NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Bill would remove barrier to pesticide lawsuits
Plaintiffs currently
required to report
problem to Oregon
farm regulators
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Bureau
SALEM
—
Filing
lawsuits over alleged pesti-
cide damages would be easier
in Oregon under a bill that
would eliminate a plaintiff’s
responsibility to first notify
farm regulators.
Currently, anybody who
claims to be harmed by pesti-
cides must submit a report
within 60 days to the Oregon
Department of Agriculture
before taking legal action
against the landowner or
applicator.
Senate Bill 500 would
remove this requirement,
which is characterized by
proponents as an unfair
impediment to justice and by
critics as a reasonable barrier
to frivolous litigation.
“Keep things the way they
are,” urged Denver Pugh,
a farmer near Shedd, Ore.,
during a March 22 legislative
hearing.
Pugh
said
pesticide
spraying at his family’s
Associated Press File
A sprayer applies pesticide on farmland. A bill in the Or-
egon Legislature would make it easier for a neighbor
to sue over alleged pesticide damage. Currently, a com-
plaint first must be filed with the Oregon Department of
Agriculture.
operation was blamed for
injuring the trees and shrubs
of a nearby organic grower,
who filed a “report of loss”
with the ODA.
After an investigation,
ODA determined the damage
was actually caused by
hail, not pesticides, which
prevented an unnecessary
lawsuit, said Pugh.
Critics of the bill argue
the reporting requirement
allows ODA to gather facts
substantiating or repudiating
the claims of pesticide loss,
thus avoiding litigation
based on weak or nonexistent
evidence.
The 60-day window also
ensures that accused farmers
have an opportunity to
collect their own evidence,
which may not be possible if
a lawsuit is filed long after an
alleged incident, opponents
say.
Greg Peterson, a tree farm
owner, said ODA officials
determined that his pesticide
usage had no connection to
the death of fish at a nearby
property, contrary to the
neighbor’s accusations.
“It was very good they
were able to act as an inter-
mediary,” Peterson said.
“To unravel that would have
BRIEFLY
Dutch Bros. moving headquarters
to downtown Grants Pass
been horrendous for us as
landowners.”
Supporters of SB 500,
on the other hand, say the
“report of loss” requires
submitting specifics that are
difficult for people to obtain,
such as the type of pesticide
applied and who sprayed the
chemical.
“Most people have to
work with a state agency to
get that information and it
takes more than 60 days,”
said Lisa Arkin, executive
director of Beyond Toxics,
which supports the bill.
Gary Hale, a resident
of Lane County, said rural
residents who are exposed to
pesticides often won’t realize
they must submit a report to
ODA.
“There’s a very small
percentage of Oregonians
who expect that to be a
requirement,” he said.
Once they find out about
the 60-day deadline, it may
be too late to submit the
report of loss, permanently
blocking the possibility of
legal recourse, Hale said.
“There is no justice after
that.”
———
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
GRANTS PASS (AP) — Dutch Bros. Coffee
plans to move its headquarters to downtown Grants
Pass.
To make it happen, the drive-through coffee chain
just bought the downtown branch of Washington
Federal bank.
The Daily Courier reports the bank is across the
street from the Town Center Plaza, which Dutch
Bros. also recently purchased. It is where Travis
Boersma and his late brother, Dane, started the
company with a single cart 25 years ago.
Company headquarters are now in the North
Valley Industrial Park near Merlin. The number
of employees slated to relocate has yet to be
determined. The company’s roasting operation and
online store will likely remain in Merlin.
Dutch Bros. is the country’s largest privately
held, drive-thru coffee company, with more than 280
locations and over 7,000 employees in seven states.
Portland sergeant’s remark leads
to internal investigation
PORTLAND (AP) — A Portland police sergeant
has been placed on paid administrative leave during
an internal investigation into an inflammatory remark
made during roll call.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the comment
was made last month by Sgt. Gregg Lewis, and other
officers reported it to command staff. People familiar
with what Lewis said described it as an off-the-cuff
remark about the use of force against a black man.
The remark came amid heightened tension
between the police bureau and the African American
community.
A total of 10 officers are now on leave because of
internal investigations, including Police Chief Mike
Marshman. The city’s Independent Review Division
is investigating an allegation that someone signed the
chief’s name on a training log in early March, when
the chief had not attended the session.
Oregon Democrats say abortion bill still on table
By KRISTENA HANSEN
Associated Press
SALEM — Democratic
lawmakers in Salem say last
week’s failure of the GOP
health care overhaul hasn’t
changed their plans
to protect women’s
access to abortions
under their insurance
plans.
House Bill 3391
was largely the
Oregon Legislature’s
response
to
the
now-defunct Amer-
ican Health Care Act,
which compromised roughly
$10 billion in federal funds
to the Pacific Northwest state
through proposed abortion
restrictions and overturning
minimum coverage require-
ments for birth control and
other reproductive services
that were carved into the
existing Affordable Care Act.
Democratic
House
Speaker Tina Kotek told
the Associated Press during
a media briefing Monday
the so-called Reproductive
Health Equity Act is still on
the table despite the federal
overhaul’s failure on
Friday and earlier
threats by Providence
Health Plans to pull
out of the Oregon
insurance
market
should it pass.
“Other
things
could change at the
national level ... they
could have stand-
alone bills, they could do
other things so yeah, our plan
is to still move it forward,”
Kotek said. “I think the bill
speaks for itself and it’s really
important to a lot of people on
this particular area of health
care.”
Oregon already has among
the most liberal abortion laws
in the nation, which are absent
of otherwise common require-
ments for waiting periods or
spending limits on taxpayer
funds, among others. HB
3391, sponsored by 30 House
and Senate lawmakers, would
strengthen those existing
policies
by
mandating
Oregon health plans to cover
abortion procedures, birth
control, pap smears and other
reproductive health services
at no additional out-of-pocket
cost to the consumer.
The bill, which is awaiting
referral to a House committee,
could be up for a floor vote
sometime next month.
Democratic Rep. Jeff
Barker, one of the bill’s
primary
sponsors,
says
it’ll likely pass the House
chamber, but he’s less confi-
dent about its chances in the
Senate.
“It will be contentious, but
I believe it will pass,” Barker
said. “We want to be sure that
women have all their repro-
ductive health needs taken
care of.”
Kotek also says she has
no interest in tweaking the
bill’s language to the liking
of Providence, a Catho-
lic-sponsored organization
that operates eight hospitals
and currently covers 260,000
Oregonians. Days before
the GOP overhaul’s failure,
Providence CEO Michael
Cotton said the proposal’s
religious exemptions don’t go
far enough and subsequently
threatened to pull out of the
Oregon insurance market
if lawmakers ultimately
approve it.
“We believe the legislation
provides enough protection
in terms of the federal inter-
pretation of the religious
exemption,” Kotek said. “We
feel like it’s covered. It’s just
a difference of opinion.”
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SALEM (AP) — Oregon State Park officials say
a record amount of people camping out may lead to
a price hike for popular campground sites, and lower
rates for least used sites.
The Salem Statesman Journal reports that House
Bill 2318 would make park fees more flexible. The
prices for popular sites could increase by $1 or $2 per
night. Some site prices would only see an increase on
certain dates.
Park officials say they will use the extra money to
offer other discounts that will offset the price.
Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon’s most popular
park along coast, typically has 85 percent full
capacity while Humbug Mountain State Park, six
hours south of Fort Stevens, is typically at 20 percent
capacity.
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Director Lisa Sumption says she hopes the change
will encourage people to visit new areas.
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Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
Occasional rain
Mostly cloudy with
a few showers
59° 42°
51° 36°
Abundant
sunshine
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Times of clouds
and sun
Partly sunny
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
56° 38°
60° 41°
56° 41°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
60° 37°
62° 46°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
55°
58°
76° (1923)
38°
37°
23° (2008)
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
Trace
2.27"
1.29"
6.19"
3.94"
3.80"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
58°
61°
78° (1930)
41°
37°
15° (1975)
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"
1.38"
0.81"
4.84"
2.70"
3.05"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
First
Full
Apr 3
Apr 10
Last
Apr 19
65° 44°
61° 43°
Seattle
53/43
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
62° 39°
6:41 a.m.
7:20 p.m.
7:54 a.m.
9:33 p.m.
New
Apr 26
Today
Spokane
Wenatchee
50/40
55/39
Tacoma
Moses
54/41
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 60/41
51/41
52/44
53/41
63/40
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
54/43
60/45 Lewiston
63/47
Astoria
57/43
54/44
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
55/42
Pendleton 51/37
The Dalles 62/46
59/42
58/43
La Grande
Salem
55/39
55/42
Albany
Corvallis 55/44
56/43
John Day
58/40
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
56/44
55/43
55/34
Caldwell
Burns
61/46
56/36
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
54
52
55
55
56
51
55
57
62
58
57
55
53
60
52
56
56
62
59
55
58
55
50
54
54
60
63
Lo
44
40
34
45
36
37
43
39
46
40
35
39
38
44
43
46
44
44
42
42
33
42
40
36
43
45
40
W
r
sh
r
r
sh
r
r
r
r
r
sh
r
r
r
r
r
sh
c
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
c
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Thu.
Hi
52
46
44
54
43
43
55
49
60
44
48
47
45
55
51
54
52
61
51
56
48
56
51
43
55
53
60
Lo
40
34
26
41
28
32
36
33
37
34
25
34
32
37
38
40
40
36
36
40
24
38
33
29
39
39
34
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
sh
c
r
c
c
sh
sh
c
c
sh
pc
c
c
c
sh
sh
sh
c
sh
sh
c
sh
c
sh
sh
sh
pc
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
69
77
69
61
82
35
66
65
57
85
55
Lo
44
70
55
53
49
20
49
45
35
72
45
W
s
sh
s
c
pc
c
pc
s
s
pc
pc
Thu.
Hi
63
77
72
67
82
32
70
69
58
76
61
Lo
39
70
51
51
50
16
51
47
38
62
48
W
s
c
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
s
pc
r
pc
WINDS
Medford
60/44
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
57/35
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: Rain north, near Idaho
and in the mountains today; a shower south,
toward the Cascades and in central sections.
Cascades: Rain at times today.
Western Washington: Periods of rain today.
Northern California: Clouds and sunshine
today; a couple of showers in central parts.
Thursday
WNW 8-16
W 10-20
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Coastal Oregon: Occasional rain today and
tonight. A couple of showers tomorrow, but
dry in the south.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Periods of rain
today, but dry in the south.
Today
WSW 6-12
SW 7-14
0
1
3
3
1
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. ©2017
-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: Dry weather will return to the East today. Dangerous thunderstorms
will approach the Mississippi Valley with heavy rain to the north and west. Rain and moun-
tain snow will push inland across the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 94° in Laredo, Texas
Low 13° 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
64
81
56
63
63
83
60
50
85
66
50
50
81
53
54
67
28
58
85
79
59
88
56
78
82
84
Lo
39
61
37
38
44
61
46
33
60
47
39
39
52
35
37
46
6
35
73
59
49
60
46
58
58
57
W
r
pc
s
s
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
c
pc
s
sf
c
pc
t
pc
pc
r
s
t
s
Thur.
Hi
72
81
49
54
54
78
48
47
77
71
46
56
70
66
45
81
33
56
85
76
67
85
54
81
71
76
Lo
48
62
40
41
43
59
38
33
62
58
38
53
53
36
40
57
18
34
72
55
52
61
39
52
48
55
W
s
c
s
pc
r
t
r
pc
c
c
r
sh
pc
pc
r
s
pc
c
sh
pc
r
s
r
sh
t
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
69
82
84
44
51
79
83
57
71
46
61
86
49
55
73
58
72
76
64
58
76
67
53
80
66
62
Lo
55
64
68
36
36
62
69
36
43
37
36
59
30
33
50
35
46
54
57
44
58
55
43
52
42
41
W
pc
pc
s
pc
c
pc
pc
s
t
r
s
s
pc
r
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
s
pc
r
s
s
r
Thur.
Hi
76
74
83
41
48
78
78
53
60
51
55
88
47
52
66
65
54
69
71
61
70
65
54
87
56
53
Lo
55
53
70
35
32
56
60
40
41
35
41
58
27
35
53
38
33
48
45
37
59
51
40
57
45
37
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
r
t
s
r
c
t
t
s
c
r
s
s
pc
s
c
pc
sh
pc
r
r
s
pc
sh
s
pc
c