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
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