OPINION
Saturday, November 28, 2020
East Oregonian
A5
Grateful for newspapers and the important work they do
DEAN
RIDINGS
OTHER VIEWS
T
hanksgiving is a great time for count-
ing our blessings and expressing grati-
tude. In challenging times, an attitude
of gratitude is all the more important, and this
year has been one of the most difficult for so
many.
Nevertheless, we’ve seen many people in
communities across our country who have
risen to the occasion and gone above and
beyond to serve their fellow citizens in the
face of all of the difficulties and heartbreak
that COVID-19 has wrought.
I’m grateful to the first responders and
health care workers for their tireless efforts
to protect and care for our communities in
the face of uncertain and often dangerous
circumstances.
I’m grateful to teachers and educators for
their dedication to education and their ability
to adapt to unusual learning environments.
And I’m grateful to parents who, all of a sud-
den, have found themselves in home school
situations, needing to remember the basics of
math, English and science.
I’m grateful to local businesses for their
dedication and perseverance and creativity
to continue to serve their customers through
curbside, delivery and online options.
I’m grateful to restaurants and grocery
stores for continuing to safely serve and pro-
vide for their customers day in and day out.
I’m grateful to our houses of worship
where we can lift our hearts and find renewed
strength.
And as the CEO of an association repre-
senting the newspaper industry, I’m also very
about their communities and the work their
staffs do.
The importance of local newspapers has
never been more evident than in the past year.
Even though the major stories of the year
were national — COVID, the elections, the
economy, racial injustice and more — the
impact has always been local.
The reporters at your local newspaper are
your neighbors. They are part of your com-
munity, and I know that they care about what
happens there. They provide vital information
I’M GRATEFUL TO OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP
WHERE WE CAN LIFT OUR HEARTS AND FIND
RENEWED STRENGTH.
grateful to the daily and weekly newspapers
across this country who put it all on the line
every day of the year, and to the readers who
support their vital work.
I’m proud of the work these newspapers
do, and I hope you will join me in express-
ing your appreciation to them. It’s not easy
hearing people challenge your motives with
repeated taunts of “fake news.” From per-
sonal connections, I know how much the pub-
lishers and editors of these newspapers care
to protect the health and safety of the public,
with news about crime, local schools, local
government, steps being taken to address the
spread of COVID, local trends and more.
They’ve kept us informed with detailed
information about businesses that are open,
creative ideas for things to do at home,
outdoor entertainment options and tips
for addressing the challenges of working
remotely.
And, they have performed a vital role in
protecting democracy and informing readers
during the often-contentious election process.
In a season filled with misinformation fueled
by one-sided digital sites and cable news
channels, local newspapers were relied on to
provide fair coverage of the issues that mat-
tered the most to readers.
This Thanksgiving, newspapers are also
giving us a fun, new way to share our grat-
itude with those around us. They invite you
to look into your heart and share the things
for which you’re most grateful — health,
family, faith, friends, pets or anything else
— on a new, national Share Gratitude plat-
form: ShareGratitude2020.com. You can even
include a video message or post a photo to the
site.
Local newspapers have supported all of us
through this difficult year and now they need
our support as well. Consider subscribing to
your local newspaper, in print or online, to
show your thanks for the job they do each and
every day and to ensure that they can con-
tinue to keep your community fully informed
in the days ahead. Thank you for reading the
newspaper.
———
Dean Ridings is CEO of America’s News-
papers, an association committed to explain-
ing, defending and advancing the vital role of
newspapers in democracy and civil life.
A path forward for salmon, energy and agriculture
WENDY
MCDERMOTT
OTHER VIEWS
U
p and down the Columbia and
Snake rivers, salmon-dependent
businesses are hurting. Tribes are
suffering as many of the salmon runs they
depend on for sustenance and culture are
on the brink of extinction. Climate change
is threatening our Northwest way of life,
heating up our rivers and harming the
health of our environment.
Given this reality, it is critical that we
consider all options for salmon recovery,
including the option scientists say would
be most effective for Snake River salmon
and steelhead: breaching the four fed-
eral dams on the lower Snake River in
Washington.
American Rivers recognizes that
salmon recovery is one of several inter-
connected goals. We also must ensure our
region can enjoy clean, affordable energy.
We must create jobs and strengthen our
economy. And, we must address longstand-
ing injustices. Instead of closing doors on
our best options, we should be asking the
questions: What kind of investment would
be necessary to replace the energy the four
lower Snake dams currently provide? What
would we need to do to ensure irrigators
can continue drawing water from the river?
How would we replace barge transporta-
tion on the lower Snake and get goods to
market?
We recognize there will continue to be
a role for hydropower dams in the Pacific
Northwest. American Rivers is working
with representatives of the national hydro-
power industry and Stanford University to
find common ground on the role of hydro-
power in addressing climate change while
also protecting and restoring free-flowing
rivers.
While we believe there is a continued
role for hydropower, we know that some
dams’ costs outweigh their benefits. That is
the case with Lower Granite, Little Goose,
Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams
on the lower Snake River. Based on their
costs — financial, ecological and cultural
— we support their removal.
The Columbia and Snake rivers have
provided an incredible array of benefits to
the region, including economically and cul-
turally important salmon runs, electricity,
water for agriculture, and a transportation
system. Unfortunately, salmon populations
are in freefall that is disproportionally
harming tribes across the region. Uncer-
tainty for Snake River-dependent agricul-
tural producers and shippers hampers long-
term planning and growth. A dramatically
shifting energy landscape is putting the
future of low-cost, reliable energy supplies
at risk without strategic investment and
modernizing Northwest energy policy.
A 2018 study by Energy Strategies LLC
found that replacing the energy provided
by the four lower Snake River dams with
new clean sources would increase electric
system reliability at a low cost while pro-
viding the best chance for fish restoration.
“The region can remove the four lower
Snake River Dams and replace the power
they provide with a portfolio of conserva-
tion and renewable energy resources while
maintaining grid and transmission reliabil-
ity at levels equal to or better than the cur-
rent system and with little or no increase
in greenhouse gas emissions,” the study
states.
More investigation is needed into how
we can best replace the benefits of the
lower Snake dams. We applaud the region’s
governors and tribes for spearheading this
important dialogue. Now, we need our
Northwest congressional delegation to lis-
ten to our region’s diverse voices, includ-
ing tribes, fishermen, farmers and energy
interests, and help forge a collaborative,
comprehensive solution. We believe we can
recover salmon, meet federal treaty and
trust responsibilities to Native American
tribes, ensure clean, affordable energy and
strengthen our economy.
It’s time to move forward together.
———
Wendy McDermott is the Pacific North-
west director of American Rivers.
A shift toward batteries, renewables
SCOTT
CHRISTIANSEN
OTHER VIEWS
M
ost of the world’s policy mak-
ers agreed in the Paris Agree-
ment, under the United Nations
(UN) Framework Convention on Climate
Change, that society should seek to avert
the threat of climate change by holding the
increase in the global average temperature
to 3.6°F (2.0°C) above pre-industrial tem-
peratures. Up to now, 189 out of 197 parties
to the convention have ratified the agree-
ment. (The U.S. withdrew on Nov. 4, 2020,
but President-elect Joe Biden said the U.S.
will rejoin when he takes office).
The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
contained in currently owned and exploit-
able global fossil fuel reserves are around
three times higher than the amount of GHG
required to raise the atmospheric tempera-
ture in 2050 to the proposed 3.6°F limit. To
make it simple, a third of oil reserves, half
of gas reserves and over 80% of current
coal reserves globally should stay in the
ground to prevent the Earth’s average tem-
perature from rising 3.6°F.
What are stranded assets?
This means we can stop exploring for
oil, gas and coal, which will save money
for investors; but it also means that the fos-
sil fuel industry is sitting on trillions of
dollars in stranded assets, which are invest-
ments worth less on the market than they
are on a balance sheet, due to the fact that
they have become obsolete before the end
of their life. For example, new coal plants
built today, scheduled to run for 30 years to
recoup their costs, do not anticipate a world
where renewable energy will be cheaper
than coal.
According to The Guardian, the world’s
rising reliance on fossil fuels may come to
an end far earlier than predicted. Individual
investors, banks, pension funds, insurance
companies and universities are rethink-
ing their investments in coal, gas and oil
because of worries about the inevitable
depreciation of stranded assets.
Companies that fail to plan for low-car-
bon economic scenarios risk decline or
even bankruptcy. Therefore, the Task
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclo-
sures has developed financial risk disclo-
sure tools for company managers and their
boards to let investors, lenders, insurers,
and other stakeholders anticipate if or when
they are or will be holding stranded assets.
Consider a breakthrough in battery stor-
age technologies within the next 20 years,
which could greatly depress use of oil and
gas in the transport sector and accelerate
demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Cur-
rent growth of EVs supports this likely
proposition. Passenger EV sales jumped
from 450,000 in 2015 to 2.1 million in
2019. Sales will continue to rise as battery
prices fall, energy density improves, more
charging infrastructure is built, and sales
spread to new markets. By 2022, there will
be over 500 different EV models available
globally.
Falling price of renewable energy
The primary reason for the transition
out of a fossil fuel economy is because
of the falling price of renewable energy
sources. According to Bloomberg’s 2019
New Energy Outlook, cheap renewable
energy and batteries will fundamentally
reshape the electricity system:
• We move from two-thirds fossil fuels
in 2018 to two-thirds zero-carbon energy
by 2050.
• Solar sees the most growth, rising
from 2% of the world electricity genera-
tion today to 22% in 2050.
• Wind generates 26% of the world’s
electricity in 2050, compared with 5%
today.
• Today, wind and solar are the cheapest
sources of energy across more than two-
thirds of the world. By 2030, they under-
cut coal and gas almost everywhere.
• Hydro sees very modest growth, and
nuclear stays flat.
• Batteries help shift excess generation
to times when the wind is not blowing,
and the sun is not shining. Demand-side
flexibility also helps better integrate
variable renewable energy
China leads the way
President Xi Jinping of China recently
announced to the UN General Assembly
that his country would become carbon neu-
tral by 2060. Responsible for 28% of the
globe’s greenhouse gas emissions (double
those of the U.S.), China is already a leader
in the deployment of clean-energy tech-
nologies. Its commitment to reach net-zero
emissions in four decades will spur growth
in development and manufacturing of tech-
nologies needed in the transition. Those
efforts will make technologies cheaper for
other countries to use and make it more
likely they buy from China.
———
Scott Christiansen is an international
agronomist with 35 years of experience. He
worked for USDA’s Agricultural Research
Service and the U.S. Agency for Interna-
tional Development.
As the internet evolves, so
does the news business
ANDREW
CUTLER
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
W
hen I began my newspaper
career — further back some-
times than I like to admit — the
internet was still a fairly new phenom-
enon. The web platforms we all see and
use today were simply dreams back then.
When I crafted my first story, so long ago,
I couldn’t imagine how much of an impact
the World Wide Web would have, not only
on the world, but also our industry.
The internet has evolved over the years,
and with it the way we structure and pres-
ent news. For more than 200 years, the
print product was the unquestioned king.
The newspaper — held in our hands or
carried under our arms — was the pri-
mary tool to deliver news. The internet, of
course, changed all of that. Not all at once,
but slowly over time.
Now, a newspaper’s website is just as
critical a piece to the overall news prod-
uct as the actual newspaper. Most in our
industry realized — some early on, some
later — the power of the internet in terms
of making us more versatile and flexi-
ble. There are no space restrictions on the
web. Stories can be as long or as short as
needed.
That isn’t always the case with a news-
paper. There are only so many pages — or
so much space — per edition.
The internet has also changed the news-
paper business. In some ways the change
has been good, in others not so good. Over-
all, though, the changes delivered by the
advent of the internet have enhanced, rather
that detracted, from our news product.
Our website at the East Oregonian is
always a work in progress in terms of find-
ing the right way to deliver news, but it is
one of the most powerful elements to our
daily task to deliver our product. While we
are no longer a daily newspaper, we post
stories on our website every day, some-
times hourly. That means a subscriber isn’t
confined to waiting on the print product to
arrive to find out what is going on locally.
Our webpage and our print product
compliment each other. Both are essen-
tial pillars to our overall news operation,
but both fulfill different roles for different
people.
Internally, we see both as key pieces to
our long-term goals. However, the internet
is only going to continue to evolve and we
must evolve with it.
Now, we provide a solid print product
and a growing web presence. Readers can
find updated stories on our website every
day.
Things have changed greatly since I first
became a journalist, and one of the most
exciting things back then was the potential
of the internet.
It’s still just as exciting nearly 20 years
later.
———
Andrew Cutler is the publisher/editor of
the East Oregonian.