ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Be safe
out on the
highway
W
inter is coming.
There is a good chance, in fact,
that last weekend’s light dusting in
the Pendleton area was but just a preview of
Mother Nature’s annual slide into winter. Bad
weather conditions, however, in the Burnt
River Canyon east of Baker City closed Inter-
state 84 for about four hours on Sunday, Dec.
13, after several commercial trucks crashed
on the snow-slickened freeway, providing an
instant reminder that driving habits need to
adjust with the changing of the season.
Interstate 84 has a history of bad crashes
in winter — the 2012 charter bus crash that
killed nine people on Cabbage Hill, the
26-vehicle predawn pileup that injured 12 in
2015 just east of Baker City — are but just a
couple of recent examples.
This early in the winter, the snow — if it
arrives — won’t stick around long. Yet, it is
probably a good time for residents to begin
thinking about the challenges — and benefits
— winter weather furnishes the region.
One of the key items for winter weather
driving is a simple one. Check road condi-
tions before hitting the road. The Oregon
Department of Transportation’s online Trip-
check system is a reliable and easy way to
access information regarding local road and
highway road conditions.
Often motorists are taken by surprise
when they travel onto the interstate and
suddenly find themselves battling white-
out or blizzard conditions. The state high-
way department Tripcheck system takes the
guesswork out of winter driving.
Speed is also often a factor in winter
crashes. The knowledge that simply slow-
ing down can decrease a motorist’s chances
of miscue on snow and ice sometimes takes a
while to sink in, especially early in the win-
ter when no one is quite used to winter driv-
ing conditions. But cutting the speed of your
vehicle can mean the difference between a
close call and a serious crash.
Another important tip to moving through
the winter without a major accident is also
a simple one. Motorists should, if they can,
try to ensure their vehicle is in good con-
dition. That means clean headlights, good
brakes and tires and working windshield wip-
ers. Motorists should also be prepared. That
means ensuring there is extra water, a blanket
and perhaps some nonperishable food in the
car so that if severe winter weather does force
a delay, the motorist is ready to wait it out.
These all seem like mundane tips and
certainly the subject of careful winter driv-
ing isn’t going to be delivered with blaring
headlines, though it probably should. That’s
because every year someone, somewhere,
on Oregon’s highways is killed or severely
injured because of mistakes made during
winter weather driving. That means the mes-
sage of safety, of caution on slick or icy roads,
just doesn’t get through. And that is troubling.
Winter is coming, but let’s all pay atten-
tion, slow down and make sure this season
is about the fun of winter recreation in our
great region and not about statistics regarding
crashes.
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East
Oregonian editorial board. Other columns,
letters and cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not necessarily
that of the East Oregonian.
LETTERS
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters
of 400 words or less on public issues and public
policies for publication in the newspaper and
on our website. The newspaper reserves the
right to withhold letters that address concerns
about individual services and products or
letters that infringe on the rights of private
citizens. Letters must be signed by the author
and include the city of residence and a
daytime phone number. The phone number
will not be published. Unsigned letters will not
be published.
SEND LETTERS TO:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
Weather can impact many different areas
LARRY
NIERENBERG
EYE TO THE SKY
A
s a meteorologist, it is important
to convey useful weather infor-
mation to the public and our
partners. Our meteorological training
has focused on radar and satellite inter-
pretation and other tools that will help us
make the best forecast, and provide the
most timely and accurate watches and
warnings.
However, it is often just as important
for us to indicate what all of this infor-
mation means and what impacts the
weather will have.
While we still want to give the most
accurate forecast we can, the National
Weather Service is increasingly focused
on the impacts of the weather. Those
impacts can also differ by your personal
needs.
For this example, let’s say that an area
will receive 3 inches of snow. In years
past, the forecast may have simply stated
3 inches of snow tonight. However, most
people realize that 3 inches of snow will
have very different impacts if it falls
at 2 a.m. on a Sunday versus 6 a.m. on
a Tuesday, as one of these events will
affect the morning commute to work
and school and one will not.
Additionally, 3 inches of snow will
also have a tremendously different
impact if it falls in Minneapolis versus
Atlanta. Minneapolis is much more used
to snow and better equipped to handle it
and mitigate its effects than Atlanta.
Also, there will be different impacts
for different people. The impacts for
the Oregon Department of Transpor-
tation or a snow plow driver are much
more immediate, as they must respond
quickly to keep roads clear, and often try
to keep ahead of a snowstorm by pre-
treating roads. A school superintendent
needs to make a go or no-go decision
about whether schools open, and there
are obvious impacts regarding student
and employee safety, and whether or not
buses can operate in a safe manner.
If you are someone who works in an
office environment, there may be lesser
impacts, as long as you can safely make
it to your office, or could possibly even
telework from home.
So, now the National Weather Service
(NWS) is trying to focus more on what
those impacts will be, and how they will
impact certain agencies, as well as rush
hour traffic, interstate highways, and the
potential for school closings or delays.
Several years ago, the NWS embarked
on a mission to totally change the way
we provide critical weather informa-
tion to our partners and decision mak-
ers, which is called Impact-Based Deci-
sion Support Services, or IDSS. This
can occur via many methods, includ-
ing email or telephone briefings, or live
briefings or webinars.
However, it is the focus of the brief-
ing that has changed. We provide infor-
mation that will hopefully help the key
decision makers in performing their jobs
or making the necessary public safety or
other decisions that they need to make.
We never make the decisions for them.
That is not our job or our mission. The
National Weather Service will never tell
a school superintendent that they should
or should not close schools, for example,
or tell a Department of Transportation
when they should start plowing snow.
We provide forecast information to sup-
port the decision, but do not make it.
If we are able to provide information
on the times we think it will start snow-
ing, when the heaviest snow will occur
and when it will stop snowing and our
confidence level in the forecast, these
pieces of data are vital for decision mak-
ers. We will likely include other vital
information, such as temperatures and
wind, which may further help those who
need to take important actions. Based
on the information in these briefings
and the impacts that we are suggesting,
a better decision should be able to be
made.
For the purpose of this column, I
focused on a snowstorm, but IDSS can
be used for flooding, as it was earlier
this year during the heavy rain and run-
off event that affected Pendleton and
other portions of the Blue Mountain
foothills. It can be used for thunder-
storms and severe weather, fire weather,
strong winds, heat, cold and just about
any type of weather where more infor-
mation about impacts and confidence
can help key people make important and
potentially life-saving decisions — and
as everyone knows, weather can impact
many different areas of life.
———
Larry Nierenberg is a senior fore-
caster for the National Weather Service
in Pendleton. Nierenberg leads National
Weather Service community outreach
and hazardous weather preparedness
and resiliency programs.
but commended on this historic day.
At a time when science seems to be
under attack, agencies like EPA continue
to do the important work of regulating
our products, ensuring environmental
quality, and protecting public health. The
system is not perfect, but the gains our
nation has made in environmental qual-
ity are a testament to a 50-year legacy of
continuous improvement. So, the next
time you get in your car, shop a grocery
store, or work in a garden, think about
and be thankful for the work of EPA’s
scientists, who have made our lives safer
through their work and dedication.
Chris Novak, president and CEO
CropLife America
nizations in every corner of the state,
saving many from permanent closure —
but the crisis and losses continue.
In a focused effort to help our cultural
community recover in 2021, the Cul-
tural Trust is urging Oregonians to uti-
lize Oregon’s unique cultural tax credit
to leverage greater annual funding for
culture.
Donors simply give to one or more
of the 1,450-plus cultural nonprofits the
Cultural Trust supports, then make a
matching donation to the Trust before
Dec. 31. The donation to the Trust comes
back, dollar for dollar, when the donor
claims the cultural tax credit on their
state taxes. The Trust donation sends
a signal to the Legislature to set those
funds aside to support cultural projects.
The Cultural Trust annually distrib-
utes up to 60% of funds raised to cultural
organizations and to county and Tribal
cultural coalitions, which regrant the
funds locally. The remainder is invested
in the Trust’s permanent fund.
Please help our arts, history, heritage
and humanities nonprofits survive the
pandemic by donating to the Cultural
Trust and claiming your tax credit.
Until the curtain rises again, let’s pro-
tect Oregon culture together.
Chuck Sams
Pendleton
YOUR VIEWS
Congratulations to EPA
on 50 years
On Dec. 2, the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency celebrated its 50th anni-
versary. Created by President Nixon in
1970, EPA consolidated the environmen-
tal responsibilities of the federal govern-
ment into one agency to more effectively
address environmental concerns.
Over the past 50 years, the agency has
set a worldwide standard for using sci-
entific consensus as the foundation for
regulations.
As the head of the trade association
representing the pesticide industry, I
know all too well how complex and divi-
sive regulatory decisions can be, yet I
cannot overstate the importance of the
work that EPA scientists have done to
improve our environment.
No matter which party holds the
White House, the foundation of EPA is
these career-scientists. These individuals
bring decades of experience and exper-
tise to the review of chemicals that are
designed to protect our health, safety,
and sustainability while protecting our
water and air.
Career scientists provide consistency
and integrity to our regulatory process,
no matter which party is in charge. Their
work should not only be acknowledged,
Oregon Cultural Trust
donations benefit giver,
receiver
All across Oregon we have seen the
suffering of our local industries, espe-
cially our arts and culture sector, who are
most vulnerable to the effects of this pan-
demic. Performing arts organizations,
museums and libraries have taken a huge
hit due to ongoing restrictions on large
gatherings.
Thankfully, Oregon led the nation
in allocating $25.9 million in federal
CARES Act funds to 621 cultural orga-