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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, September 27, 2017 Washington deals blow to plan for coal export terminal By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. — A company that wants to build and operate a large terminal to export coal from the western U.S. to Asia was denied a key permit by Washington state on Tuesday because of environmental concerns. The Department of Ecology rejected a water quality permit that Millen- nium Bulk Terminals sought because the proposed facility near the city of Longview would have caused “signifi- cant and unavoidable harm” to the environment. The department cited effects to air quality, noise pollution and tribal resources, among others. “There are simply too many unavoidable and nega- tive environmental effects for the project to move forward,” Ecology Director Maia Bellon said in a statement. Millennium Bulk Termi- nals has long hoped to build a facility along the Columbia River to handle up to 44 million tons of coal a year. Trains would carry the coal from Montana, Wyoming and AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File This 2005 file photo shows the port of Longview on the Columbia River at Longview, Wash. The Department of Ecology said Tuesday it rejected a water quality permit that Millennium Bulk Terminals wanted because the proposed facility near Longview would have caused “significant and unavoidable harm” to the environment. other states, which would be loaded onto ships headed to Asia. William Chapman, the president and CEO of Millen- nium, said the company will appeal the decision and expects “a fairer and more consistent interpretation of the law.” “Multiple recent deci- sions by the agency seem biased against the Longview community, and particularly blind to the need for employ- ment opportunities in Cowlitz County,” he said in a written statement. Environmentalists, tribes and others have fiercely opposed the project — which could increase U.S. exports of coal by 40 percent — because of concerns about global warming, coal dust pollution and potential damage to fisheries on the river. Several of those groups lauded Tues- day’s decision. “The state did the right thing today, standing up for clean water, public health and the Pacific Northwest’s iconic endangered salmon runs,” Power Past Coal co-director Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky said in a statement. Businesses, some labor groups and other supporters 23 environmental areas, 19 would face harmful effects, and some could not be offset or reduced, officials said at the time. The review found that coal dust pollution from trains would not be major because emissions levels would be below state and federal standards, but pollution from locomotives would raise the cancer risk for one low-in- come neighborhood. Residents also would see more noise and traffic delays at rail crossings without a quiet zone or other measures, the study said. At full capacity, the project would add 16 more trains through the area and increase the number of ships by 1,680 a year. Gov. Jay Inslee said he was confident that state ecology officials “based their decision on sound science and in accordance with the law.” “It’s absolutely critical that all projects — particularly of this scale — undergo an objective and extensive review that ensures they are able to meet the standards necessary for protecting our land, air and water,” he said in an emailed statement. say the project would create jobs, add tax revenue and boost the local economy. The governor of Wyoming, the nation’s leading coal-pro- ducing state, previously trav- eled to the Pacific Northwest to pitch the importance of coal exports to the governors of Washington and Oregon. Kris Johnson, president of the Association of Wash- ington Business, criticized the process that led to the deci- sion, saying that the project has faced “unprecedented regulatory hurdles.” “We need companies to invest in manufacturing, construction and infrastruc- ture to support trade,” he wrote in a prepared state- ment. “Instead of turning away investment, our leaders should be encouraging responsible growth.” Montana’s attorney general said he plans to review the decision to make sure the law has been followed. An environmental review released in April by Wash- ington’s ecology department and Cowlitz County analyzed potential harm to fish habitat, wetlands, water quality, local communities and more. Of HERMISTON Consultant offers advice on conference center rates, operation policies for the conference center and update them where needed, including a single set of rates and policies for all users. J Robertson and Company gathered rate comparisons for Hermiston venues including the confer- ence center, Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, Armory, Oxford Suites and Maxwell Event Center, as well as the Port of Morrow in Boardman and Pendleton Convention Center. The report recommends that the information be used to “establish rates that are competitive with market rates, maximize service cost recovery, and are consistent with the community’s philos- ophy on providing cultural and recreational services to the community.” Councilor Jackie Myers she wouldn’t want the city to create a rate structure that By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian A consultant hired to analyze the market position of the Hermiston Conference Center has recommended that the city modify its rates to give the same price to nonprofit, public and private events at the center. The recommendation was one of several in a report by J Robertson and Company presented to the city council Monday. The city paid about $10,000 for the analysis in anticipation of its plans to take over management of the Hermiston Conference Center in January. Sara Singer told the council that the transition provides “an opportunity to make some improvements and put some new policies in place.” The report recom- mended that the city review discourages groups from booking the center, but it would also be hard to have to make a separate decision on every single event. Mark Morgan, assistant city manager, said a single rate would likely mean a cheaper price for private events than in the past but a more expen- sive rate than nonprofits have been paying. Parks and recreation director Larry Fetter said the department has always deter- mined pricing by whether the user is a Hermiston resident or non-resident. The report also recom- mended using the parks and recreation department’s online booking system to schedule events at the conference center and move all booking and information about the center onto a page on the city’s website. To maximize use of the building, it recommended evaluating the cost of room dividers for the large central room that would allow multiple events to take place at the same time. City Manager Byron Smith said the city had not yet looked into dividers but it was something he felt the city should explore. The report’s other three recommendations for the Hermiston Conference Center were to use the center’s storage space for recreation equipment, have a city staff member or “trained building monitor” on site during all events, and research the cost of providing janitorial and maintenance in-house instead of through a contract. In recognition of the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center’s effects on the conference center, the report also offered three recommen- 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 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays 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 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 Corrections Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com 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 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 COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY THURSDAY Pleasant with plenty of sunshine Sunny and beautiful 78° 49° 81° 51° FRIDAY SATURDAY Some sun; rain at night Cooler; a shower in the p.m. PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 78° 53° 65° 48° 63° 44° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 83° 48° 81° 47° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 76° 73° 94° (1899) 52° 46° 24° (1908) 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 0.91" 0.46" 12.28" 8.02" 8.84" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 77° 75° 98° (1952) 52° 44° 32° (2000) 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" 0.36" 0.37" 7.01" 5.44" 6.49" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today First Full 70° 51° 6:48 a.m. 6:43 p.m. 2:02 p.m. 11:29 p.m. Last New Spokane Wenatchee 73/49 76/52 Tacoma Moses 79/48 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 79/48 74/49 80/57 80/48 80/47 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 83/52 79/55 Lewiston 81/47 Astoria 79/51 82/55 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 82/59 Pendleton 73/41 The Dalles 81/47 78/49 82/49 La Grande Salem 75/42 85/53 Albany Corvallis 84/49 85/50 John Day 76/49 Ontario Eugene Bend 76/44 83/49 76/43 Caldwell Burns 74/43 72/32 Oct 5 Oct 12 Oct 19 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 82 76 76 74 72 73 83 75 81 76 77 75 74 88 76 78 76 81 78 82 77 85 73 74 82 79 80 Lo 55 35 43 54 32 41 49 49 47 49 39 42 41 51 53 53 44 45 49 59 37 53 49 40 57 55 47 W s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 73 77 79 68 74 76 84 78 83 78 78 78 77 88 68 68 77 82 81 85 81 85 77 78 83 83 82 Lo 54 39 46 54 33 42 52 50 48 49 41 44 43 53 54 55 43 47 51 58 41 55 50 41 57 58 49 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s s s pc s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 74 95 78 69 73 52 70 76 80 74 79 Lo 48 84 61 56 58 37 57 56 59 64 70 W pc s s pc pc c pc s r pc pc Thu. Hi 73 94 77 66 70 51 73 76 74 78 79 Lo 47 82 61 54 58 39 58 56 50 57 65 W s s s pc t pc pc pc s pc r WINDS Medford 88/51 Klamath Falls 77/39 (in mph) Today Thursday Boardman Pendleton NE 4-8 NNE 4-8 NE 4-8 NW 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Mostly sunny today. Warmer in central parts; pleasant in the south. Eastern and Central Oregon: Pleasant today with plenty of sunshine. Clear tonight. Western Washington: Mostly sunny today. Clear tonight. Brilliant sunshine tomorrow. Sep 27 68° 47° Seattle 79/57 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 80° 55° Today SUNDAY Mostly cloudy, breezy and cool Eastern Washington: Sunny today. Clear tonight. Plenty of sunshine tomorrow. Cascades: Mostly sunny and pleasant today. Mainly clear tonight. Sunny and nice tomorrow. Northern California: Plenty of sun today; pleasant at the coast. Mainly clear tonight. 1 recreation events, chamber of commerce events, private rentals and public events. For EOTEC, priorities are trade shows, regional events, the Umatilla County Fair, outdoor events and events with more than 300 people. The city council adopted the report during its regular meeting Monday but is not bound by any of the recom- mendations. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. An article in Tuesday’s East Oregonian provided incor- rect dates of death for Vietnam War soldiers Greg Gessel and Gordon Spearman, of Hermiston. Gessel was killed on Sept. 14, 1967, and Spearman on March 10, 1971. 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: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Kimberly Macias 541-278-2683 • kmacias@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — dations for EOTEC: consider providing maintenance and janitorial services in-house, create a marketing plan and add more signs directing visi- tors to the facility. The city and Umatilla County share ownership and operational responsibility for the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center. The report also listed the priorities for events at both centers based on feedback from staff. For the Hermiston Conference Center, priorities were listed as parks and 2 4 4 2 1 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: Maria will brush eastern North Carolina with squalls and rough seas today. Storms will dot the Midwest as the risk of flooding continues over the southern Plains and Rockies. Most other areas will be dry. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 97° in Harlingen, Texas Low 14° in Bodie State Park, Calif. 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 63 89 79 86 69 90 73 81 91 88 73 85 86 59 79 76 54 67 89 90 80 92 70 86 87 90 Lo 53 69 70 66 44 68 49 64 71 62 51 58 69 46 51 62 38 45 76 73 53 70 50 66 66 63 W t s c pc pc s s pc pc s s pc t c pc t pc s pc pc pc pc pc s pc s Thur. Hi 65 89 79 77 70 86 76 75 92 74 73 70 81 59 69 79 43 69 89 89 74 94 74 87 81 90 Lo 53 68 55 52 46 63 50 51 71 49 54 51 65 43 52 61 34 40 76 72 52 71 54 67 60 64 W r s pc s pc s s pc pc pc s pc c r s pc r pc pc pc s s s s pc 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 87 88 89 70 65 89 90 84 64 72 88 92 79 82 88 67 75 91 77 69 80 88 79 90 87 71 Lo 58 68 77 51 51 65 74 68 56 49 68 69 63 65 67 42 45 56 55 50 63 59 57 61 70 51 W s s sh s s s s pc t s pc s pc pc s s s s pc s pc s s pc pc pc Thur. Hi 76 81 90 72 71 79 92 78 71 75 78 95 74 80 88 70 79 91 76 68 82 81 82 93 79 76 Lo 54 61 76 54 49 55 75 56 55 51 55 74 45 50 58 45 48 57 56 49 64 58 58 68 58 56 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W s s c s pc s s pc c s pc s pc pc pc s s s s s pc s s s s pc
