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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, May 31, 2017 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor MARISSA WILLIAMS Regional Advertising Director MARCY ROSENBERG Circulation Manager JANNA HEIMGARTNER Business Office Manager MIKE JENSEN Production Manager OUR VIEW Hanford remains an extreme risk One of the consequences of living sites including the tunnels are on the U.S. Department of Energy’s to-do near an enormous watershed is that list, with appropriate plans in place we must be on guard about major to safeguard workers and the public. pollution threats nearly everywhere “As work continues to complete in the France-sized Columbia Basin. The most ominous of these problems cleanup along the Columbia River Corridor, a long list of cleanup remains the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. activity remains outstanding on the Central Plateau, including Awareness of the enormous scale of toxins at the former Cold War remediation and demolition of more weapons site has been growing since than 1,000 waste sites, 500 facilities, and contaminated a shroud of secrecy soil and groundwater started to lift with collapse of the Soviet The public is — much of which is contaminated Union in the 1980s. only starting highly with radioactive and Facilities once used to toxic waste,” the manufacture radioactive to become lawmakers noted in bomb ingredients at aware of the their May 24 letter to astounding expense GAO. now are the subject kind of abuses the There’s ample of a corresponding expensive cleanup. of trust that reason to keep an eye on Hanford. Almost pulsating with happened at eagle Even now, the public potential for harm, is only starting to some of Hanford’s vast the facility. become aware of the stretches of desert will kinds of abuses of effectively be off limits trust that happened there — activities for thousands of years. What is new is the partial collapse that placed the reservation’s of a rail tunnel at Hanford’s PUREX downstream neighbors at risk. For example, the Nobel plant, a hulking factory devoted to Prize-winning Physicians for production of plutonium. Intended Environmental Responsibility as a makeshift dump for large note, “By 1957 eight plutonium equipment rendered deadly by production reactors dumped a plutonium contamination, the tunnel daily average of 50,000 curies was partially constructed of wooden of radioactive material into the railroad ties. Strong radiation like Columbia. Perhaps the most that in the tunnel eventually causes dramatic of these events was the wood to crumble. The structural “Green Run” in December 1949, integrity of PUREX tunnel 1 has when 8,000 curies of iodine-131 been compromised, leading to a recent emergency alert at the nuclear were intentionally released ... Although the plume covered an area reservation. There is at least one of 200 by 40 miles, no warnings more tunnel we’re aware of. were given and no follow-up of This comes on top of other area residents was conducted. By longer-term problems with the comparison, only 15 to 24 curies of cleanup, including failure of iodine-131 were released at Three some underground storage tanks Mile Island,” the famous 1979 that contain radioactive sludge, reactor accident in Pennsylvania. a byproduct of the nuclear-fuel Given all this context, it probably manufacturing process. is unwise to cut Hanford’s $2 A bipartisan group of federal billion annual cleanup budget by lawmakers from Oregon and $120 million, as President Trump is Washington, including Democratic proposing. While there undoubtedly U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Maria has been financial waste during the Cantwell and Republican Reps. cleanup, the tunnel collapse shows Greg Walden and Cathy McMorris us that enormous unfunded expenses Rodgers, are insisting that the lie ahead. Government Accountability Office Keeping more deadly conduct a review of this daunting contamination out of the Columbia mess. Their demand is broadly River must be a top national priority. intended to make sure legacy toxin Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. OTHER VIEWS Budget proposal a fantasy built on a house of cards By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel W here’s the real Paul Ryan when we need him? You know, that wonky digging-in-the-weeds guy who knew every budget forward and backward and upside down and inside out? We ask because Ryan today is supporting a dream world fantasy of a Trump budget that purports to balance the budget in 10 years on a house of cards. (“What I see is a president keeping his promises,” Ryan told Fox News). Others aren’t as blind in their loyalty. Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain weren’t the only congressional leaders to call it “dead on arrival.” In fact, “dead on arrival” is the best news we’ve heard about the Trump budget, which may be the least conservative in decades. If this were to somehow survive the sharp knives in Congress, the country would be in real trouble with millions left without services they need, a weaker defense and a massively growing deficit. First, the numbers are literally unbelievable. Among the problems: Critics say the budget double counts its tax cuts and includes revenue from an estate tax that it would eliminate, reports Business Insider. It also projects a 3 percent growth in the economy that virtually no one believes can happen. And it includes basic errors that former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said in the Washington Post “would justify failing a student in an introductory economics course.” While giving the president points for setting a good fiscal goal, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said in a release that the budget is “based on overly optimistic economic projections” and that the president is “relying on phony growth and unachievable cuts.” As to allocating spending, the budget increases defense spending but in the wrong way: The National Interest reports that the budget “begins to repair but does not rebuild the U.S. military,” and “does not live up to congressional expectations to better align resources with strategy after years of a growing mismatch.” At the same time, social programs are being gutted, which should worry states. Medicaid would take a $600 billion hit on top of the cuts proposed in the American Health Care Act, leaving states “looking at a more than $1 trillion reduction in Medicaid spending” Governing magazine reports. Ryan has in the past offered scathing criticism of Democratic budgets, and he was right to do so. But the Trump budget blows them all out of the water. Ryan needs to take off his political blinders and join those who are taking a realistic look at Trump’s nonsensical budget and saying “dead in the water.” OTHER VIEWS While other controversies rage, work on border wall moves forward N ew revelations come almost there are more than 650 miles along by the minute in the Trump- the border with something on them — Russia affair. A reasonable vehicle fence, simple pedestrian fence, observer might conclude that is whatever. That means the government has already gone through the land all that is happening in the Trump acquisition and approval process administration. But even as those required to erect a barrier. troubles fill news sites and cable There’s no doubt that hundreds of TV, administration officials are miles of truly impenetrable barriers quietly moving ahead on one of the Byron would have a huge effect on illegal president’s top campaign promises: the York construction of a wall on the U.S.- border crossings. Talk to some experts Comment Mexico border. who favor tougher border enforcement, and they will say that even as few as Although it hasn’t received much 100 well-chosen miles of barrier would make attention relative to the president’s many a difference. problems, extensive planning for the wall is Once planners decide where to build, under way, officials are evaluating specific there will then be the question of what to proposals, sites are being studied, and yes, build. If the decision is to build a wall, then there is money available to get going. The the question is: a wall of what? Planners work is being done under President Trump’s have decided that concrete will definitely be executive order of Jan. 25. involved, even though it hasn’t played much “The executive order calls on the authority of a role in earlier barriers. Why concrete? in the Secure Fence Act for us to begin “It’s an interpretation of the vision,” the immediately,” said a senior administration senior administration official official who recently provided explained. By “vision,” he an extensive update on the state meant it is a way to make of the wall project. In March, Trump’s oft-repeated promise U.S. Customs and Border of a “big, beautiful wall” a Protection sent out a request reality. Trump didn’t mean a for proposals for companies fence. to bid on the construction of On the other hand, using prototypes — not little models concrete presents one obvious to sit on someone’s desk, but problem. Whatever barrier is full-scale sections of proposed built, Border Protection agents on the U.S. side wall designs that will be put in place on the need to be able to see through it. That’s always border. So far, Border Protection has received been a requirement with earlier barriers. So more than 100 proposals. now, officials are looking for creative ideas for “We are evaluating what started out as a wall that will still allow them full sight of the a solicitation to industry and request for Mexican side. proposals — 18 to 30 feet high, concrete, That touches on the most important impenetrable, hard-to-scale, the correct consideration for planners. A wall isn’t just a aesthetics,” the official said. wall. It is a system — a “smart wall,” as they There are some important points to call it. It involves building a barrier with the remember before going any further. First, monitoring technology to allow U.S. officials there is no intention to build a wall to stretch to be aware of people approaching; to be able the entire border, from San Diego, California, to track them at all times; to have roads to to Brownsville, Texas. In his campaign, the move people around; the facilities to deal with president made clear that the wall need not the people who are apprehended; and more. cover every mile of the border. Certainly, At this point, it’s impossible to say what no expert who supports more barriers at the building a smart wall will cost, because border believes it should, either. officials haven’t yet decided on a plan. And the wall does not always mean a wall. Republicans on the Hill argue that they got as The Jan. 25 executive order defined “wall” as “a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly much money in the recent spending bill as they could for the project, given that they had to secure, contiguous and impassable physical barrier.” Planners say that in practice, that will work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown and fund the government through certainly mean extensive areas with an actual Sept. 30. “We weren’t going to get anything wall. But other areas might have the type of passed that said, quote-unquote, ‘wall,’” noted fencing outlined in the Secure Fence Act, or one GOP staffer. some other barrier yet to be designed. The next funding hurdle will come when And that leads to a third point: The border Congress considers spending for 2018. barrier will not look the same at all points Most House and Senate Democrats appear along the border. The terrain of the border is determined to stop a border barrier. They say it different — some parts are so imposing they will be expensive and ineffective, while some don’t need a barrier at all — and officials plan Republicans believe Democrats oppose the to design walls and barriers that fit each area, wall mainly because they fear it will work. rather than one long, unchanging structure. After the recent spending bill passed, some Right now, officials are studying how opponents of the wall declared the project many “buildable miles” will need a barrier. At dead. But any victory dance right now is the moment, planners believe that about 700 premature. Yes, it’s certainly possible the wall “buildable miles” of the border will require a won’t be built. But it’s also possible it will be wall or other barrier. That just happens to be about the same amount called for in the Secure built, or that significant parts of it will be built. The work is already under way. Fence Act. ■ Does the government have that much Byron York is chief political correspondent land available? The answer is mostly yes. Remember, from the numbers cited above, that for The Washington Examiner. If the decision is to build a wall, then a wall of what?
