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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2020)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Thursday, October 1, 2020 Feds sign management decision for Columbia River dams By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press PORTLAND — The Trump administration has signed off on a new operations plan for 14 dams in the Columbia River Basin that com- mits to improving fish passage and habitat, but does not call for breach- ing dams on the lower Snake River to protect endangered salmon and steelhead. On Monday, Sept. 28, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration signed a joint agreement for managing the Columbia River System, capping a long and litigious process that began in September 2016. “We believe our decision care- fully balances the region’s needs for clean, reliable energy, supports the economic vitality of the com- munities that depend on the rivers, and includes durable actions that offset impacts on fish and wild- life affected by the Columbia River System,” said John Hairston, acting BPA administrator. Built between 1938 and 1976, the Columbia River System provides flood control, irrigation, electric- ity, navigation and recreation ben- efits across the Pacific Northwest. On average, the system generates 8,500 megawatts of power, enough for eight cities the size of Seattle. Dam operators must also balance the needs and survival of native fish species protected under the Endan- gered Species Act. A federal judge in Portland invalidated the previous Colum- Associated Press, File/Capital Press The Trump administration has signed off on a new operations plan for 14 dams in the Columbia River Basin, in- cluding Ice Harbor dam near Burbank, Wash., that commits to improving fish passage and habitat, but does not call for breaching dams on the lower Snake River to protect endangered salmon and steelhead. bia River System plan in 2016 and ordered the agencies to issue a new environmental study considering more drastic measures to preserve salmon and steelhead runs through- out the basin. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon said the study should eval- uate removing Lower Granite, Lit- tle Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams on the lower Snake River in Washington, which environmental groups argue is nec- essary for both Pacific salmon and orca recovery. Earlier this year, the agencies rejected breaching the dams, find- ing it would raise electricity rates as well as transportation and pro- duction costs for farmers. They instead recommended an alter- native increasing the amount of water spilled over dams to boost fish migration, rehabbing wetland and riparian habitat and modifying some fish passage structures. That recommendation, or “pre- ferred alternative,” was ulti- mately adopted in the final Envi- ronmental Impact Statement and Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY Sunshine Mostly sunny and very warm Sunny and very warm Sunny and remaining warm Pleasant with plenty of sunshine 85° 53° 86° 53° 86° 46° 87° 47° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 85° 50° 79° 50° 82° 48° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 86° 50° 82° 44° 84° 47° 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 74/54 Kennewick Walla Walla 82/57 Lewiston 80/54 84/49 Astoria 70/55 79/51 86/50 Longview 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Pullman Yakima 84/50 77/50 82/55 Portland Hermiston 84/58 The Dalles 86/46 Salem Corvallis 79/51 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 83/43 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 85/54 88/50 88/53 Ontario 84/47 82/46 87/37 0.00" 0.07" 0.44" 1.73" 4.76" 6.59" WINDS (in mph) Caldwell Burns 82° 44° 73° 43° 88° (1976) 27° (1933) 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 83/52 through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 81/45 84/55 0.00" 0.14" 0.56" 8.75" 10.85" 8.98" HERMISTON Enterprise 85/53 89/52 82° 47° 71° 45° 89° (1992) 27° (1911) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 75/50 Aberdeen 77/52 81/56 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 74/56 Boardman Pendleton Medford 97/57 Today Fri. ENE 3-6 NNW 4-8 NE 3-6 NW 4-8 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 87/42 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 6:54 a.m. 6:35 p.m. 6:59 p.m. 6:29 a.m. Full Last New First Oct 1 Oct 9 Oct 16 Oct 23 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 111° in Chino, Calif. Low 18° in Angel Fire, N.M. Record of Decision. Kristin Meira, executive direc- tor of the Pacific Northwest Water- ways Association, a trade group that represents ports and businesses that depend on river transporta- tion, expressed satisfaction with the operations plan, which she said will move the region toward a more sus- tainable future. “Salmon, orcas and other wild- life are threatened by climate change impacts on marine environ- ments, just as humans are threat- ened by fire and drought,” Meira said. “The clean power and efficient commerce provided by the system’s hydroelectric dams and navigation locks are key to our region’s abil- ity to reduce our carbon footprint — one of the most important steps in the fight against climate change.” Environmental groups, however, criticized the decision for not fol- lowing through with dam removal. Todd True, an attorney at Earth- justice, which brought the original lawsuit on behalf of conservation and fishing groups in conjunction with the Nez Perce Tribe and state of Oregon, said the new opera- tions plan is not materially different from past plans struck down by the courts. “To say we need a new approach, that we need leadership from our elected representatives, and that we need to find a solution that works for all of us is to state the obvious,” True said. “And it is equally obvious that there is great urgency to do this — for salmon, for orcas and for the future of our region.” Robb Krehbiel, representative for Northwest Programs at Defend- ers of Wildlife, said science is proven that the lower Snake River dams harm salmon by raising water temperatures to lethally high levels. Fewer salmon, in turn, harms orcas that depend on the fish as a source of food. “We need governors and mem- bers of Congress to bring stakehold- ers together and determine a plan that saves salmon and orcas, honors our treaty obligations to tribes and supports struggling fishing commu- nities,” Krehbiel said. Les Schwab Tire Centers sold to California investment firm By MIKE ROGOWAY The Oregonian BEND — Les Schwab Tire Centers has reached a deal to sell the company to Meritage Group, a San Fran- cisco-based investment firm, ending family ownership of one of Oregon’s best-known businesses. Bend-based Les Schwab Tire announced plans to sell the 68-year-old business in December 2019, citing the dif- ficulties of running a business in its fifth generation of fam- ily ownership. Tire baron Les Schwab started the business in his hometown of Prineville in 1952 and grew it into one of Oregon’s largest compa- nies with nearly 500 stores in 10 Western states, and annual sales of $1.8 billion. The business remained in Schwab’s family after his death in 2007. When Les Schwab Tire announced its sale plans last year, Bloomberg reported the owners hoped for $3 billion in the deal. Les Schwab and Meritage did not report terms of the Tuesday, Sept. 29, deal but said the current manage- ment team will remain in place and Les Schwab will continue operating as it has. “We see Les Schwab Tires as an ideal investment,” Aubrey Barth, Meritage’s managing director, said in a statement. “The company’s exceptional employees and programs, strong financials, and respected, customer-fo- cused brand set it up for suc- cess for years to come.” Meritage’s founder, bil- lionaire Nat Simons, is a bil- lionaire investor and climate change activist. Simons helps run a number of investment funds in addition to Meri- tage. It wasn’t immediately clear how Les Schwab fits into his investment thesis or what the deal will mean to the company’s operations and employees. Meritage manages more than $10 billion in assets. It has large holdings in Goo- gle, Charter Communica- tions, Microsoft, Salesforce and Sherwin Williams Co., among others. It also owns Portland beverage distributor Columbia Distributing. “Meritage Group has a history of preserving culture and values while growing its companies with investment over time. This is a great fit, and aligns well with Les’ vision and all we have built together,” Les Schwab CEO Jack Cuniff said. Les Schwab Tire’s sale is the latest in a succession of large, Oregon-based busi- nesses to sell. Precision Cast- parts, Mentor Graphics and Vigor Industrial, among many others, have found new owners in the past few years. Oregon now has few large, locally owned compa- nies based here. It’s a trend that has worried economists for years, fearful that out-of- state owners would cut sat- ellite operations in a down- turn before trimming their headquarters. When it announced sale plans, though, Les Schwab maintained any new owner would keep the company together and retain its Bend headquarters and Prineville distribution center. “As our family grows and ages, it has been very import- ant to us to remain commit- ted and aligned behind our grandfather’s vision,” the Schwab family said in a state- ment. “While it was hard to make the decision to sell the Company, we are very con- fident Meritage Group will continue that commitment and alignment, and will build on all we have accomplished over the past 68 years.” NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY IN BRIEF Five Points Creek pack takes down calf UNION COUNTY — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported wolves in the Five Points Creek area recently killed a 550 calf. Hunters in a timbered U.S. Forest Ser- vice allotment found the 7-month old calf dead on Sept. 21, according to ODFW’s depredation investigation report. The calf’s owner contacted ODFW the next day for an investigation. The calf likely died around Sept. 20, according to the report, which also stated: “The attack scene and premortem inju- ries are clear signs of predator attack and the size and location of the bite injuries are similar to injuries observed on other cattle attacked by wolves.” Fish and Wildlife attributed the depreda- tion to the Five Points Pack. ODFW in April reported the pack in 2019 produced three pups that survived to the end of the year and was counted as a breeding pair. Radio-collar data showed the pack roamed a 183-square-mile area with 50% of location data points on public lands and the other 50% on private lands. — EO Media Group 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 ice 50s 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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