ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
SATURDAy, MARCH 6, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Tip of
the hat,
kick in
the pants
A
kick in the pants to efforts that
seem to come up each legisla-
tive session to reduce access to
public records.
This year, one of those bills would
specifically exempt unmanned aerial
systems test ranges, such as the one in
Pendleton, from disclosing records that
“would cause a competitive disadvantage
to the test range or its users.”
We understand that dealing with
private companies sensitive about their
proprietary information can be compli-
cated for public bodies, and there are
some records it does make sense to
protect, such as intellectual property
regarding the design of unmanned aerial
vehicles tested.
But we believe the language in this
particular bill is overly broad, which in
public records law is a recipe for abuse.
The phrase “including but not limited to”
throws open the door too widely when
one could argue that any information that
negatively reflects on the test range could
put it at a “competitive disadvantage.”
The city has correctly argued that
given the $20 million the public has
invested in the Pendleton test range and
the economic activity it has generated, it
is in everyone’s interest that the facility
succeed. However, part of the recipe for
success is oversight and accountability to
the taxpayers who put up the funds.
A tip of the hat to Morrow County
and Tillamook County Creamery Asso-
ciation for providing another round of
grants for small local businesses affected
by the pandemic. As exciting as it is to
see COVID-19 cases trending down and
vaccination rates trending up, a lot of
businesses are not out of the woods yet. It
would be a shame for a business to make
it this far only to not survive the final
stretch, so we appreciate efforts to help
sustain them.
A tip of the hat to high school sports
teams returning to the competitive field
for the first time since the pandemic
began. We admire the students who have
persevered through a difficult school year
full of unknowns and constantly chang-
ing information. We also tip our hats to
teachers, coaches and administrators who
have worked hard to create what oppor-
tunities they can for students instead
of throwing up their hands and saying,
“We’ll just wait until next year.”
We wish everyone a safe and healthy
season, however short and unusual it may
be.
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
YOUR VIEWS
HB 2379 is key to restoring
some of your tax dollars
For decades, corporate timber
companies benefited from tax cuts that
cut local county budgets across the
state. Residents also suffered when they
were forced to make up for the losses
to maintain schools and other county
programs as a result of those corporate
tax cuts.
Taxpayers have increasingly been
asked to make up the difference and for
some counties and residents in the state
that meant higher property taxes, fees or
cuts to existing programs and services.
What we do know is that Oregon
timber companies previously paid a
severance tax on the value of the trees
they logged. And these timber barons
have not paid their fair share because
lawmakers passed a series of lopsided
tax cuts that resulted in lowering the
funding provided to schools and local
governments.
What can and should be done? House
Bill 2379 before the Oregon Legisla-
ture is key to restoring some of your
tax dollars. The bill imposes a sever-
ance tax on owners of timber at time of
harvest at 5% of value of the timber and
directs revenue from the severance tax
into the Emergency Wildfire Fund.
Let’s face it, if you think about the
demographics in counties — they’ve
been hit hard by logging, the people are
relatively strapped, and so when the
local option comes up for large timber
companies and says, “We’re going to
increase your property taxes, we’re
going to pass this measure, do you
voluntarily support it?” They say “no.”
Just look at a fire services proposal
to merge the city of Union’s fire depart-
ment and the Union Rural Fire Depart-
ment, and you kind of get a picture for
how tax forgiveness works.
Randy Knop
Union
River Democracy Act
benefits ranchers too
I ranch near Union and irrigate from
Grande Ronde tributaries — Cather-
ine and Little creeks. I was not caught
off guard by the introduction of the
River Democracy Act because I, like all
Oregonians, received an unprecedented
invitation from Sen. Ron Wyden to
highlight streams worthy of protection.
Some might think that Wyden’s ask
was only for recreationists. However,
for my ranching business, the water-
shed’s ecological health is essential.
Moreover, my hometown’s water qual-
ity, infrastructure, and economy depend
on what happens upstream, whether the
waterway is on private or federal lands.
If we continue neglecting our
floodplains’ health, fires and flooding
will further erode infrastructure and
threaten our safety. Windblown trees
and ice jams are already threatening
Union due to channelization. Imagine
what would happen if fire took over
our forest lands with little vegetation to
slow snowpack melting. With the fire
management tools offered in the Act,
we are less likely to see huge amounts of
sediment choking creeks, flooding out
private properties, and silting in irriga-
tion systems.
While some seem concerned that
this legislation will negatively impact
private property and water rights, this
is an opportunity to build resilience
downstream by restoring the waterways
upstream — enhancing the value of
private property and water rights.
Sen. Wyden invites us now to modify
the River Democracy Act. Whether
using livestock, forestry practices, or
enhancing recreation opportunities,
the River Democracy Act gives us a
voice and opportunities for regenerative
management.
Cattlemen, don’t be caught off guard.
Be part of the solution.
Andrea Malmberg
Union
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
REPRESENTATIVES
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us