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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Saturday, November 30, 2019 Idaho utility will dismiss lawsuit against EPA over dams By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho utility will dismiss its lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because it has now approved allowing warmer water temperatures in an area where federally pro- tected fall chinook salmon reproduce. Idaho Power in doc- uments filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court says the EPA has approved allowing the warmer tem- peratures in the Snake River below the Hells Canyon Complex on the Idaho-Or- egon line. The National Marines Fisheries Service says the change is not likely to jeopardize salmon or their critical habitat. “We are happy with EPA’s decision to approve the site-specific criteria,” Idaho Power spokesman Brad Bowlin said in an email. Idaho Power says allow- ing warmer water below the dams could reduce the cost of electricity and save cus- tomers up to $100 million over 50 years. Hells Canyon is a mile- deep canyon carved by the Snake River, much of it popular for recreation but inaccessible by road. The three-dam Hells Canyon AP Photo/Darin Oswald, File In this Nov. 16, 2003, file photo, fisherman Larry McBrom works along the Snake River shoreline below Hells Canyon Dam in Southwestern Idaho. Complex built from the late 1950s through the 1960s partially tamed the river. Snake River fall chi- nook were listed as threat- ened under the Endangered Species Act in the 1990s. A recovery plan released in 2017 identified the Snake River below the dams as the best spot for the cold-water species to boost its numbers of naturally reproducing spawning fish. When the water tem- perature standards aren’t met, Idaho Power must pay for mitigation for poten- tially harming fall chi- nook salmon. The pro- posed temperature standard change would mean Idaho Power would have to pay for less mitigation, which involves improving habitat upstream of the dams with the goal of reducing water temperatures. Specifically, the new proposed temperature standards would raise the allowable water tempera- ture below the dams from 55.4 degrees to 58 degrees Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Cold with clouds and sun Mostly cloudy and cold Cold with periods of sun Chilly with clouds and sun Mostly cloudy and cool from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6. Those two weeks are critical for fall chinook that are spawning and put- ting eggs in river bed gravel that might not survive if the water gets too warm. Idaho Power when it filed the lawsuit in 2018 said river temperatures under the current standard have never been met, with records going back to 1991. The company said the new standard wouldn’t be met in most years, but the level of mitigation to pay would still Family: 3 kids in car when estranged husband kills mother Associated Press PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 35° 21° 34° 22° 34° 24° 40° 26° 46° 34° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 36° 21° 34° 22° 34° 23° 38° 26° OREGON FORECAST 44° 32° 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 45/33 32/23 36/19 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 32/23 Lewiston 44/32 36/21 Astoria 47/35 Pullman Yakima 35/22 42/27 33/21 Portland Hermiston 44/35 The Dalles 36/21 Salem Corvallis 38/29 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 31/24 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 38/31 31/22 35/25 Ontario 35/20 Caldwell Burns 33° 12° 44° 30° 67° (1973) 8° (1985) 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 40/32 Boardman Pendleton Medford 44/35 0.00" 0.01" 1.15" 4.95" 6.80" 8.43" WINDS (in mph) 35/21 25/11 0.00" 0.27" 1.42" 11.58" 8.70" 11.41" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 29/17 40/33 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 35/21 35/25 27° 16° 43° 29° 72° (1892) -13° (1896) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 43/27 Aberdeen 31/19 30/19 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 45/34 Today Sun. NNE 3-6 NE 4-8 NNE 4-8 N 3-6 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 34/27 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:14 a.m. 4:13 p.m. 11:04 a.m. 8:08 p.m. First Full Last New Dec 3 Dec 11 Dec 18 Dec 25 NATIONAL EXTREMES be less than under the cur- rent standard. Idaho and Oregon also have to sign off on warmer water temperatures. Idaho has already done so, and Bowlin said Idaho Power will petition Oregon to allow the change. Idaho Power’s 50-year license for the Hells Can- yon Complex with the Federal Energy Regula- tory Commission expired in 2005, and it has been operating the dams under annual licenses renewed each August. Idaho Power officials say the temperature standards are related to the relicens- ing but are also a stand- alone issue the company wants to resolve. In other action involv- ing relicensing, Idaho and Oregon earlier this year reached an agreement on the Hells Canyon Complex. Oregon insisted on returning federally pro- tected salmon and steel- head above the dams. Idaho officials didn’t want the fish above the dams because that could force expensive restoration work in envi- ronmentally degraded agri- cultural areas. The deal doesn’t return salmon and steelhead above the dams but requires Idaho Power to spend more than $300 million on water qual- ity and habitat improve- ments. Ratepayers will pick up the bill spread over the 50-year-license of the hydroelectric project when it’s renewed. Idaho Power supplies electricity to more than 560,000 customers in Idaho and eastern Oregon. The company says hydroelec- tric projects produce nearly half of the power it supplies to customers, with the Hells Canyon Complex account- ing for about 70% of that hydropower. VANCOUVER, Wash. — A woman who was fatally shot by her estranged hus- band in an elementary school parking lot had been sit- ting in the minivan with her mother and her three young children, the woman’s family said in a post on a fundraising website. Tiffany Hill was killed Tuesday outside Sarah J. Anderson Elementary School in Hazel Dell and police have said the shooter, Keland Hill, killed himself a short time later after a police chase. Tiffany Hill’s sister, Tabitha Ojeda, said in a GoFundMe post on Wednes- day that Hill’s three chil- dren were in the car and wit- nessed the shooting but were not physically injured. Her mother was shot three times and has undergone multiple surgeries but is expected to survive. Ojeda said she and her other surviving sister will take in the three children and are trying to get together enough money for seven plane tickets back to New York. Police have said Tiffany Hill had an active restrain- ing order against Keland Hill, who had just posted bail when the shooting occurred. “The road the children have ahead of them is not an easy one,” Ojeda wrote. “This journey will not be easy, it will be emotionally, phys- ically, mentally and finan- cially draining, but with all the love and support we can try to give these children the best lives we possibly can.” The shooting happened after school had let out for the day and no one else was injured. Court papers associated with the restraining order show an extensive history of abuse and violence, with Keland Hill repeatedly violat- ing the restraining order, The Columbian newspaper has reported. On Nov. 7, sheriff’s dep- uties responding to a call outside a restaurant poked around her vehicle and found a black box, with a GPS tracker inside, affixed to the fuel tank. Hill was arrested and accused of stalking her. Clark County Superior Court Judge John Fairgrieve set bail in the stalking case at $75,000 during a first appear- ance hearing the next day. A week later, Deputy Prosecutor Lauren Boyd filed a motion to increase the bail to $2 million, arguing that additional infor- mation and a “danger assess- ment” filled out by Hill’s wife showed “that the victim is at extreme risk of being killed by the defendant.” The motion also states Hill had been arrested in Mary- land and North Carolina for abusing his wife, but the cases had been dismissed. Fairgrieve raised Hill’s bail to $250,000 at a Nov. 15 hearing. Court records show that Boyd asked for electronic monitoring of the defendant, but that motion was denied. However, the court ordered “intensive conditions” to be set if Hill posted bail. Court records show Hill posted bail Nov. 22. On Tuesday, hours before the murder, he was back in the judge’s court for a motion to approve commuting to work using a vehicle. An affidavit indicated that Fairgrieve permitted Hill to travel to White Salmon and Hood River for work pur- poses only. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 87° in McAllen, Texas Low -16° in Great Falls, Mont. BRIEFLY NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Report estimates Salem spends more than $5M yearly on homelessness SALEM (AP) — Salem spends more than $5.2 million a year on issues related to homelessness, according to estimates in a draft city report. The Statesman Journal reports that most of the costs are incurred by the Salem Police Department, which is estimated to spend nearly $4.7 million on an annual basis deal- ing with issues related to homelessness. The assessment has been circulated to the mayor, councilors and city manager. Salem city councilors are poised to insti- tute a ban on camping and leaving personal belongings unattended on sidewalks next month, but they stopped short of a ban on sitting and lying on public sidewalks. House fire caused by turkey smoker causes $75K damage PORTLAND — Firefighters in Portland have determined that a house fire in the early morning hours was sparked by an electric tur- key smoker placed too close to the home. Portland Fire & Rescue said Thursday that a mail delivery person spotted sparks and smoke at the home shortly after 5 a.m. and called 911 before alerting the occupants. Two adults, one child and three cats made it out safely. Damage to the home is estimated at $75,000. — Associated Press 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. 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