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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, August 2, 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 OTHER VIEWS Staff photo by E.J. Harris Patrons play in the water at McNary Beach on the Columbia River on Mon- day in Umatilla. With rising temperatures, the beaches along the Columbia River will become a popular place for those looking to escape the heat. Stay cool, dude Eastern Oregonians are no strangers to an August heat wave. It seems to arrive annually this time of year, a blistering sun scorching the region just when the most work is required to harvest our wheat and watermelons. But these next few days will test even the hardiest of local residents, as thermometers are expected to climb to record highs. The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures to rise to 107 degrees in Hermiston on Thursday, which would be a record for the date. So as practiced as many of us are regarding the heat, it’s time to take additional precautions over the next few days. Those precautions must start at staying hydrated, and making sure your friends and loved ones are doing the same. Drink lots of water from the time you get up to the time you go to bed, and go light on the coffee and the alcoholic beverages in between. Stay out of the sunlight when you can, wear hats and apply ample coats of sunscreen when outdoors. And remember to keep an eye on neighbors, or others in need who may not have anyone looking out for them. Do your best to make your living space livable, without breaking the bank or using unnecessary energy. Button up your home before the sun comes up — close your blinds and drapes tightly, especially on south-facing windows that allow the most heat. Once the sun is down and temperatures drop to more respectable levels, open windows and use fans to replace the hot, stuffy air with fresher, cooler air. Air conditioners may be necessary during the height of the heat midday, but remember that fans use much less electricity and can be more effective after the sun goes down. Consider leaving the oven, dishwasher and dryer off during the day. And if you can stand your thermostat at 78 degrees or so, you’ll save considerable money and energy — dropping the thermostat by every 2 degrees can increase your bill by as much as 8 percent. Considering the cost of keeping your house cool, many people tend to share the energy load by spending hot days in public places with AC. A midday movie at the theater or a cheaper and more edifying trip to the library can give you three hours of air-conditioned chill when the heat is at its most unbearable. As we mentioned in Tuesday’s story, many of our towns have public pools, and there are swimming spots along many of our local waterways — though take safety precautions, as the intense heat combined with cooler water can affect swimmers. And consider beating the heat by increasing your altitude. It is likely to be 20 degrees cooler atop Tollgate, and if you climb high enough in the Wallowas, you’ll find snow. And snow is never more welcome than on a 100-degree August day. 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. YOUR VIEWS Oregon should promote natural gas vehicles Luckily, natural gas powered vehicles are a ready-made solution to reduce harmful emissions from the heavy-duty vehicles we need for commerce, commuting and getting our kids to school. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon, producing nearly 40 percent of the total. Diesel-powered trucks and buses contribute significantly to bad air days. Natural gas vehicles are much cleaner than diesel vehicles and capable of doing the same work. They feature significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and in harmful air pollutants including fine particulates, nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides. For instance, the newest diesel motors emit up to twenty times more nitrous oxides than the latest natural gas engines. We are all affected by diesel pollution, but especially the most vulnerable populations: children, elderly and the sick. Vehicle emissions are a problem we need to address right now. That’s one reason why companies like Waste Management, UPS, Frito Lay and Fred Meyer currently operate natural gas vehicles as part of their local fleets. The opportunity to convert other fleets to natural gas is enormous. There’s another plus: they can run on renewable natural gas. Every landfill and sewage treatment plant produces renewable natural gas but few communities make use of it. Hauling big loads using ultra-low emitting engines could provide up to a 115 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a similar decrease in toxic air pollutants. Remember the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor in “Back To the Future?” It used household garbage to run the DeLorean Time Machine. Using renewable natural gas to fuel vehicles is a big step in that very direction. The future is now in the Pacific Northwest. We can make the jump to cleaner transportation by prioritizing natural gas vehicles for some of Oregon’s Volkswagen settlement funds; giving fleet owners practical alternatives to replacing old diesel engines with new ones; earmarking funds for conversions of publicly owned fleets, and facilitating the build-out of safe, clean natural gas fueling stations. Transitioning passenger cars to electric vehicles is important and we’re making good progress on that front. However, putting electric vehicles to work moving large loads over varied terrain is a long way off. Every day we wait to address this issue is another day vulnerable citizens are exposed to the toxic health effects of diesel exhaust. It is time to make real change now by putting natural gas vehicles on our roads. Keeping Devin Nunes out of the game I n early April, news reports were — in order to keep Nunes out of the filled with word that House Russia investigation. Intelligence Committee Chairman “I don’t think there is anyone on the Devin Nunes had recused himself from (intelligence) committee who thinks the committee’s Russia investigation. Devin did anything inappropriate,” said Outside activist groups accused Nunes Rep. Chris Stewart, a member of the of revealing classified information, and Intelligence Committee, in an interview the House Ethics Committee decided to last week. “We’re so frustrated with look into the matter. Nunes was forced the ethics process that I’ve been Byron to step aside from the Russia probe encouraging him to get back in the York while the ethics watchdogs worked. seat.” Comment Now, nearly four months later, the “How it has been handled has committee is still working, with no end been very controversial,” said another in sight. Intel Committee member in a text exchange. It’s been an unusual investigation from the “Democrats slow-walking the ethics inquiry to beginning. The House Intelligence Committee keep (Nunes) sidelined.” has nonpartisan staff to watch Tom Rust, the Ethics members for any possible Committee staff director and disclosures of classified chief counsel, declined to information. If a member comment on the case. is thought to have revealed Now, as the Russia something classified — it’s case continues to dominate usually inadvertent and a public attention, the House minor matter — the staff investigation is going largely can bring it to his or her without its chairman, who attention, and the matter is has been pushed to the side usually handled inside the by an unusual investigation committee. that Republicans believe In fact, it is rare for an is being extended for the accusation of unauthorized purpose of keeping the disclosure to make it to chairman away from the the Ethics Committee. “It Russia affair. And there is no is not unprecedented, but idea of when that situation the number of cases that might change. are reported or publicly But if the history cited known are fairly limited,” said Scott Horton, by Scott Horton is any prediction, the Ethics a Columbia University law lecturer who has Committee will end up doing nothing in the studied the topic. “The treatment of the cases Nunes affair. On the other hand, that is not is uneven. In several high-profile cases, the really the point. The point, at the moment, is for case was opened and studied, but no action was the committee to keep the matter going so that taken.” Nunes will have to stay on the sidelines. When Horton testified before a Senate And that leads to the question of what Nunes Judiciary subcommittee last December, running will do now. The first sentence of this article down a list of examples, the most recent case noted that news reports in April said Nunes had of the House Ethics Committee looking at “recused” himself from the Russia matter. But alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified Nunes says he did not recuse himself — that information was a 1995 case in which the word has a specific legal meaning — but committee investigated then-Rep. Robert rather stepped aside from leading the Russia Torricelli for allegedly releasing classified investigation for a while. That meant Nunes not information about the CIA in Guatemala. The only remained chairman but has also been able committee took no action. to keep up with the Russia probe. But now Nunes is under Ethics Committee “I never recused myself,” Nunes told a investigation. The probe commenced after Fresno, California radio station in mid-June. three left-leaning activist groups, MoveOn.org, “What happened was, the media began this Democracy 21, and Citizens for Responsibility narrative that I had recused myself when in fact and Ethics in Washington, asked the committee all I said was hey, I’m just going to temporarily “to investigate whether Nunes disclosed step aside from leading this.” At another point classified information,” according to the CREW in the same appearance, Nunes said he was website. “still involved in the investigation, just not Nunes denied the charges and attributed leading it.” them to the activists’ campaign to derail any A month earlier, in May, in an interview investigation into alleged Obama White House with Fox News, Nunes said he is still informed misuse of intelligence. Nevertheless, “despite on things that are happening in the Russia the baselessness of the charges,” in the words affair. “I’m still read into everything,” Nunes of his statement, Nunes stepped aside from the said. Russia probe on April 6. What if the Ethics Committee probe goes Now, as the investigation finishes its on indefinitely? At some point, it seems fourth month, a number of Republicans on possible that Nunes and the Republicans on the Intelligence Committee are becoming the Intelligence Committee will say enough is frustrated. As they see it, there’s nothing to enough. What will happen then is anybody’s the charge, but Democrats have the ability to guess. stretch out the Ethics Committee probe — ■ unlike other committees, Ethics is divided Byron York is chief political correspondent equally between Republicans and Democrats for The Washington Examiner. As the Russia case continues to dominate public attention, the House investigation is going largely without its chairman. Dan Kirschner NW Gas Association West Linn LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a phone number. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
