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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2017)
56/41 BOY SCOUTS TO ALLOW GIRLS DEADLY CALIF. FIRES EXPLODE AGAIN NATION/6A NATION/7A THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017 141st Year, No. 258 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD ECHO Canadian company plans Nolin Hills wind farm 350-MW project would be built on private land By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian A Canadian energy company is looking to develop its largest wind farm to date on private farm- land four miles south of Echo in Umatilla County. Capital Power Corporation, based in Edmonton, Alberta, recently notifi ed Oregon regula- tors it will pursue the Nolin Hills Wind Power Project, which would generate approximately 350 mega- watts of renewable electricity. The company fi led what’s known as a Notice of Intent with the Oregon Department of Energy in September, announcing it will apply for a site certifi cate to build the project. Preliminary informa- tion shows the facility would be located on 44,900 acres with an 18-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line to connect onto the energy grid. The precise number, size and layout of turbines has not yet been determined. Paul Wendelgass, director of business development for Capital Power Corporation, said the company hopes to have the wind farm completed by 2020 in order to qualify for the federal production tax credit, which currently pays 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour but will phase down by 20 percent per year through 2019. The Department of Energy anticipates Capital Power will submit its application for a site certifi cate by February 2018. For now, the public has until Monday, Nov. 6 to provide comments on the Notice of Intent. “We’ve been conducting environmental studies at the site,” Wendelgass said. “We’re working on studies to refi ne our site layouts, evaluate constraints from an environmental perspective and do our best to avoid or mitigate the impacts where we can.” Capital Power, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, traces its history back to the Edmonton Electric Lighting and Power Company, formed in 1891. The company became an independent See WIND/8A Noor out as Oregon schools chief By STEVEN DUBOIS Associated Press Blues expected to turn white Staff photo by E.J. Harris Shafts of light shine through the clouds illuminating the foothills of the Blue Mountains on Wednesday east of Pilot Rock. A low pressure sys- tem moving through Eastern Oregon will bring rain in the lower elevations and snow in the higher elevations. The National Weather Service is forecasting scattered snow showers in the mountains Thursday morning and more signifi cant snow by late in the day and into Friday. The service expects travel impacts on mountain roads, especially Interstate 84, U.S. Highway 395 and Oregon Route 204. PORTLAND — Oregon schools chief Salam Noor resigned Wednesday after less than 2 ½ years on the job. Gov. Kate Brown announced the news in a statement, saying Colt Gill will serve as acting chief during the search for a permanent replacement. Noor’s resignation comes about a month after test results showed Oregon students declining in reading, writing and math. Noor, whose offi cial title was deputy superintendent for public instruction, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Brown was out of the country on a trade mission and unavail- able for comment. See NOOR/8A PENDLETON Forestry wants more money for fi res Sexual predator’s By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SILVERTON — Oregon’s forestry department may ask legislators in the upcoming session for more money to deal with escalating wild- fi res. State Forester Peter Daugherty told the Board of Forestry Wednesday that there is “big interest” in the Legislature in addressing fi re policy, particularly when it comes to fi res on Oregon’s federal land. “They all want to do something, and I don’t know quite what it is they want to do,” Daugherty said. “But they have created a fi re caucus, and there will be a fi re policy discussion at their next legislative session.” The timing may be right for the forestry department to make its case to legisla- tors. While Oregon’s rural communities consistently see fi re’s effects up close, the state’s major cities got a dose of smoke and ash from wildfi res this summer. The Eagle Creek Fire, which began in early September and is still burning on the scenic Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, caused particular distress. And this week, more than 20 people have perished as a result of wildfi res in California wine country. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown was also “very engaged” in See FIRE/8A return to town sparks an alarm By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Collin Andrew/The Register-Guard via AP In this Aug. 24, 2017, photo, Hannah Blackstock scouts a wild- fi re in the Willamette National forest northeast of Lowell. Fire season has cost an estimated $38.9 million in 2017. Sexual offender Steven “Max” Duggan in September announced on Facebook he was moving back to Pendleton. Dan Logman alerted to the post like a guard dog to an intruder and has been barking about it since. Logman said Duggan back in 2009 harassed his girlfriend, now wife, Vanessa Logman. When he told Duggan over the phone to stop, he said Duggan showed up 90 Duggan minutes later at their front door. That was enough for Logman to determine he was dangerous. “That’s when I started researching who he was,” Logman said. He found Duggan’s criminal past, which includes 1990 and 2001 Umatilla County convic- tions for rape and sodomy. Police told him to treat Duggan as a serious threat, Logman said. Logman, a burly man who bench presses more than 400 pounds, said he kept track of Duggan after that. Duggan ended up in prison in Washington for drug crimes, then got out in See DUGGAN/8A
