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Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Will Biochar figure in the county’s future?
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
On Wednesday, Jan. 23,
at the old mill site just out-
side of the town of Wal-
lowa, 50-60 interested citi-
zens saw a demonstration of
what may become a viable
natural resource product as
well as a method to rid the
county of numerous slash
piles in an environmentally
friendly way: Biochar.
Biochar is manufactured
from organic waste material
that is burned in a low-ox-
ygen environment. It looks
similar to charcoal but has
different properties. South
American societies used
it as a soil enhancer for
millennia.
Matt King, renewable
energy program advisor for
Wallowa Resources, helped
set up the demonstration.
King first heard of Bio-
char while working in East
Africa, where, like in South
America the product is used
for soil enhancement on
small-holder farms.
The product’s extreme
porosity is purported to
Courtesy Photo
A crowd on Lower Diamond Lane outside the town of Wallowa watches a demonstration of an
air curtain carbonizer as it burns biomass with the purpose of creating biochar, a charcoal-like
substance used for soil enhancement. Wallowa County commissioner Todd Nash stands on the
far right.
improve soil fertility. A sin-
gle tablespoon can hold as
much as 600 square feet
of surface area. The pores
allow the product to hold
water and nutrients within
the soil and provide an invit-
ing home for beneficent soil
microorganisms.
Burning biomass in a
low-oxygen environment
calls for specialized equip-
ment. In this case an air cur-
tain carbonizer. Burning
at 850 degrees Fahrenheit
allowed for a six percent
recovery of the feedstock,
which in this case was
northwest softwoods.
The carbonizer, provided
by Ragnar Original Innova-
tion, is designed for reduc-
tion of fuel loads, such as
slash piles, which in turn
accounts for the low amount
of biochar recovery during
the demonstration. How-
ever, other methods of pro-
ducing biochar can offer a
higher recovery rate.
While Biochar shows
promise, local results are
mixed. Testing on wheat
and mixed fodder crops are
inconclusive although soil
testing shows improved
soil pH and improved water
holding capacity. The bio-
char used locally for these
tests is not from this area.
According to King, Inte-
grated Biomass Resources,
a small mill in Wallowa,
has expressed interest in
exploring the potential for
adding biochar and a bio-
char-based soil amendment
to its list of products. Wal-
lowa Resources Commu-
nity Solutions is working in
tandem with Integrated Bio-
mass Resources to this end.
In the end, the carbonizer
was deemed too expensive
to purchase and operate.
Despite the setback, King
remains optimistic.
“Wallowa Resources is
definitely pursuing biochar
production capability in
partnership with Integrated
Biomass, the mill in Wal-
lowa, using other technol-
ogy,” King said.
Nils
Christoffersen,
executive director of Wal-
lowa
Resources,
also
remains optimistic.
“The demo was success-
ful in bringing a lot of peo-
ple down to the site, and
stimulating
conversation
about the potential use of
mobile biochar equipment
to process forest slash piles
and produce a value-added
product (i.e. biochar),” he
said. “It also prompted dis-
cussion about different ways
to treat slash and still gen-
erate environmental bene-
fits — including mastication
in the woods, and leaving
the smaller pieces on site to
decompose.”
Rural access to high-speed internet high priority at State and Federal level
By Claire Withycombe
Oregon Capital Bureau
There’s been no shortage
of reporting in the past couple
years about various attempts
to bring more accessible and
affordable high-speed broad-
band internet access to Wal-
lowa County and other rural
Oregon communities.
In fact, few policy objec-
tives benefit more from
bipartisan efforts at both the
state and federal level.
In 2018, Oregon’s Rep.
Greg Walden championed
a bill directing the Federal
Communications Commis-
sion to allocate $13.7 mil-
lion to Oregon to improve
rural broadband distribution.
On Feb. 13 of this year,
Sen. Ron Wyden issued a
press release outlining a
new proposition for contin-
ued relief for rural commu-
nities like Wallowa County.
Wyden explained, “All
across Oregon, one of the
top issues I hear about is the
need to bring fast, reliable
internet to our rural areas.”
“For education, for jobs,
for medicine, broadband is
really essential to helping
rural communities thrive
today. Creating a new Office
of Rural Broadband will cre-
ate a new focus at FCC on
making sure every home and
business can get online.”
Also at the state level in
Oregon there have been a
number of notable devel-
opments over the past two
years.
In Dec. 2018, Gov. Kate
Brown issued an execu-
tive order on the matter,
remarking “this is an eco-
nomic and equity issue,” in
a press release. Gov. Brown
set aside $1.1 million in her
recommended budget to pay
for a new Broadband Office
at Business Oregon, the
state’s economic develop-
ment department.
Now, the Oregon legis-
lature is tasked with find-
ing a way to pay for the bold
agenda.
One option on the table is
House Bill 2148. If passed,
Oregonians
could
see
their cell phone bills go up
through a surcharge on wire-
less calls to raise $10 million
a year that utilities could use
for internet projects in rural
Oregon.
The average cell phone
user could see an increase
of $4 to $8 a year. The sur-
charge would apply only
to calls within the state and
also cover voice-over inter-
net protocols.
The state created a spe-
cial fund in 1999 to push
telecommunications tech-
nology into rural areas. The
idea is that all customers
would help pay for services
that are more expensive to
provide in sparsely popu-
lated rural communities.
The critical telecom ser-
vice used to be landlines.
Now, it’s the internet.
According to a December
report from the U.S. Cen-
sus Bureau, rural areas of the
country trail in their access
to broadband.
In 2016, 64 percent of
rural Oregonians lived in
areas where they could
access broadband speeds,
while 98 percent of Ore-
gonians in urban areas
could, according to the
Federal
Communications
Commission.
In rural areas of Sherman,
Gilliam and Harney coun-
ties, the share of residents
who have access to broad-
band was in the single dig-
its. No rural residents in
Wheeler County had access
to broadband, according to
the FCC data.
A greater share of rural
Oregonians — about 95
percent — had high-speed
internet access through cell-
phones, although that access
varies widely between coun-
ties as well.
Some say the gap in
accessibility to fixed broad-
band — high-speed internet
you can access on a com-
puter or multiple computers
at home, school or at work
— cuts off rural areas from
economic opportunities.
About 15 years ago, busi-
nesses, schools and local
government in Tillamook
County were clamoring for
faster internet, according to
David Yamamoto, a Tilla-
mook County commissioner,
who testified at a legislative
hearing this week.
They didn’t want to wait
for a commercial company
to decide the county of about
26,000 people was a viable
market.
Locals created Tilla-
mook Lightwave, a part-
nership between the Port of
Tillamook Bay, Tillamook
County and the Tillamook
People’s Utility District, to
provide affordable broad-
band service.
“We have more cows than
we do people in the county,”
Yamamoto said. “Cows, for-
tunately, don’t use the inter-
net, but our schools, and
hospitals and businesses
absolutely do.”
While businesses and
government agencies have
access now, many homes in
the county still don’t have
high-speed internet, said
Yamamoto. He also serves
on the Oregon Broadband
Advisory Council.
Under House Bill 2184,
championed by state Rep.
Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, a
partnership like Tillamook
Lightwave could apply to
the state for money raised by
the cellphone surcharge.
The proposal is one effort
by state officials to bridge
the so-called “digital divide”
between rural and urban
communities.
Marsh has also introduced
legislation codifying that
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office in law and defining its
responsibilities. A new state
office could also make fed-
eral money more available to
support the internet projects.
“Despite the fact that
broadband availability is
really central to the eco-
nomic development of our
small communities, at this
point, no one in the state of
Oregon is in charge,” Marsh
said.
Last week, the Oregon
Senate passed a bill to bump
up discounts on broadband
service for low-income
people.
The surcharge proposal,
HB 2184, says areas with no
or minimal service should be
prioritized.
The Taxpayers Associa-
tion of Oregon and the Ore-
gon Small Business Associa-
tion oppose the proposal.
“We shouldn’t be tax-
ing one service, cellphones,
for another service, inter-
net,” said Tootie Smith of
the Taxpayers Association of
Oregon.
John Cmelak, a tax policy
director for Verizon Wire-
less, said money to sup-
port broadband should come
from the state’s general fund,
not cellphone customers.
“You shouldn’t have wire-
less customers paying for
something they don’t bene-
fit at all from,” Cmelak told
lawmakers. He contended
the surcharge was regres-
sive, and said many poor
people rely on voice calls
and don’t have landlines.
But if Monday’s hearing
was any indication, there is
some confusion among leg-
islators about what the bill
would do, and how it would
affect the cost of cellphone
service and video call ser-
vices like Skype.
State Rep. Brad Witt,
D-Clatskanie, voiced frus-
tration about what he felt
was conflicting informa-
tion presented by advocates
and opponents of the bill on
Monday.
“I don’t know what I
can trust here in the testi-
mony I’m hearing today,”
Witt said. “I’m trying to
make a decision here based
on what I’m hearing, and
I’m hearing very conflicting
information.”
Marsh told her colleagues
that the telecom indus-
try is pushing for expan-
sion of faster cellular ser-
vice, known as 5G, mostly
in urban areas.
“If we continue down the
path toward bigger and faster
technology without bringing
rural Oregon along with us,
we are going to exacerbate
those rural Oregon technol-
ogy divides,” Marsh said.
“We are going to clearly
identify the haves from the
have-nots.”
Wallowa County Chief-
tain editor Christian Ambro-
son contributed to this
report.
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FEED
Saturday, February 23, 2019
5 pm to 8 pm ~ Cloverleaf Hall
Casino Night 8:00 pm
Donate a Dessert for the
Dessert Live Auction 6:30 pm
(Proceeds benefit the Casey Eye Clinic)
No Host Bar provided by
La Laguna Restaurant
5:00 pm till closing
Tickets at the Door
All-You-Can-Eat Crab - $37.00
Prime Rib & Cup-of-Crab -$37.00
Prime Rib Only - $25.00
Children 11 & under - $27.00
(All-you-can-eat crab)
All include: Cole Slaw, Baked Beans
& Garlic Bread
BPOE1829NEWS@gmail.com • Like Us On
Ad sponsored by NAPA Thompson Auto Supply
616 W. North Street • Enterprise, Oregon
541-426-4208
The Wallowa County Ducks Unlimited Committee wishes to thank all the patrons,
businesses and donors who helped make our 2019 DU event successful .
Silver Sponsors: Burke & Tammy Lathrop, Brian & Amanda Rahn, Gene & Marge Bieraugel
Bronze Sponsors: Paul & Jakki Boehne, Chris & Tina Borgerding, David Bronson, John Duckworth, Duncan Hunter,
Embers Brewhouse, Jeremiah & Christina Moffi t, Keith & June Newburn,
Jim Reese, Donnie Rynearson, Chance & Cricket Waters
Ace Hardware
Alpine Meadows Golf Club
Anton’s Home & Hearth
Arrowhead Chocolates
Aspen Gallery
Bank of Eastern Oregon
Blue Mountain Barbers
The Bookloft
Brink Ranch
Bronson Log Homes
Carpet One
Central Copy & Shipping
Chuck Berrier
Community Bank
Copper Creek Mercantile
David Bronson Photography
Diane Knox
Dollar Stretcher
Ed Staub & Sons Propane
Embers Brewhouse
Enterprise Liquor Store
Gene & Marge Bieraugel
Goebel’s, Wallowa
Greg & Joleen Bieraugel
Hancock Forest Management
Henderson Fuel
Hillock Insurance
Hunter’s Firearm Services
Integrated Biomass
Resources LLC
Jake Falk
James Reese
John Duckworth
Joe Hall Ford, Lewiston
John L. Sullivan
John T. Sullivan
Joseph Hardware
Josi Fire Control
Keith & June Newburn
Kevin’s Tire Shop
Kni-Co Manufacturing
Les Schwab Tires
Mainstreet Grill
Moon Shine Glass
NAPA/Thompson Auto Supply
Olaf Pottery
Outlaw Motor Sports
Rahn Sanitary Service
Ram Auto & Hardware
Rick & Terri Skillings
RimRock Inn
Ron’s Place in Wallowa
Schaeff er Automotive Services
Simply Sandys
Sports Corral
Sportsman’s Warehouse,
Lewiston
SPS of Oregon
Stangel Industries
Stein Distillery
Sugar Time Bakery
Susie Madigan
Terminal Gravity Brewing
Terry Bates
Tri-county Equipment
Valley Bronze
VFW
Wallowa County Grain Growers
Wallowa County Nursery
Wallowa Lake Lodge
Wallowa Rod & Gun Club
Wal-mart, La Grande
Water Dog Tenders
Wild Carrot
A special thanks to Diana of Chuckwagon Sisters, Leo of El Bajio, the FFA assistants,
Kate of Community Bank, Ellen Bishop of the Chieftain, Auctioneer Chuck Berrier, and June Newburn
for the beautiful table decorations. All of us on the DU committee appreciate everyone’s support.
Thank you!