REGION
Thursday, October 1, 2020
East Oregonian
A3
Umatilla Electric Cooperative goes independent
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — After
45 years with PNGC Power,
Umatilla Electric Cooperative
is striking out on its own for
power purchases.
UEC announced on Mon-
day, Sept. 28, that it would be
“amicably” parting ways with
PNGC Power. The Hermis-
ton-based cooperative was
one of the founding members
of the larger cooperative, then
known as Pacifi c Northwest
Generating Cooperative, in
1975.
PNGC is made up of 15
— now 14 — utilities across
seven states, allowing those
utilities to use their com-
bined clout to better bar-
gain for wholesale power,
equipment and new technol-
ogy. UEC’s decision to leave
means that it will be purchas-
ing power directly from Bon-
neville Power Administration
and other sources rather than
being part of a collective pur-
chase through PNGC Power.
Robert Echenrode, UEC
general manager, said UEC’s
rapid growth has made it by
far the largest of the cooper-
atives involved in PNGC, and
has in some cases pushed it up
into different regulatory cate-
gories. That has complicated
things for PNGC, and some-
times meant that UEC is look-
also looking at moving to
more renewable energy on a
quicker time frame than some
other cooperatives, located in
“SIZE ISN’T EVERYTHING, BUT OUR
NEEDS WERE DIFFERENT THAN
OTHER COOPERATIVES.”
— Robert Echenrode, UEC general manager
ing for different things than
other cooperatives.
“Size isn’t everything, but
our needs were different than
other cooperatives,” he said.
Echenrode said UEC was
states that didn’t necessarily
have the same pressures to do
so.
Those factors over time
caused UEC to begin discus-
sions with PNGC about pos-
sibly leaving when PNGC’s
fi scal year ended at the end
of September. Echenrode
said the past 18 months have
involved careful conversa-
tions with the two organi-
zations, along with Bonne-
ville Power Administration
and other potential suppli-
ers, to make sure the move
didn’t hurt PNGC or UEC
customers.
“We did not want to cause
fi nancial hardship to the
group or any members of the
group,” he said.
He said while UEC’s cus-
tomers should notice any dif-
ference after the change, on
East Oregonian wins 2020 General Excellence Award
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
East Oregonian continued its
dominant streak in the Oregon
Newspaper Publishers Associ-
ation’s annual Better Newspa-
pers Contest by taking home
the General Excellence award
for another year.
The EO has won the top
prize for newspapers of its size
in the statewide contest for
nine out of the past 10 years.
This year, the Daily Astorian,
another EO Media Group
paper, placed second and the
Grants Pass Daily Courier
placed third.
The EO’s sister paper, the
Hermiston Herald, also won
General Excellence for its size
category, as did the Wallowa
County Chieftain, also owned
by EO Media Group.
Andrew Cutler, manag-
ing editor of the East Orego-
nian and publisher for several
of EO Media Group’s newspa-
pers, said having both the Her-
ald and the EO win General
Excellence in the same year is
“quite an achievement.”
“The newsrooms in Herm-
iston and Pendleton — and the
entire EO/HH staff — work
tirelessly to bring Umatilla and
Morrow counties accurate and
timely information,” he said.
“The Oregon Newspapers
Publishers Association allows
our reporters the opportunity
to compete for the top awards
in the state. They’ve done phe-
nomenal work over the last 12
months. I couldn’t be more
proud of our institution.”
In addition to General
Excellence, the East Orego-
nian also won several indi-
vidual awards in the contest,
which covered the 2019 calen-
dar year and saw 976 entries in
33 categories from 31 Oregon
newspapers and was judged by
a panel of editors and publish-
ers from newspapers around
the country.
The paper won Best Spe-
cial Section for its 2019 Pend-
leton Round-Up magazine,
titled “People of Round-Up.”
East Oregonian page
designer Andy Nicolais won
fi rst place for Best Page One
Design. The East Oregonian’s
reporting on drugs in Umatilla
County, including “Opioid
Overload” by Jade McDow-
ell and “BENT paid more than
$27,000 to informant” by for-
mer reporter Phil Wright won
fi rst place for Best Enterprise
Reporting. Reporter Antonio
Sierra won fi rst place for Best
Spot News Coverage for “Ris-
ing Concerns” chronicling the
events of the McKay Creek
fl ooding in Pendleton in April
2019.
The East Oregonian’s edi-
torial page, led by Cutler, took
home second place for Best
Editorial Page.
Staff photographer Ben
Lonergan’s “Mud Wars”
photo took second place for
Best Feature photo and “Sum-
mer Skatin” took third place
in the category, while his “Out
of the Chute” took second for
Best Sports photo.
Annie Fowler took home
second for Best Sports Story
for “Making memories:
Fathers, sons and Heppner
football.” McDowell took
home second place for Best
Government Coverage for
“Coming under fi re” about
Rep. Greg Smith’s perceived
confl icts of interest with his
private and public jobs, and
“Closed for business” about
the city of Lexington’s failure
to adopt a budget before the
close of the fi scal year.
“Our company is honored
to be recognized for the qual-
ity of our newspapers by our
peers in the newspaper indus-
try,” owner Kathryn Brown
said. “Our editors and report-
ers work hard to shine a light
on our communities and keep
our readers well informed,
and I’m grateful to work with
such talented and dedicated
journalists.”
UEC’s end it will allow for
more fl exibility and a more
tailored strategy for purchas-
ing power.
Roger Gray, CEO of
PNGC Power, said in a state-
ment that all parties have
been working for a smooth
transition.
“While it is always dis-
appointing to lose a mem-
ber, I think early termination
is fair to all concerned,” he
said. “PNGC has valued UEC
as a member and they leave
PNGC in good standing. I
wish the UEC organization
and team all the best in their
new journey.”
LOCAL BRIEFING
Outbreak hits
CTUIR Public
Safety Department
MISSION — A COVID-
19 outbreak among Con-
federated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion staff means the Tribes
are getting some help from
neighboring governments.
In a press release, the
CTUIR announced that
fi ve staff members of the
public safety department
have tested positive for the
virus. To make up for the
staff shortage, the Tribes
are activating mutual aid
agreements with the Pend-
leton Fire Department and
East Umatilla Fire & Res-
cue. The Bureau of Indian
Affairs wildland fi refi ghters
will not be affected.
“We are taking every
precaution to make sure the
community is safe. Fire pro-
tection will continue thanks
to our partners. Contact
tracing is nearly complete,”
CTUIR Board of Trustees
Chair Kat Brigham said
in a statement. “This out-
break shows how COVID
can shutter critical pub-
lic services. Fortunately,
our Emergency Operating
Plan (ensures) continuity of
services.”
The public safety depart-
ment as well as the coro-
navirus cases’ close con-
tacts are being tested at the
Yellowhawk Tribal Health
Center.
The CTUIR Public
Safety Department oversees
the Tribes’ police depart-
ment, fi re department, pros-
ecutor, emergency man-
agement, family violence
services and the offi ce of
support enforcement.
According to Yellow-
hawk, the CTUIR has six
active COVID-19 cases
and 82 total cases with one
death.
— EO Media Group
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