Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Wednesday, June 21, 2017 U.N. chief: U.S. will be replaced EOCI: Amsberry said she enjoys getting to know the inmates if it disengages from world UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Trump administration on Tuesday that if the United States disengages from many issues confronting the international community it will be replaced — and that won’t be good for America or for the world. Guterres made clear to reporters at his first press conference here since taking the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1 that proposed cuts in U.S. funding for the U.N. would be disastrous and create “an unsolvable problem to the management of the U.N.” But the U.N. chief stressed that he is not afraid to stand up to President Donald Trump, citing his vocal opposition to the U.S. leader’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. He said the mobilization of U.S. business and civil society in support of the climate deal is “a signal of hope that we very much encourage.” Looking at the array of global crises, Guterres expressed concern that there could be a direct confronta- tion between the United States and Russia over Syria and urged a de-escalation of the dispute between Washington and Moscow over the U.S. downing of a Syrian jet. This is very important, he said, “because these kind of incidents can be very dangerous in a conflict situ- ation in which there are so many actors, and in which the situation is so complex on the ground.” “So, indeed, I am concerned, and I hope that this will not lead to any escalation of the conflict that is already as dramatic as it is,” Guterres said. The U.N. chief said he has been actively involved in trying to promote “effective mediation” in a large number of global conflicts including South Sudan, Congo, Central African Republic, Syria, Libya and more recently Afghanistan and Cyprus. “That doesn’t mean that problems are easy to be solved,” he said. “In a world where power relations are unclear and where impunity and unpredictability tend to prevail, what we see is that the capacity of prevention and conflict resolution of the international community as a whole, but also of the U.N. in particular, are today severely limited. Nonetheless, Guterres said: “I intend to go on very actively engaged in these kind of contacts.” COMPOST: Water right turned out to be a larger gamble than expected for Ostrom Continued from 1A 180 tons of mushroom compost — or substrate — every week, though the material would have had to be shipped to another farm where Ostrom’s would grow and harvest the actual mushrooms. The deal with Sunnyside allows Ostrom’s to construct both the compost and mush- room growing facilities on the same site, which Mabbott said they were not able to do near Athena without access to natural gas. Mabbott, who met with Knudsen last week, said regulatory issues also played a role in Ostrom’s decision to pull out of Oregon. First, the water right turned out to be a larger gamble than expected after the Oregon Water Resources Depart- ment placed additional regu- lations on groundwater wells in the Walla Walla subbasin, declaring a Serious Water Management Problem Area on May 11. The declaration means no new agricultural wells will be approved in the 30,000- acre subbasin in order to curb groundwater declines, even though Mabbott said the facility would use rela- tively little water — roughly equivalent to four residential homes. Ostrom’s also faced the highest level of public scrutiny possible to secure a composting permit through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Jamie Jones, natural resource specialist with DEQ, said the agency assigned the permit as a “Category 4,” or the same risk level as a landfill. Composting permits take into account things like surface water and ground- water contamination, as well as off-site odor. The higher the risk category, the more the public has the chance to weigh in and provide comments. “We wanted to make sure everybody had the ability to participate before we started drafting the permit,” Jones said. About 15 people attended a community meeting on June 6 in Athena, hosted by DEQ, to discuss the Ostrom’s proposal. Jones said most questions at the meeting centered on odor. Ostrom’s has since notified DEQ they no longer intend to pursue a permit at this time. While Mabbott said odor is a subjective and nebulous thing, she had previously visited the Ostrom’s farm in Olympia and found the smell to be mild. “It’s nothing compared to even a small feedlot,” Mabbott said. Despite the recent agreement with the Port of Sunnyside, Mabbott said she holding out hope that the county may still be able to lure Ostrom’s back with the right incentives. The $25 million Sunnyside development is expected to bring 200 new jobs to the area, according to the Herald-Republic. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. Continued from 1A She started out as a telephone operator, then move over to the security side and worked her way up the ranks. By 2013 she was superintendent at TRCI, and in 2014 she moved back over to EOCI to serve as superintendent there. Thirty-four years ago women were not even allowed to work most jobs in Oregon prisons, so having two female superintendents in a row at EOCI is a sign that times have changed. Department of Corrections institutions administrator Mark Nooth acknowledged that moving up the ranks in such a tradi- tionally male-dominated field has not been easy for many female corrections employees, but said today it is “not all that unusual” for prison administrators to be women. “I think the department should be very proud,” he said. “We’ve worked hard on the diversity piece.” Taylor said when she worked as a telephone operator for EOCI in the 1980s women were “just starting to be allowed” to work in men’s prisons. “I had some very coura- geous women who came before me, some of whom I cam proud to call my mentors, who fought for the right to be treated equally,” she said. Nooth said that Taylor has become a mentor herself, and that her retire- ment is a big loss to the Department of Corrections. “Leaders like that don’t come along every day,” he said. Working inside a prison isn’t for everyone, but both women said the people are what makes the job worth it. There’s a camaraderie that comes with working together in such a high-stress environment, and Amsberry said working in corrections is a “truly honorable career.” “We’re here to keep the public safe, to keep our staff safe, but also here to release a person we hope to never see again,” Amsberry said. “We don’t want them to come back.” She said she enjoys getting to know the inmates, some of whom she has known since she first started at EOCI. One of her favorite parts of the job is shaking hands with someone about to be released. She also gets to know the inmates’ families when they come for a visit. “I talk to a lot of the moms,” she said, noting she’s a mother too. “They’re not incarcerated but they’re greatly affected.” Taylor said it has been fun watching the “metamor- phoses” of many inmates. Some misbeaver, then take more responsibility for their actions. Others went through the prison’s electrical apprenticeship program, got released and have now successfully established themselves in the outside world. She said the prisons are always trying to do more with less as costs go up and funding goes down. She said the job was a “heavy lift” sometimes, but she will miss the challenge. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. TAX: Fails to meet requirements of the constitution Continued from 1A Hence, Legislative Counsel now considers revenue-raising proposals to mean only measures that would change a tax rate. A change to the tax base alone needs only a simple majority vote, Legislative Counsel Dexter Johnson told lawmakers on the House Interim Committee on Revenue last year. The Senate Bill 28 passed the House and Senate without a three- fifths majority. The vote in the House Monday was 34-to-23. The bill was approved in the Senate 17-to-13. If signed by the governor, the bill could face a legal challenge, said House and Senate Republi- cans Monday. The bill’s passage fails to meet the requirements of the constitution for a measure that raises revenue, said House Minority Leader, Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte. “I swore an oath to uphold the Oregon Consti- tution, even when it might be inconvenient. I am not willing to risk violating that oath by supporting this bill,” McLane said Monday. Senate Republican spokesman Jonathan Lock- wood accused legislative Democrats of “trampling on the constitution.” “Oregonians can’t afford any more tax increases, and a lot of this is hidden,” Lockwood said. “These pile up before they hit the consumer,” he added. House Democrats who passed the bill Monday didn’t issue a formal response to Republicans’ assertions. Scott Moore, a spokesman for House Democrats, referred to the Oregon Supreme Court ruling. “I kind of think the legal argument speaks for itself,” Moore said. ——— The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. ؏ EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ؏ Administrative Assistant Being wattsmart helps Oregon’s environment Great work environment. Super awesome team. Good pay. Excellent health insurance. Retirement plan. Weekends off . Interested? We are looking for a motivated, self-confi dent individual to join our inside sales team at East Oregonian in Pendleton. We have an opening for an administrative assistant position. No newspaper experience? No problem, as long as you understand the importance of great customer service, working hard and a desire to enjoy your job. Could this be you? wattsmart is registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. You would provide administrative support to the advertising director and publisher. The right candidate will be organized with a high attention to detail, have a desire to learn and grow their skills and work well in a team environment. Successful candidates will need problem-solving and computer skills including experience working in Excel, plus the ability to handle multiple tasks at once. Must be very accurate and detail oriented plus have excellent customer service and communication skills. Job qualifi cations include a high degree of computer literacy, accuracy and speed when typing and spelling, excellent organizational, phone and communication skills. No sales experience required. Full-time, wage plus commission potential. Benefi ts include Paid Time Off (PTO), insurances and 401(k)/Roth 401(k) retirement plan. © 2017 Pacific Power Send resume and letter of interest to EO Media Group, PO Box 2048 • Salem, OR 97308-2048, by fax to 503-371-2935 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com and helps you save energy and money. We can all make Oregon better. Efficiency can help make that a reality, starting with energy efficiency at home. With a few wattsmart ® upgrades, like using a smart thermostat or installing LED lights, you can save energy and money, while also making Oregon a cleaner and healthier place to live. Learn how Pacific Power teams up with Energy Trust of Oregon to help you make a difference and save at bewattsmart.com. Come work with us! We are an awesome team.