION RATES /RFDOKRPHGHOLYHU\ 6DYLQJVRIIFRYHUSULFH (=3D\ SHUFHQW ZHHNV SHUFHQW ZHHNV SHUFHQW ZHHNV SHUFHQW (=3D\ RQH\HDUUDWHZLWKDPRQWKO\FUHGLWRUGHELWFDUGFKHFNFKDUJH www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ (DVW2UHJRQLDQ(USPS 164-980)LVSXEOLVKHGGDLO\H[FHSW6XQGD\0RQGD\ DQG'HFE\WKH(20HGLD*URXS6(%\HUV$YH3HQGOHWRQ25 3HULRGLFDOVSRVWDJHSDLGDW3HQGOHWRQ25Postmaster:VHQGDGGUHVVFKDQJHVWR (DVW2UHJRQLDQ6(%\HUV$YH3HQGOHWRQ25 Mostly cloudy and cold Cloudy and cold 30° 19° 25° 16° Mostly cloudy and cold FRIDAY Sunshine and quite cold Sunny to partly cloudy and cold PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 23° 13° 24° 11° 23° 6° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 33° 23° 31° 20° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 29° 39° 64° (1917) 28° 25° 2° (1990) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.02" 2.28" 1.45" 10.09" 13.13" 12.92" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 32° 39° 67° (1937) 30° 27° 2° (1983) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.01" 1.78" 1.33" 7.17" 7.60" 9.80" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Jan 1 Jan 9 7:36 a.m. 4:19 p.m. 9:15 p.m. 10:06 a.m. First Full Jan 16 27° 16° 27° 14° 26° 14° Seattle 39/28 ALMANAC Jan 23 ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson MSHUNLQVRQ#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP NEWS To submit news tips and press releases:FDOO ID[HPDLOQHZV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Multimedia consultants 7HUUL%ULJJV WEULJJV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP -HDQQH-HZHWW MMHZHWW#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP .LP/D3ODQW NODSODQW#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP 'D\OH6WLQVRQ GVWLQVRQ#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: HPDLOFRPPXQLW\#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRPRUFDOO7DPP\0DOJHVLQL LQ+HUPLVWRQDWRU5HQHH6WUXWKHUVLQ3HQGOHWRQDW To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: HPDLOUVWUXWKHUV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRPRUYLVLWZZZHDVWRUHJRQLDQ FRPFRPPXQLW\DQQRXQFHPHQWV To submit a Letter to the Editor:PDLOWR0DQDJLQJ(GLWRU'DQLHO :DWWHQEXUJHU6(%\HUV$YH3HQGOHWRQ25RUHPDLO HGLWRU#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: VSRUWV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: 6WHYH.QREEH VNQREEH#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP REGIONAL CITIES Today SATURDAY Spokane Wenatchee 25/18 27/15 Tacoma Moses 39/25 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 27/14 26/17 41/30 40/25 31/17 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 41/27 31/19 Lewiston 33/23 Astoria 32/24 44/32 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 41/31 Pendleton 26/11 The Dalles 33/23 30/19 39/27 La Grande Salem 31/13 44/33 Albany Corvallis 42/31 44/33 John Day 33/17 Ontario Eugene Bend 23/14 45/33 32/19 Caldwell Burns 26/16 24/8 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 44 24 32 46 24 26 45 31 33 33 29 31 29 42 44 50 23 32 30 41 35 44 25 29 41 31 31 Lo 32 6 19 39 8 11 33 17 23 17 21 13 11 33 36 41 14 23 19 31 20 33 18 8 28 19 17 W r c c c c c r c c c c c c c r r c c c r c r pc c r c pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. Hi 45 22 27 49 20 23 44 26 31 30 34 27 25 45 45 52 24 30 25 39 29 42 23 24 38 26 29 Lo 30 3 11 35 -3 2 24 14 20 13 10 6 3 24 31 35 9 19 16 27 12 25 12 7 26 16 12 W pc c sf pc sn c c c c sn sn c c c pc pc sn c c pc sf pc c c pc c c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 40 66 59 54 75 21 53 57 35 73 50 Lo 23 58 43 49 42 17 41 33 23 61 40 W pc pc s pc pc pc pc s pc s pc Wed. Hi 40 64 53 55 76 21 50 54 42 75 51 Lo 16 58 43 43 46 11 43 34 28 63 41 W s c sh c pc sf c pc sh s pc WINDS Medford 42/33 Klamath Falls 29/21 (in mph) Today Wednesday Boardman Pendleton NE 3-6 NNE 3-6 NE 3-6 W 3-6 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Cloudy today; occasional rain and drizzle; however, a shower in spots in the south. Eastern and Central Oregon: Mainly cloudy today. Cold; a fl urry near the Cascades in the afternoon. Western Washington: A little rain today; times of clouds and sun in central parts. Partly cloudy tonight. Eastern Washington: Times of sun and clouds today. Cascades: Cloudy and chilly today with a little snow, accumulating a coating to an inch. Northern California: Mostly sunny today; frigid in the interior mountains. 0 0 1 SPOKANE (AP) — A Seattle investigator has been chosen to conduct an independent investigation into recent personnel issues involving the Spokane Police Department. Mayor David Condon and City Council President Ben Stuckart on Monday announced they have chosen Kris Cappel to lead the investigation. Cappel is a former federal prosecutor. Condon and Stuckart will submit her name to the city council for approval during its next meeting on Jan. 4. Spokane City Hall has been swamped by problems after the forced resignation of police Chief Frank Straub. He had been accused of sexually harassing the former department spokeswoman, and of launching into tirades that some of his top administrators considered abusive. Cappel would also investigate issues related to the release of public records in the case. Corrections Real Estate Advertising: Jodi Snook MVQRRN#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP THURSDAY Seattle investigator chosen for probe The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. Legal Advertising:$PDQGD-DFREV DMDFREV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Single copy price: 7XHVGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\6DWXUGD\ Forecast WEDNESDAY OLYMPIA (AP) — :ashington of¿cials say that one of thousands of prisoners erroneously released due to a computer error is already back behind bars on charges of vehicular homicide. In a news release Monday, of¿cials with the Department of Corrections say that Robert Jackson was arrested and charged for a Nov. 11 accident that killed Lindsay Hill, a woman who was riding in the car with him. Jackson was released from prison on Aug. 10, 2015. His correct release date should have been Dec. 6, 2015. As many as 3,200 offenders have being wrongly released early since 2002. Of¿cials on Thursday indicated that three prisoners released since June had committed new crimes, but they downgraded that number to two Monday. Of¿cials are still searching for another offender who committed crimes during the period he should have been incarcerated. They did not release that inmate’s name. ClassiÀed Advertising: FODVVL¿HGV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Copyright © 2015, EO Media Group TODAY ASHLAND (AP) — Authorities say they have found the three missing snowboarders who failed to return from Mount Ashland as planned — alive and well. The Jackson County Sheriff’s 2f¿ce on Monday said the men went to the mountain on Sunday at about 10:30 a.m. A family member alerted the sheriff’s of¿ce to the missing group when they didn’t return the next day. Rescuers found the snowboarders at about 12:30 p.m. on Monday. 2f¿cials said the three are in good condition and warming up with hot beverages. Mount Ashland is the highest peak in the Siskiyou Mountains, just south of Ashland in southern Oregon. PORTLAND (AP) — Portland-area bakery owners who denied service to a same-sex couple have paid $135,000 in state-ordered damages — after refusing to do for nearly six months. The Bureau of Labor and Industries said bakery co-owner Aaron Klein dropped off a check Monday for $136,927.07. That includes accrued interest. Klein also paid $7,000 earlier this month. Damages were awarded in July for emotional suffering caused by Sweet Cakes by Melissa, which two years ago refused to bake a wedding cake for Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer. The bakers said their refusal was prompted by religious beliefs. A 2007 Oregon law protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations. The state ruled it also does not allow private businesses to discriminate against potential customers. Klein’s lawyer Anna Harmon could not be reached for comment. Brunner said. “The local and state politicians tried to ¿ght it in every way possi- ble-to no avail, she said. “Even years later, they still point to what an awful land grab it was.” The land in question was always government land with many restrictions, but the people in Kane County felt that this was yet another layer of restrictions and a travesty to the Western way of life, Brunner said. Years after it was designated, the monument is still a source of deep resentment to the locals, she said, but it has had a few positives. “People have come to travel around and view it,” Brunner said. The Bureau of Land Manage- ment, which manages the monu- ment, has built three visitor centers in remote locations, and do get a lot of visitors of which bene¿t the small communities, she said. “The teaching aspect has been great, because we get many profes- sionals studying it,” Brunner said. In the regional reports about the Utah monument debate, oppo- nents complained about the loss of natural resource jobs, such as mining, timber and agriculture. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 Washington prisoner released early charged in fatal accident %DNHU\RZQHUV¿QDOO\ pay damages in gay wedding cake case Opponents of national monument fear economic woes By LARRY MEYER The Argus Observer Three missing snowboarders found alive on Mt. Ashland 0 0 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2015 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Snow, ice and rain will affect the Northeast with showers and storms farther south to the Gulf Coast today. Snow showers will affect the Rockies and Upper Midwest with rain showers in the coastal Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 88° in Plant City, Fla. Low -29° in Gunnison, Colo. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 32 67 64 64 18 62 25 42 81 60 35 50 48 23 43 42 26 19 83 57 40 84 26 48 49 61 Lo 18 59 49 44 9 52 14 34 66 43 24 31 33 8 31 27 21 11 71 46 29 66 12 30 34 40 W sf pc r r sn pc pc sn c c c r s c r c c sn s s c pc pc s pc s Wed. Hi 36 66 56 56 22 59 25 44 79 55 30 42 51 25 37 45 37 19 83 63 38 84 27 49 53 63 Lo 16 49 48 46 18 43 12 38 64 37 21 29 33 4 29 27 24 10 70 45 25 66 9 31 32 44 W s r r r c r sn c c r sf r s pc c s pc c sh pc c c pc s pc s Today Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 51 51 84 35 26 55 64 54 36 23 64 57 31 44 76 14 36 50 39 27 61 52 39 53 64 30 Lo 39 40 75 23 16 44 58 44 24 15 45 36 22 35 61 -2 19 31 28 17 45 41 28 32 46 17 W c pc pc sf sn c pc r s pc r s sn i c c pc s c c s s pc s r s Wed. Hi 50 55 84 31 22 56 62 52 37 23 55 60 35 47 70 19 42 52 39 31 63 54 38 58 57 33 Lo 32 36 75 20 14 35 54 44 24 8 44 38 30 39 61 8 19 30 24 12 46 40 27 35 44 14 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W r pc pc sf sf r t r pc c r s c pc r c pc s c pc s pc pc s r pc
