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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2018)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Wednesday, December 19, 2018 Ballot measure would restrict interstate tolls Money could only be used for road construction for vehicles. The Oregon Supreme Court last week signed off on the language for the mea- sure, and now supporters can gather signatures for a vote in November 2020. Initiative Petition 10 — known as “Tolls Need Voter Approval” — would amend the Oregon Constitu- tion to restrict state officials to spending tolling revenue only on adding new vehicle lanes to congested freeways. “I’m pleased with the bal- lot title. I think it references what we want to accom- plish,” said state Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, a chief petitioner. Most people in the metro area “hate the idea (of toll- ing), and our elected leaders are steamrolling them,” Par- rish said. The measure wouldn’t ban tolls, however. By PARIS ACHEN Oregon Capital Bureau Portland-area drivers fac- ing freeway tolls may get some protection from see- ing that money diverted to anything but expanding highways. Language has been approved for a ballot mea- sure that would restrict the state’s use of that toll money. Transportation Depart- ment officials are planning to assess tolls in about five years. The proposed mea- sure would require voters to approve any use of toll money that doesn’t relate directly to adding capacity Les Poole, another chief petitioner, said tolls are a good way to finance new freeway lanes or widen a bridge. But he is concerned that state officials would use money collected through tolls to get motorists to drive less. For instance, state offi- cials have discussed using the money to build transit stations or park-and-ride lots. Without the ballot mea- sure, state officials could spend tolls on roadway con- struction, repairs, improve- ment and operations. Restricting spending to adding new freeway lanes could produce unintended consequences, said Joe Cor- tright, a Portland econo- mist and former administra- tor of the Legislature’s Trade and Economic Development Committee. “Tolls have been proven to be the one way to make traffic move smoothly and give people a quality sys- tem, and this would really impinge on that,” Cortright said of the proposed mea- sure. “It would make it dif- ficult to do variable pricing, which gives lower prices when there is less demand and is used to smooth out traffic.” In applying to the Fed- eral Highway Administra- tion to start the tolls, state transportation officials pro- posed toll prices that would increase when traffic vol- umes are high and decrease when there are fewer vehi- cles on the freeway. The proposed measure “would block spending the revenue on (tollway) main- tenance costs, which are sub- stantial, so the state would be forced to build capacity that you might not need,” Cor- tright said. The Oregon Transpor- tation Commission plans to place tolls on sections of Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 in Portland as soon as 2024 but wants to eventu- ally impose tolls on all Port- land-area freeways. Tammy Baney, Trans- portation Commission chair, said the commission has yet to set the price of tolls or how much revenue would be spent adding vehicle capac- ity versus paying for main- tenance and operation or adding amenities such as park-and -ride lots. Baney said it’s not clear how the proposed ballot measure would impact the tolling plan. “From my reading of the initiative, it was relatively short and didn’t have a lot of detail,” Baney said. “There is a lot you can read into as far as the intent. The intent is left to the person interpreting the language so I would have more questions about what that actually means.” A survey a year ago by DHM Research for the Transportation Department found that only 43 percent of Oregonians are willing to pay a toll. Support came with a caveat: Respondents sup- ported the tolls if they knew they would “provide faster and more consistent travel time.” The measure needs 149,360 valid signatures to go on the ballot. Paris Achen: pachen@ portlandtribune.com or 503-506-0067. Achen is a reporter for the Portland Tribune working for the Oregon Capital Bureau, a collaboration of EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group and Salem Reporter. Conservation groups question fishing’s role in orca protection the fishing further jeopar- dizes orcas that frequent the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest. “We can’t allow business as usual in the salmon fisher- ies while Southern Resident killer whales are starving to death,” Julie Teel Sim- monds, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diver- day as they threatened a lawsuit. The Arizona-based Cen- ter for Biological Diver- sity and the Washington state-based Wild Fish Con- servancy notified President Donald Trump’s administra- tion they intend to file a law- suit within 60 days unless officials reevaluate whether By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE — The fed- eral government is violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to consider how salmon fishing off the West Coast is affecting endan- gered killer whales, two con- servation groups said Tues- Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Mostly cloudy, breezy and mild Mostly cloudy and mild Times of clouds and sun Times of clouds and sun Mainly cloudy with a bit of snow 52° 42° 54° 33° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 44° 29° 45° 36° 41° 33° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 53° 37° 52° 34° 47° 28° 46° 37° 44° 33° 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 52/48 45/38 49/37 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 54/43 Lewiston 51/49 54/40 Astoria 53/49 Pullman Yakima 48/38 51/45 51/39 Portland Hermiston 52/48 The Dalles 53/37 Salem Corvallis 53/45 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 45/38 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 54/45 49/36 44/38 Ontario 46/30 Caldwell Burns 59° 46° 39° 27° 63° (1936) -5° (1984) 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 53/47 0.12" 0.36" 0.89" 7.32" 8.87" 9.36" Today Boardman Pendleton Medford 54/35 AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File Endangered orcas swim in Puget Sound and in view of the Olympic Mountains just west of Seattle as seen from a federal research vessel that has been tracking the whales. in Congress have vowed to oppose it. Unlike other popula- tions of orcas, which feed on marine mammals including seals, the southern residents eat salmon — primarily chinook. The conservation groups said Tuesday that one way to help them imme- diately would be to catch fewer salmon off the coast, where the whales spend their winters. For now, the groups are not targeting fishing in Washington state’s inland waters, including Puget Sound, where fishing quotas are managed under a differ- ent process. According to a letter the groups sent to the U.S. Com- merce Department and the National Marine Fisher- ies Service, the federal gov- ernment has been relying on an outdated 2009 review to authorize salmon fisher- ies up and down the West Coast. At the time of the 2009 review, there were 85 orcas in the southern resi- dent population. Michael Milstein, a spokesman for the fisheries service, said it did not have any immediate comment. The letter noted that more than 200,000 chinook were caught by recreational and commercial boats off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California last year, which researchers esti- mate as equaling as much as one-quarter of all chinook available. MCKAY CREEK ESTATES WINDS (in mph) 47/32 42/22 0.22" 0.61" 0.86" 9.48" 15.43" 12.33" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 42/34 54/48 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 52/42 49/38 55° 46° 39° 26° 68° (1917) -5° (1924) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 52/43 Aberdeen 42/36 43/35 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 52/47 sity, said in a news release. The orcas’ plight has received much attention this year as scientists warn that they’re on the brink of extinction. There are just 74 left, the lowest number since more than 50 were captured for aquarium display in the 1970s, and no calf born in the last three years has sur- vived. One mother whale captured attention around the world this summer when she carried her dead calf on her head for 17 days in an apparent attempt to revive it. Last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced what he called a “herculean” $1.1 billion plan to help the population recover. The Democrat said the money would go toward protect- ing and restoring habitat for salmon, especially chi- nook, the orcas’ favored prey; boosting production from salmon hatcheries; storm-water cleanup; and quieting vessel traffic, which can interfere with the whales’ hunting and communication. But conservationists say more must be done. While a federal judge has ordered the government to con- sider boosting salmon runs by breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River, that prospect remains highly con- troversial and Republicans Thu. SSW 4-8 SW 10-20 SW 7-14 SW 8-16 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 47/31 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:32 a.m. 4:13 p.m. 2:24 p.m. 3:44 a.m. Full Last New First Dec 22 Dec 29 Jan 5 Jan 13 Holiday Dinner NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 77° in Miami, Fla. Low -6° in Daniel, Wyo. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thursday, December 20 • 5:00 p.m. Please join us for our annual Holiday Dinner and celebration. Menu: • Our Finest Christmas Goose, • Cranberry Sauce Prime Rib, and Ham • Bourbon Candied Yams • Fresh fruit, Cheese and • Dinner Rolls assorted cracker’s to start • Pecan, Pumpkin, • Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, and Apple Pie Vegetables, & Green salad -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. 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