Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2016)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Thursday, June 23, 2016 Union Paciic to resume oil trains Sales igures through Columbia River Gorge could make pot Oregon’s most valuable crop By KRISTENA HANSEN Associated Press Heavy-duty trains with thousands of gallons of crude oil in tow will soon begin rolling through the scenic Columbia River Gorge for the irst time since a iery derailment in early June. Union Paciic on Wednesday announced plans to resume operations at some point this week. The June 3 derailment of one of its trains caused a 42,000-gallon oil spill and subsequent ire. Nobody was hurt, but it forced evacuations and disruptions to water systems in Mosier. The rail company’s announcement comes as local oficials plead with the federal government to halt the use of railroads to trans- port crude oil, a practice they say can never be completely safe for communities in the trains’ path. Among them are Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, who urged the Federal Railroad Adminis- tration in a letter Wednesday afternoon to exercise its emergency moratorium authority before Union Paciic resumes in the Gorge. “Unit trains travel on tracks that pass through and near many small towns that are not well-equipped to deal with the type of ire that occurred in Mosier,” Merkley and Wyden wrote to the administration. Union Paciic oficials have concluded that faulty “lag bolts” — fasteners used to attach the rail to the rail tie on a curved section of track — caused the problem in Mosier. Federal rail authori- ties are also investigating the By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Bureau Brent Foster via AP, File In this June 6, 2016, ile photo from video, crumpled oil tankers sit beside the rail- road tracks after a iery June 3 train derailment that prompted evacuations from the tiny Columbia River Gorge town of Mosier. Union Paciic announced Wednesday plans to resume transporting oil by train through the Oregon side of the scenic Co- lumbia River Gorge at some point this week. cause. The company defended its decision to restart operations in a statement, reiterating the federal obligations it’s under and highlighting the tiny fraction of its Oregon shipments — less than 1 percent — that come from oil trains. “Railroads provide the infrastructure, lexible networks and eficiency needed to move crude oil from locations where oil is recovered to customer facilities,” said Wes Lujan, a public affairs vice president for Union Paciic. “The federal common carrier obligation requires railroads to transport crude oil and other hazardous materials. If a customer delivers a crude oil tank car in conformity with U.S. Department of Transportation requirements, we are obligated to transport the rail car to its destination.” Also on Wednesday, Union Paciic announced that another train spilled 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel the night before near Trout- dale, Oregon, roughly 20 miles east of Portland. Leaders at the Oregon Department of Transpor- tation, Multnomah County and several municipalities including Portland and Mosier have called on Congress and the White House for bans on oil being moved by rail, which is under the federal government’s authority. Reacting to Union Paciic’s plans, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown reiterated her previous call for a federal moratorium on transporting oil on trains until the system is unquestionably safe. “Federal agencies and policymakers in Washington, D.C., will continue to put people and ecosystems at risk as they postpone implementation of reason- able safety measures that protect us unless we demand accountability,” Brown said in a statement. Gov. Jay Inslee of Wash- ington state, where a different rail company operates along the Columbia River, has held similar discussions with federal leaders in recent weeks, although he’s stopped short of requesting a morato- rium. Rebecca Ponzio, spokes- woman for the Stand Up To Oil advocacy group, blasted Union Paciic in a state- ment, saying the company has shown a “reckless disregard” for communities, ignored oficials’ pleas and, “proceeded on with what matters most to them: the bottom line.” Feds will evaluate response to Hanford vapors issue SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Federal health oficials will conduct a short-term evaluation related to the exposure of workers to chem- ical vapors on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The probe by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is expected to focus on several areas including medical response, safety and health program management, and exposure control. “Having an agency entirely separate from the Department of Energy conducting over- sight into the safety of working conditions at Hanford is are the focus of cleanup efforts at the site near Richland. Clean up is expected to take decades and cost billions of dollars. “I will be closely following this process to ensure this evaluation provides the guidance necessary to keep workers safe,” said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. critical to protecting workers,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who met recently with Hanford workers concerned about exposure to the vapors. For decades, Hanford made plutonium for nuclear weapons. Much of the waste from that work is stored in 177 giant underground tanks that Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Ofice hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast FRIDAY TODAY Sunny, breezy and pleasant Variably cloudy with a shower 78° 53° 71° 49° SATURDAY SUNDAY Sunshine; pleasant and warmer Sunshine Hot with plenty of sunshine PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 82° 50° 89° 57° 93° 60° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 83° 57° 76° 49° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 84° 81° 103° (1973) 48° 53° 37° (1916) 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 0.00" 0.91" 0.95" 6.50" 4.99" 7.50" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 86° 82° 105° (1936) 47° 54° 41° (2014) 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 0.00" 0.41" 0.48" 4.64" 3.14" 5.62" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New June 27 July 4 5:06 a.m. 8:49 p.m. 11:01 p.m. 8:32 a.m. First Full July 11 94° 58° 97° 58° Seattle 65/53 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 85° 55° July 19 Today MONDAY Spokane Wenatchee 75/52 76/55 Tacoma Moses 64/51 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 81/53 73/50 62/51 63/49 79/48 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 61/51 80/55 Lewiston 83/57 Astoria 79/58 63/52 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 64/54 Pendleton 73/45 The Dalles 83/57 78/53 74/55 La Grande Salem 75/49 65/52 Albany Corvallis 63/50 66/49 John Day 77/48 Ontario Eugene Bend 91/59 67/49 70/39 Caldwell Burns 89/59 78/42 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 63 75 70 63 78 73 67 76 83 77 74 75 72 79 61 64 91 84 78 64 72 65 75 71 63 80 79 Lo 52 45 39 52 42 45 49 47 57 48 43 49 46 54 51 53 59 56 53 54 43 52 52 44 53 55 48 W sh s pc sh s s sh pc pc s s s s pc sh sh s pc pc sh pc sh pc pc sh pc pc Hi 65 64 65 68 68 60 73 68 76 68 70 65 62 78 62 67 76 76 71 68 68 72 64 62 67 70 74 Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Lo 69 83 71 57 54 60 65 66 70 53 70 W pc s s t t pc s t pc s r Lo 52 35 37 52 34 40 46 44 49 41 40 41 39 50 48 52 47 51 49 53 36 51 48 38 51 53 46 W sh c c pc pc c pc c pc c pc c c pc sh c pc pc c sh c sh c c sh c c Fri. Hi 92 93 90 69 74 76 74 88 76 63 76 (in mph) Klamath Falls 74/43 Boardman Pendleton Lo 65 83 72 54 56 62 57 68 65 46 71 W s pc s sh t pc s s r s c REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Mostly cloudy today with showers. A passing shower tonight, except dry in the south. Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly sunny today; not as warm in central parts. Western Washington: Rather cloudy today with showers. Partly cloudy tonight with a couple of showers. Eastern Washington: Some sun today with a shower in the area. Cascades: Some sun today with a couple of showers; cooler. Partly cloudy tonight with a shower. Northern California: Partly sunny today; pleasant at the coast. Today Friday WSW 10-20 W 8-16 WSW 12-25 W 15-25 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 2 5 7 7 5 COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. WINDS Medford 79/54 NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Fri. WORLD CITIES Hi 94 93 89 73 72 75 86 87 85 65 78 Classiied & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classiieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Terri Briggs 541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-966-0806 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Stephanie Newsom 541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • Chris McClellan 541-966-0802 • cmcclellan@eastoregonian.com • Amanda Jacobs 541-278-2863 • ajacobs@eastoregonian.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com Corrections A brief in Wednesday’s paper gave incorrect informa- tion about the location of the parade for Landing Days in Umatilla on Saturday. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at Nugent Park and will head east on Sixth Street. The East Oregonian sincerely regrets the error. 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. ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson 541-278-2683 • jperkinson@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — SALEM — Sales and tax igures collected by state agencies may inally solve one of Oregon’s long-run- ning farm crop questions of whether marijuana is indeed the state’s most valuable crop, as cannabis advocates have always maintained. Tight controls and reporting requirements by the Oregon Department of Revenue and Oregon Liquor Control Commis- sion should result in accurate information about pot, said Bruce Pokarney, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. The department compiles an annual list of the state’s most valuable crops. The sale of recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon last October, in addi- tion to medical use, which was already legal. The state revenue department collects a 17 percent tax on recreational pot purchases, while the OLCC licenses producers, processors, retailers, whole- salers and labs. The information, however, poses another head-scratcher. Most agri- cultural statistics published by the ag department come from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS. Although it’s now legal in several states, the feds still classify marijuana as an illegal drug. Dave Losh, Oregon state statistician for NASS, said the agency won’t include marijuana in its annual crop statistics due to federal policy. For the same reason, people can’t use water from federal projects to irrigate marijuana, he said, and such things as Natural Resources Conservation Service programs can’t be applied to pot crops. Pokarney, of ODA, joked the department might have to put an asterisk beside the pot crop value in its annual report. “We will have sales numbers, but I don’t know how we would report it,” he said. Oregon crop statistics from 2014 list cattle and calves as the state’s top agricultural product, at $922 million value. Greenhouse and nursery plants was second at $829 million, and hay was third, at $703 million. Seth Crawford, an Oregon State University sociology professor who teaches a pot policy class, estimated in 2015 that Oregon’s marijuana crop had an annual value approaching $1 billion. Meanwhile, the OLCC continues to process license applications as entrepre- neurs seek opportunities in the state’s recreational cannabis market. As of June 21, there were 723 applications to grow pot in Oregon. Of those, 122 were in Jackson County and 91 were in neighboring Josephine County. Southern Oregon has long been the state’s cannabis production hotbed, legal or illegal. 2 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. ©2016 -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: Severe thunderstorms will plague areas from the mid-Atlantic to southeastern Missouri today. Hot air will sizzle most of the southern tier of the nation. The Northwest will be cooler with showers. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 114° in Needles, Calif. Low 29° in Stanley, Idaho 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 96 93 76 82 94 92 90 74 97 87 74 78 97 88 82 105 74 81 84 94 87 96 92 108 96 81 Lo 69 76 64 64 61 74 56 60 77 68 57 62 76 61 57 78 55 61 73 76 66 71 71 83 79 63 W t s t t s s s c pc t c r s t c pc pc pc sh pc t s pc pc s pc Fri. Hi 98 93 76 83 90 93 73 76 97 85 83 82 95 90 85 101 78 88 84 94 86 97 87 109 97 82 Lo 70 77 63 62 51 76 49 61 78 64 64 62 76 59 60 75 56 72 73 76 66 72 73 83 78 65 Today W t pc s s pc pc pc s pc pc s s s t s pc c t pc t s pc t s t pc Hi Louisville 90 Memphis 96 Miami 89 Milwaukee 71 Minneapolis 76 Nashville 96 New Orleans 91 New York City 72 Oklahoma City 97 Omaha 88 Philadelphia 76 Phoenix 111 Portland, ME 75 Providence 73 Raleigh 97 Rapid City 89 Reno 90 Sacramento 91 St. Louis 97 Salt Lake City 96 San Diego 74 San Francisco 72 Seattle 65 Tucson 106 Washington, DC 85 Wichita 96 Lo 73 80 78 58 61 77 75 64 73 68 63 87 54 59 72 65 57 58 73 68 65 57 53 80 68 75 W t s t pc pc t s r s pc t pc pc sh pc pc s s pc pc pc s sh pc t t Fri. Hi 89 96 90 77 86 94 92 83 94 90 85 109 76 81 87 97 89 94 94 90 76 73 63 103 84 95 Lo 71 80 79 64 71 74 77 63 71 73 63 86 54 58 67 59 54 62 78 56 65 56 54 79 68 75 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc t pc s pc t pc s s pc s s s s t pc s s pc s pc pc sh pc s t
