Page 4A
East Oregonian
Thursday, May 3, 2018
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Bitcoin miners may
threaten NW’s power
T
he quest for bitcoins, the
cryptocurrency that exists only
in cyberspace, probably doesn’t
weigh heavily on the minds of most
Northwesterners.
But it should.
Bitcoin “miners” are proliferating
around the world, but the Pacific
Northwest and its low power rates
make this region particularly attractive.
The miners use racks crammed with
power-hungry computer servers to solve
cryptographic puzzles and ferret out the
cryptocurrency.
At stake for the lucky miners is
millions of dollars.
But while more miners are joining
the rush for bitcoins they also may
threaten the regional economy, much of
which is based on low-cost hydropower.
The same power grid that supplies
megawatts of electricity to the bitcoin
crowd also supplies it to the Washington
state system of publicly owned electric
utilities.
The issue has sparked a debate across
the river in Washington’s Mid-Columbia
Basin. There, public utility districts
operate five dams that produce massive
amounts of electricity to power the
region and, through sales to other
utilities, other regions as well. Add in
the low-cost power produced by the
Bonneville Power Administration and
you have the foundation of the entire
Pacific Northwest economy.
Currently, bitcoin miners have
requested 2,000 megawatts of electricity
— about two-thirds of the average
output of the Mid-Columbia Basin’s five
dams.
The problem with bitcoin miners is
they are temporary. They need lots of
power today, or when the value of a
bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies is high,
but they don’t need it at all when the
value drops. That happens on occasion,
as a bitcoin has ranged in value from a
few hundred dollars to nearly $20,000.
In fact, the value of bitcoin bounced
between $6,630 and $8,366 last
month. That’s down from $19,216 last
December.
That calls into question the value
of cryptocurrency. It’s not backed by
any government or precious metal;
it’s just a digital hologram of money.
Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize-winning
economist and columnist for The New
York Times, called it a Ponzi scheme.
We won’t argue with him.
Because of the volatility of
cryptocurrencies the success of miners
could be fleeting, and their ability to pay
their power bills could be, too.
In dealing with the requests for
power, the PUDs have take a prudent
course of reconsidering their rate
structures and requirements for
large power users to pay for added
transmission lines and substations.
They also are being careful not to
commit too much power to temporary
users such as bitcoin miners and have
enough available for the expansion of
real economic operations such as fruit
processors.
The fear is that a bitcoin miner might
close down, leaving a PUD and its
customers holding the bill for the power
and expensive equipment they no longer
need.
Utilities should exercise great caution
in dealing with cryptocurrency miners.
There’s an old adage: If it sounds too
to be true, it is.
That would apply to cryptocurrency
as well.
OTHER VIEWS
Democrats and the
Trump impeachment trap
G
YOUR VIEWS
Document fee hike hurts
poor and middle class
House Bill 4007 passed by the 2018
Oregon Legislature raises the $20 Housing
Alliance Tax to $60 on June 4 thereby
raising the first page document recording fee
in Umatilla County for deed and mortgage
records to $96 and most liens to $76, plus $5
per each additional page for all recordings.
Most deed records average 2-3 pages and
mortgages 16-20 pages. You do the math.
The revenue raised is to help fund affordable
housing for low-income residents.
I’m for affordable housing for everyone,
but not at the expense of the very people this
bill was intended to help, nor on the backs of
the middle class who will pay the majority of
this tax.
This bill not only affects struggling
first-time home buyers, but underwater
homeowners looking to refinance; grieving
widows and widowers removing a deceased
spouse from title; fixed-income seniors
adding adult children with rights-of-
survivorship to title and adding property to
family trusts to avoid expensive probate fees;
hard-working developers and contractors
recording plats and filing completion notices
and construction liens; small businesses
deeding property to an LLC; terminally ill
filing powers of attorney; persons recording
easements for access to property; mining
claims; and the list goes on.
In this day of “do-it-yourself” websites
like Legal Zoom and the high cost of using
an attorney, more and more people attempt
to prepare their own legal documents, many
of which do not meet statutory requirements
and result in necessary re-records and
doubling of recording fees, adding insult to
injury.
Not only does this bill affect individuals
and families, but also raises costs for
municipalities, utility companies, irrigation
districts, electric cooperatives, surveyors,
state agencies, lenders, etc., who will pass
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the
East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and
not necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
on the added expense to the very same
individuals and families.
Steve Churchill
Pendleton
Embarrassing for school
to go against its own values
It is an embarrassment that Hermiston
School District chose to forbid any of its
schools from participating in the voluntary
reading program Oregon Battle of the Books,
because one of those books broached the
subject of transgender identity.
There was apparently no discourse with
school counselors or professionals in mental
health to inform this decision. The press
you have brought will have a detrimental
impact on students whom have close friends,
family, or most importantly, students that
may identify as transgender at some point in
their lives.
If you are unwilling to reevaluate your
position, please consider reevaluating your
values statement:
• The uniqueness of all and the value of
diversity
• Fostering self-esteem, trust, and respect
• A collaborative process involving all
stakeholders
• Encouraging risk-taking, consistent with
these core values
• Reflection and self-renewal
As well, Hermiston School
District is obligated to support its own
nondiscrimination statement: “Hermiston
School District provides equal access
to all programs and services without
discrimination based on sex, race, creed,
religion, color, national origin, age,
honorably discharged veteran or military
status, sexual orientation, gender expression
or identity, the presence of any sensory,
mental, or physical disability, or the use of
a trained dog guide or service animal by a
person with a disability.”
Aaron Engum
Pendleton
eorge W. Bush was in
other Democratic leaders? Her
terrible political shape in
instincts are as cautious as they
the spring of 2006. The Iraq
were in 2006 — and at this moment,
war was going disastrously, and
Trump’s job approval rating in the
voters were tired of the president,
RealClearPolitics average, around
whose job approval rating in the
42 percent, is higher than Bush’s
RealClearPolitics average of polls
was when Pelosi declared Bush
was around 35 percent. (Bush’s
impeachment off the table.
disapproval rating was around 60
But 71 percent — those
Byron
percent.) The upcoming November
Democrats who want to see Trump
York
‘06 midterms were shaping up as
impeached — is a big number. It
Comment
a debacle for Republicans, who
suggests that Pelosi, or whoever
seemed likely to lose control of both
leads House Democrats if the party
houses of Congress.
wins in November, might not be able
Things were so bad that a part of
to overrule the base and simply declare
the Democratic base looked toward the
impeachment a non-starter.
midterms openly hoping to impeach Bush
“Many Democrats in D.C. don’t want
on the charge that he had lied the country
to move forward on impeachment and
into war. One leader of that movement
think they can avoid it,” tweeted National
was Rep. John Conyers, who stood to
Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru recently, after
become chairman of the House Judiciary
release of the Quinnipiac results. “I suspect
Committee if Democrats won. Conyers’
they’re wrong.”
committee would originate articles of
While Republicans have plenty of
impeachment.
problems of their own, they are keenly
The problem, for Democrats, was
aware of the Democrats’ impeachment
voters. Now matter how much they wanted dilemma. And GOP strategists want to
to make changes on Capitol Hill, and no
use that dilemma to make Democrats
matter how much they disapproved of
more uncomfortable and to juice up
Bush, they didn’t want to impeach the
the Republican base. The argument to
president. Democratic candidates were
Republican and independent voters is easy:
stuck between their anti-Bush base and the
The economy is strong, Trump is enacting a
larger electorate.
conservative wish list, America is showing
The impeachment talk was so
strength abroad — and all Democrats want
worrisome to party leaders that Rep. Nancy to do is impeach the president.
“It’s a base motivator,” says a GOP
Pelosi, who stood to become speaker
strategist working to keep control of
if Democrats won the House, told her
conference in May 2006 that “impeachment Congress. “We have to remind (voters) that
the things Democrats want to do are not
is off the table.”
Pelosi would repeat that at various times mainstream. There are a lot of Americans
who can’t stand Trump, but they don’t
during the campaign, and in November,
think he should be impeached.”
on the day after Democrats won a
The president himself is already raising
smashing victory and she was poised to
the specter of his own impeachment as a
become speaker, she said in her first news
way to fire up GOP voters. “We have to
conference, “Democrats are not about
keep the House, because if we listen to
getting even; Democrats are about getting
Maxine Waters, she’s going around saying,
results. I have said before and I say again,
‘We will impeach him,’” Trump said April
impeachment is off the table.”
28 at a campaign-style rally in Washington,
Indeed, impeachment was off the table,
Michigan.
as Bush served his last two years with a
Of course, there’s a huge wild card in
Democratic House and Senate. And then
any discussion of Trump, the midterms and
Democrats won everything in 2008.
impeachment, and that is what happens
Now, it is again spring in a midterm
in the Russia investigation. If some new,
year, and there is again talk of impeaching
devastating evidence comes to light from
a Republican president if Democrats win
special counsel Robert Mueller, the entire
the House. Pelosi is still around and hopes
dynamic could change, and Trump could
to become speaker again. What’s not clear
lose some support in the GOP and find
is whether her 2006 impeachment strategy
himself in real danger of impeachment.
will work with today’s Democratic party.
But all those Democrats are ready to
In a new Quinnipiac poll, 71 percent
impeach Trump right now. They don’t need
of Democrats say they would like to see
any new revelations. Unless something big
President Trump impeached if Democrats
changes, they could be a bigger problem for
win the House. Just 21 percent oppose the
their own leadership than for the president.
idea, while 8 percent aren’t sure. By way
■
of contrast, 38 percent of independents
Byron York is chief political
support impeachment, while 54 percent
correspondent for The Washington
oppose.
Examiner.
So where does that leave Pelosi and
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
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Send letters to managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.