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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2018)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Portland will seek tolls on I-5, I-205 Senate passes bill making it easier to kill sea lions other transportation. Transportation com- missioners acknowledged that the tolls would affect low-income drivers and say they are consider- ing ways to mitigate the cost through more transit options and subsidies. “People are concerned they are going to wake up tomorrow, and all of a sud- den, the roads are going to have a cost to them to be able to get to work,” Baney said. “We don’t have the transit options that would make it conve- nient and reliable for indi- viduals to be able to get off the (single-occupancy vehicle) system. We know that. There is the concern also about diversion into communities and what that might mean, too. This commission takes it very seriously that those ques- tions are still out there and need to be answered.” The triangle of free- ways around Portland — Interstates 5, 205 and 84 — are the heaviest trav- eled roads in the Port- land area. Traffic volumes on those freeways hover around 150,000 vehicles per day, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau The Oregon Transpor- tation Commission voted unanimously Thursday to seek federal approval to toll two segments of Port- land’s longest and most- used freeways, but motor- ists wouldn’t see such tolls for years. The state is apply- ing to collect tolls on all lanes along seven miles of Interstate 5 through the center of Portland and all lanes of Interstate 205 as motorists cross the Aber- nethy Bridge between Oregon City and West Linn. “I really want to make sure folks understand that this is going to be a process that is going to be years,” said Tammy Baney, transportation commission chair. “For some ... that is not fast enough, it’s not aggres- sive enough, and it won’t meet the need, but for some, it may be too fast, too aggressive, and there still are concerns.” Officials said the tolls are intended to pay for road projects that expand capacity while encour- aging commuters to use By PHUONG LE Associated Press SEATTLE — A bill that would make it easier to kill sea lions that feast on imper- iled salmon in the Columbia River has cleared the U.S. Senate. State wildlife manag- ers say rebounding numbers of sea lions are eating more salmon than ever and their appetites are undermining billions of dollars of invest- ments to restore endangered fish runs. Senate Bill 3119, which passed Thursday by unan- imous consent, would streamline the process for Washington, Idaho, Oregon and several Pacific North- west Native American tribes to capture and euthanize potentially hundreds of sea lions found in the river east of Portland, Oregon. Sen. Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican who co-spon- sored the bill with senators from all three states, said the legislation would help ensure healthy populations of salmon for years to come. “As endangered salmon face extinction, we must take steps to protect them,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY AP Photo/Don Ryan, File A bill making it easier to kill sea lions that feast on imperiled salmon in the Columbia River has cleared the U.S. Senate. Washington Democrat, said in a statement. The Senate bill is simi- lar to one passed by the U.S. House in June and spon- sored by Reps. Jaime Her- rera Beutler, a Washington Republican, Kurt Schrader, an Oregon Democrat, and others. The House will have to consider the Senate’s bill, or vice versa, before it heads to President Donald Trump for consideration. “We have reason to believe they will by the end of the year,” said Kaylin Minton, communica- tions director for Risch. Mostly cloudy and chilly 35° 26° 39° 31° A bit of snow and rain A little afternoon snow A passing afternoon shower PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 43° 29° 44° 29° 45° 36° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 37° 24° 37° 30° 45° 27° 49° 31° 40° 36° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 50/44 35/28 36/27 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 35/28 Lewiston 48/39 35/24 Astoria 52/45 Pullman Yakima 34/26 48/37 37/27 Portland Hermiston 47/40 The Dalles 37/24 Salem Corvallis 49/36 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 38/26 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 50/37 44/26 40/28 Ontario 35/24 Caldwell Burns 33° 29° 41° 28° 68° (1938) -7° (2013) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 50/37 Boardman Pendleton Medford 55/32 0.00" 0.01" 0.37" 6.97" 8.77" 8.84" WINDS (in mph) 34/23 33/14 0.00" 0.01" 0.32" 8.88" 15.33" 11.79" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 36/22 49/37 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 35/26 37/30 28° 24° 40° 27° 64° (1938) -7° (1972) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 49/36 Aberdeen 31/26 32/25 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 49/41 Today Sun. NE 3-6 NNE 4-8 NNE 3-6 NE 4-8 Supporters, including the governors of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, fish- ing groups and tribes, say the bill will give wildlife managers greater flexibil- ity in controlling Califor- nia sea lions that dramati- cally increased from about 30,000 in the 1960s to about 300,000 under the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. Critics called it ill-con- ceived and say it won’t solve the problem of declin- ing salmon, which also face other problems such as habi- tat loss and dams. “This bill changes the core protective nature of the Marine Mammal Protec- tion Act by allowing for the indiscriminate killing of sea lions throughout the Colum- bia River and its tributar- ies,” Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist for Ani- mal Welfare Institute, said in a statement. Washington, Idaho and Oregon wildlife manag- ers currently have federal authorization to kill prob- lem sea lions that eat salmon in the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam east of Portland. But they must first go through a lengthy process to identify and document specific sea lions that cause problems, including observ- ing them eating a salmon and using non-lethal hazing measures on them. Both the House and Sen- ate bills would remove those requirements, so states and several Native Ameri- can tribes could get a fed- eral permit to remove any sea lion east of the Interstate 205 bridge that connects Vancouver with Portland, as well as in tributaries of the Columbia River where there are federally protected fish. Oregon water year off to slow start By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group Mostly cloudy and chilly Saturday, December 8, 2018 Just two months into the new water year, Oregon is already lagging behind in precipitation and snowpack across much of the state, deepening concerns about another difficult drought year in 2019. The Oregon Water Resources Department released its latest water con- ditions report Dec. 3, show- ing average temperatures for the month of November were 2 to 5 degrees above normal in most of western and north- east Oregon. Precipitation was also well below normal statewide, as much as 1 to 3 inches in parts of northeast and northwest Oregon. Racquel Rancier, senior policy coordinator for the OWRD, said it is still too early to make predictions about water conditions next year, though soil moisture, stream flows and mountain snowpack are all lower than usual out of the starting gate. “If temperatures con- tinue to be warmer than nor- mal and we don’t get a good snowpack, and if precipita- tion is low, we could be head- ing into a difficult drought year for 2019,” Rancier said. Long-term forecasts are not calling for much relief. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion’s Climate Prediction Center calculates the odds of El Niño at more than 80 percent through February, which typically means mild winter weather in store for the Pacific Northwest. “This is concerning, as this could result in less pre- cipitation fall as snow,” Rancier said. “If the fore- cast is correct, we could see a continuation of drought conditions.” Snowpack is critical for farmers, ranchers and fish- eries in the West, because it acts as a natural reservoir for water to gradually replenish streams and reservoirs into summer. So far, water basins in southern Oregon, includ- ing the Klamath, Harney, Owyhee, Malheur and Lake County basins, are all experi- encing average- to above-av- erage snow. The situation is more dire farther north, with the Willamette Basin cur- rently at 51 percent of nor- mal, and the Hood, Sandy and Lower Deschutes basins at 35 percent. Average stream flows were about 50 percent of nor- mal in November, including 30 percent of normal west of the Cascades. Rancier said many reservoirs also have little to no carryover water for next year, making precip- itation all the more critical for irrigation supplies. “This could make drought more challenging in 2019, as water in reservoirs in 2018 helped reduce drought impacts in 2018,” she said. Oregon remains mired in a statewide drought, with the U.S. Drought Monitor reporting more than half the state in “severe drought,” and 34 percent in “extreme drought.” SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 42/22 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:23 a.m. 4:11 p.m. 8:29 a.m. 5:38 p.m. First Full Last New Dec 15 Dec 22 Dec 29 Jan 5 McKay Creek Estates FREE Cognitive Screening NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 84° in Brownsville, Texas Low -24° in Stanley, Idaho NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Is Mom a little more forgetful lately? There are many early warning signs of a potential memory disorder, such as Alzheimer’s disease. That’s why we’re offering a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL cognitive screening. We encourage anyone who is concerned about cognitive decline to take this short, in-person screening. The screening is administered by a qualified health care professional. To schedule your cognitive screening today, please call (541) 704-7146. Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s 50s ice 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 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 EastOregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to EastOregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, 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. 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