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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Wednesday, May 1, 2019 Pacific Northwest tribal fishing bill clears U.S. House By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND — Pacific Northwest tribes fighting to get the U.S. government to fully compensate them for the loss of dozens of homes and traditional fish- ing encampments to flood- ing caused by hydroelectric dams rejoiced on Tuesday after federal legislation to address their cause cleared a first hurdle. A key bill that cleared the U.S. House on Mon- day would provide $11 mil- lion for improvements at alternative fishing sites cre- ated by the U.S. govern- ment after several massive dams built on the Columbia River caused flooding that destroyed tribal fishing sites beginning in the 1930s. Over the years, the gov- ernment has created 31 so-called “in lieu” fish- ing sites to compensate the tribes, but demand is high and several hundred tribal members now live year- round at camps that were intended to be seasonal, said Charles Hudson, director of government affairs with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Conditions at some of the larger sites are unsani- tary, with sewer problems, crowding and unsafe drink- ing water, he said. AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka,File This Oct. 20, 2014, file photo, shows one of the 31 replacement fishing sites given to Native Americans by the federal gov- ernment to replace the many tribal sites flooded by hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River in Underwood, Wash. Federal legislation to assess 31 tribal fishing sites in Oregon and Washington and make critical improvements to sewer and water systems has passed the U.S. House after three years of delays. fishing places’ is a term of law and culture and people want to live close to where their right to fish is — and for many of the people liv- ing in these areas, they are living as close as they pos- sibly can.” The bill also calls on the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to assess all 31 sites dedicated to enabling the The commission has identified 18 sites that need particular attention in both Oregon and Washington, including a site called Lone Pine near The Dalles, and another called Cooks on the Washington side of the river. “There are often mul- tiple generations living on the sites,” he said. “The term ‘usual and accustomed THURSDAY Partly sunny Partly sunny 65° 39° 65° 40° FRIDAY SATURDAY Mostly sunny SUNDAY Mostly sunny and nice Mostly sunny and pleasant PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 70° 44° 78° 51° 74° 47° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 71° 43° 70° 42° 75° 45° 83° 53° 79° 48° 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 56/44 59/38 69/37 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 67/44 Lewiston 64/41 72/41 Astoria 57/44 Pullman Yakima 69/40 63/40 64/40 Portland Hermiston 70/44 The Dalles 71/43 Salem Corvallis 66/36 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 60/33 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 69/36 63/28 61/32 Ontario 65/38 Caldwell Burns 66° 29° 69° 42° 89° (1957) 29° (2019) 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 67/36 0.00" 0.29" 0.88" 3.88" 4.05" 3.99" Today Boardman Pendleton Medford 74/40 WSW 8-16 WSW 8-16 Klamath Falls Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 5:44 a.m. 8:02 p.m. 4:46 a.m. 4:42 p.m. New First Full Last May 4 May 11 May 18 May 26 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 95° in Zapata, Texas Low 11° in Ryegate, Mont. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY headed by Oregon alone fiz- zled in 2014. Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Eu- gene, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, chuckled when he heard the $35 million figure. “We’ll let them study it,” he told Oregon Public Broadcasting, according to a story published Tuesday. “If they want to talk, we’ll talk. But we won’t put the time and money into it. It’s their turn.” The money will be used to open and operate an Inter- state 5 bridge project office and help fund design work. Oregon’s Department of Transportation will have a staff member join the new office and work with Wash- ington to start the process of reviewing what work might still be relevant from the defunct Columbia River Crossing project. The money, however, is a fraction of what it would to plan and build a bridge. The 100-year-old span needs seismic upgrades and isn’t made for current traffic demands, leading to horri- ble traffic jams for interstate commuters who work in Portland and live in south- west Washington’s bedroom communities. The too-small span also crimps freight commerce between the two states, Brown said. North Dakota, Washington state officials at odds over restrictions on oil trains Associated Press Thu. WSW 7-14 WSW 7-14 SUN AND MOON 63/28 PORTLAND (AP) — The transportation budget recently passed by Wash- ington state lawmakers includes $35 million for renewed efforts to replace the Interstate 5 bridge con- necting Washington and Oregon, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she is ready to work with Washington to replace the aging span. Lawmakers in Oregon, however, remain wary of engaging with their Wash- ington counterparts because of mistrust that built up when Washington killed a $3 billion bridge project in 2013 that had secured fed- eral funding. Another plan spear- WINDS (in mph) 62/37 61/28 0.00" 1.68" 1.15" 7.76" 5.42" 5.11" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 56/29 68/37 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 65/39 71/41 60° 27° 67° 42° 89° (1931) 27° (2019) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 64/42 Aberdeen 59/36 65/44 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 64/46 was prompted by an inves- tigation by The Oregonian newspaper that described the U.S. government’s fail- ure to meet its promises. “Thanks to this bill, tribal communities will see much-needed, tangi- ble improvements that will improve their quality of life and fortify their connection to the Columbia,” Blume- Washington state budget includes money for new interstate bridge Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY Nez Perce, Umatilla, Con- federated Tribes of the Warm Springs and Yakama to carry out their federally protected right to fish the river. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, intro- duced the House bill after visiting Lone Pine in 2016 and seeing the conditions there first-hand. His visit nauer said in a statement. “We must ensure the life- blood of their heritage is protected and respected.” The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where similar legislation is pending. A study undertaken by the Army Corps of Engi- neers determined that around the massive Bon- neville Dam alone, tribal members had lost more than 80 homes that have not been replaced, Hudson said. The construction of major dams in John Day, Oregon, and The Dalles also caused sig- nificant losses, although those have not been quanti- fied, he said. An inter-tribal group is working to document how much housing was lost and come up with a proposal for adequate mitigation more than 70 years later, he added. Affordable housing close to fishing grounds is a critical need, Hudson said. “There is a lot of histor- ical mining of documents that has gone on, but a lot more is needed,” he said. “Quantification is a tricky one, because is a one- for-one replacement the right thing 70 years hence? Is there a survivor of that who was directly impacted by the loss of his or her home? Are there descen- dants who continue to be impacted?” BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota officials are pressuring the state of Wash- ington to back off from leg- islation requiring oil shipped by rail to have more of its volatile gases removed, urg- ing the governor to veto the bill and threatening a law- suit over worries it could hamper the energy industry of the nation’s No. 2 crude producer. The bill awaiting Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature requires a lower vapor pres- sure limit for crude shipped by rail than either North Dakota requirements or industry standards. Viola- tions could result in fines of up to $2,500 per day per rail car. That “would result in a de facto ban of crude-by-rail traffic from North Dakota to refineries throughout the Pacific Northwest,” North Dakota’s three members of Congress said in a letter sent Friday imploring Inslee to veto the bill. Inslee, who has made climate change a focus of his 2020 Democratic presi- dential campaign, was still reviewing the bill Tues- day, spokeswoman Tara Lee said. She didn’t comment on whether pressure from North Dakota’s congressio- nal delegation or the threat of a lawsuit by the state might influence his decision. North Dakota’s Industrial Commission, which regu- lates the oil and gas indus- try, was to meet in a closed session Tuesday afternoon to discuss a possible law- suit. The group is com- prised of the governor, attor- ney general and agriculture commissioner. State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms, who traveled to Washington in February to testify against the bill, has said previously that North Dakota will sue if the bill becomes law. The volatility of oil trains drew public attention fol- lowing several explosive derailments, including one in 2013 in Quebec that killed 47 people. Washington’s bill is aimed at boosting safety for schools and homes near passing oil trains, accord- ing to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andy Bil- lig, the sponsor. “These large shipments of extremely flammable fuel run through the heart of our state, starting with my com- munity in Spokane,” he said in March. The bill sets a vapor pressure limit of less than 9 pounds per square inch for oil unloaded from trains, lower than North Dakota’s limit of 13.7 psi and what is considered the national standard for stable crude of 14.7. North Dakota’s limit, implemented in 2015, builds in 1 psi as a margin of error. 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. Copyright © 2019, EO Media Group 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. 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