Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2019)
REGION Saturday, December 21, 2019 Jazz Band and Swing Choir perform at Pendleton schools East Oregonian Review of B2H project remains unfi nished By ALEX CASTLE East Oregonian Staff photo by Ben Lonergan The trumpet section of the Pendleton High School Jazz Band performs during a concert at Sherwood Heights Elementary School in Pendleton on Friday afternoon. The band, and the school’s Swing Choir, performed throughout the district Friday. Port of Morrow wrapping up busy year Facility has plans to continue in 2020 with rail project By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian BOARDMAN — It was a busy year on many fronts for the Port of Morrow. The port at Boardman added capacity for water, sewer, cold storage and more in 2019 and heads into 2020 with big plans for rail. Port Manager Ryan Neal said the projects make it easier to draw new employ- ers to the area with the promise that infrastructure to support their project is already in place. “It’s important to show people a site that shows it really can happen here,” he said. “Before, it took a lot of faith that we would be able to get it done, because we were just looking at fi elds.” This year the port added its fi rst well in 15 years, add- ing 2,300 gallons a minute to its water capacity. It also added an additional 5 miles of pipeline to its wastewater system and a lift station. Construction got under- way this past summer for an expansion of the port’s warehousing facilities. Neal said the expansion adds about 10,000 additional pal- let positions at refrigera- tion temperatures — unique among Eastern Oregon’s dry storage and frozen stor- age options. In August, the Port of Morrow got the good news that it had received a Marine Highway Designa- tion from the U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. The designation opens up new opportunities for fed- eral grants for infrastruc- ture improvements. Contributed photo by Port of Morrow The Port of Morrow expanded its freezer warehouse in 2019, adding a refrigeration section for approximately 10,000 pallets. The port will be using state and federal grant dol- lars awarded in late 2018 for the Columbia River Barge Terminal Rail Access Proj- ect, which will allow the port to offer rail-to-barge shipping capabilities. Initial projects will include 27,000 feet of additional track on East Beach and develop- ing Terminal 1 and Termi- nal 3 with rail access to the Union Pacifi c mainline. The port is part of the Columbia River High, Wide and Heavy Corridor Coa- lition, which is working to educate shippers with “high, wide and heavy” loads from overseas about the time savings in using the Columbia River instead of their current practice of running loads through Houston, Texas. Neal said the port is also fi nalizing an agreement with a solar project that will cover approximately 760 acres near the airport. Neal continues to par- ticipate in the Columbia BRIEFLY Hermiston cancels city council meeting HERMISTON — The Dec. 23 Hermiston City Council meeting has been canceled. The council usually meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at city hall, but during their Dec. 9 meeting the council voted to forgo their second meeting of the month because people would be traveling for the holidays. After the decision, city hall was closed unexpect- edly until Jan. 6 due to a fi re in the heating system on UP TO 50% OFF! WINTER CLEARANCE SALE! Sale Starts December 26th Saager’s Shoe Shop Milton Freewater, OR Tuesday that caused smoke damage to the building. — EO Media Group 12/20-12/24 Cineplex Show Times Development Authority on planning infrastructure for when the U.S. Army transfers the former Uma- tilla Chemical Depot to the CDA, which will develop parts of the property for industrial use. “We anticipate sometime in the fi rst half of 2020 that will occur,” he said. On the workforce side, Neal said the port is put- ting together an internship program called Columbia Works that will offer col- lege students the chance to intern with the port start- ing next summer. That opportunity complements the teacher externships and high school internships that are relatively new to the port. “The high school pro- gram has been a huge suc- cess,” Neal said. The Neal Early Learn- ing Center added another 9,000 square feet of class- rooms and a multi-purpose room, allowing the center to serve additional children. The center is a collabora- tive effort between the Port of Morrow, InterMountain Education Service District, the Morrow County School District and Umatilla-Mor- row Head Start and stands adjacent to the Blue Moun- tain Community College’s Workforce Training Center. Neal said he is encour- aged at seeing growth in the housing and commer- cial sectors in Boardman. Two new hotels are in the works, along with about 20 new homes and additional phases of the Port View Apartments. “They’ve been a great addition to attract workers,” he said of the apartments. The Port of Morrow is developing a new strate- gic plan after they “accom- plished most everything on the last one” that was writ- ten six years ago. 2019 was Neal’s fi rst full year as general manager for the port after he was tapped in August 2018 to succeed his father, Gary Neal. PENDLETON — The next step in the contro- versial Boardman to Hemingway Transmis- sion Line project and its pursuit of state approval will have to wait at least another month. The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council fi nished just a quarter of its review process for the project’s draft proposed order at its monthly meet- ing held on Thursday and Friday at the Red Lion Hotel in Pendleton, mean- ing the review period will continue at January’s meeting in Hood River. “This is a big and com- plex project,” said Todd Cornett, the assistant director for the Oregon Department of Energy, who also served as coun- cil secretary. “But it’s a really important part of the process for the coun- cil to be able to evaluate what’s been done and ask questions.” Idaho Power, a Boi- se-based company, is leading the permit- ting aspect of the proj- ect, though Pacifi cCorp and Bonneville Power Administration are also involved in trying to construct the 300-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line that will run through fi ve Oregon counties and one in Idaho. To continue with the proposed project, Idaho Power must secure a site certifi cation from the EFSC, which oversees the development of large energy facilities through- out the state. During the two-day meeting, the EFSC met to review the draft pro- posed order, the public comments on the draft — of which there were more than 470 individ- ual commenters — and Idaho Power’s response to those comments. While changes and suggestions for the order have already been made by DOE staff, which is recommending the council approve the order, this month’s meet- ing allowed for the coun- cil to clarify their own concerns to staff and pro- vide other feedback. Ultimately, the pur- pose of the council is to evaluate the applica- tion from Idaho Power within the context of over a dozen standards that all energy facilities in the state must meet. “It’s a standards-based review,” said Kellen Tar- daewether, a senior sit- ing analyst, who has worked as one of the proj- ect’s staff leaders for the DOE. “The applicant has the burden of proof of demonstrating whether or not they’ve met the stan- dards. The council isn’t discretionary. Everything is based in rules, statutes and ordinances, and there must be legal authority for the decision-making process.” Though the other proj- ects on the council’s agenda pushed much of the review until next month, the council did get through discussions of general, organization, structural, land use and soil standards, which included public concerns, such as wildfi re risks, erosion and blasting. Other topics of pub- lic interest like pro- tected areas, noise, fi sh and wildlife habitats, and visual impact will con- tinue to be reviewed at next month’s meeting. One of the problems with B2H, however, is that many of the public’s concerns of it can’t ade- quately be addressed by the EFSC even if they wanted to. “For all of those folks that commented about land access, or having an easement on their prop- erty, or whether or not Idaho Power has con- tacted them to have con- versation about any of that, the council doesn’t have jurisdiction over that,” Tardaewether said. “There’s nothing the council can do to address that issue.” Irene Gilbert, co-chair for the Stop B2H Coa- lition in La Grande, attended the meeting both days and continues to be disappointed with the council’s response to potential issues the public is raising. “They do it with every standard, which they’re supposedly evaluating in a black-and-white sort of way,” she said. “They identify the problems with it, and then decide that none of the problems are substantial. So it isn’t an objective process, it’s very subjective.” Cornett, however, stressed that the proj- ect still isn’t at a deci- sion-making stage quite yet. Once the council fi n- ishes its review, the proj- ect will move into a con- tested case stage, where people who submitted “relevant” verbal or writ- ten comments by the pub- lic comment deadline may further contest the order. Once the contested order has been heard and any fi nal recommenda- tions have been made, then the fi nal order may be issued and voted on by the council. If approved, an appeal to the order will go directly to the Oregon Supreme Court. If you were suddenly transported into the presence of God and you heard a prosecuting attorney listing all the reasons you should be sent to hell, how would you plead? Guilty or not guilty? The apostle Paul said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God? (Romans 3:23). That makes us guilty as charged. What is the penalty for our sin? “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord? (Romans 6:23) What could we say in our defense? “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) $5 Classic Movie Showing Wednesday @ 12p Elf Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (PG13) 2D 12:10p* 3:20p* 5:50p 6:30p 9:40p 1:00p* 9:10p Cats (PG) 12:30p* 3:00p* 4:10p 6:40p 9:00p Jumanji: The Next Level (PG13) 2D 1:10p* 4:00p 6:50p 9:30p Richard Jewell (R) 12:20p* 3:10p* 6:00p 8:50p Because Jesus became our substitute, the penalty has been paid. But we must accept His forgiveness as a gift. The only requirement is that we recognize our need and accept His offer. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved… For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:9, 13) If you haven’t done so before, tell Jesus that you believe He died as your substitute and accept the free and undeserved gift of forgiveness. That’s the only way to be right about your wrong, to be accepted by God, and to be sure of heaven. * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 A3 PAID ADVERTISEMENT
