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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2020)
OPINION NEWS Wallowa.com Wednesday, February 19, 2020 A5 FULL TEXT OF GOV. BROWN’S LETTER TO GOV. INSLEE Snake River dams, salmon, and communities Feb. 11, 2020 D ear Governor Inslee: I am writing to thank you for your leadership and initiative to restore health to our iconic orcas, and to share with you my perspective on long- term and interim steps necessary to sup- port that effort. The imperilment of south- ern resident killer whales is a tragedy shared by all of us in the Pacifi c North- west, and Oregon stands with you to boldly address those factors contributing to their demise. Among the three primary threats (i.e., toxins, noise and lack of food), Oregon’s primary opportunity is to enhance the avail- ability of salmon to foraging orcas. The recent draft report from your task force Lower Snake River Dams Engagement Report provides a good context for sharing my perspective on long-term and interim steps to enhance the availability of salmon to foraging orcas. Importantly, this can be done while preserving the foundation of the low cost, carbon-free hydropower system that has helped fuel Oregon’s economy for the last century, and will help us to integrate more wind and solar to achieve our long- term climate goals. As you know, Oregon is actively engaged in a long-standing effort to recover salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin as a vital part of our ecological, cultural and eco- nomic heritage and prosperity. The science is clear that removing the earthen portions of the four Lower Snake River dams is the most certain and robust solution to Snake River salmon and steelhead recovery. No other action has the potential to improve overall survival two-to three-fold and simul- taneously address both the orca and salmon recovery dilemma while providing certainty in the legal challenge that has complicated operations for decades. This option would likely provide a dramatic increase in salmon available for orca forage, particularly during the late winter when vulnerable gestating orcas may be foraging off the mouth of the Columbia River. This option reduces direct and delayed mortality of wild and hatchery salmon associated with dam and reservoir passage and provides the most resilience to climate change (e.g., reduced thermal load- ing in the lower Snake and Columbia riv- ers and better access to and from the alpine headwaters most resilient to shrinking snowpacks). I believe restoring the Lower Snake River must be a key presumption of our long-term solution for salmon and orca recovery, but much must be done before this is accomplished in order to help minimize and mitigate for potential harm to other vital sectors. Among other considerations, this includes an affordable, nimble and reli- able power system that can help us to inte- grate renewables to meet our climate goals; continued water supplies for agriculture and municipalities; and effi cient and afford- able ways to get commodities to market. As identifi ed in your draft report, collaborative, solution-based discussions among stake- holders are needed to facilitate these transi- tions. Oregon stands ready to be an effective leader and partner in these efforts. In the interim, I believe there are two important actions that we can take together to address immediate needs of orcas and salmon. First, the Flexible Spill and Power Agreement that we both signed can provide the foundation for an effective bridge to a long-term solution for salmon that also pre- serves the hydropower system as an import- ant tool in meeting our carbon objectives. Hopefully we can work together to improve on that agreement, which will enhance survival of juvenile wild and hatchery salmon which translate into addi- tional orca forage only two years later. Second, Oregon has capacity to increase interim hatchery production of salmon important for orca forage. This increased production must be focused in areas with low ecological risk to existing wild salmon populations, such as lower Columbia River off-channel areas and other areas outside the range of historical natural production areas. In recognition of this urgent need for orca forage, Oregon already has fi sh in the queue that could be available to orcas as soon as 2021. I would like to partner with you to help ensure this initiative is fully funded and sustainable during the necessary interim period while long-term solutions are addressed. Thank you again for your leadership on orca recovery and for facilitating the thoughtful collaborations that will help secure solutions. Sincerely, Governor Kate Brown Old wounds of Oregon’s timber wars take fi rst step toward healing Ellen Morris Bishop A stump burns as part of last years USFS Chesnimnus prescribed burn. New and somewhat controversial bills in the Oregon legislature are intended to reduce wildland fi re danger. Wildfi re bills moving forward, but budgets could douse momentum By Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Two bills Oregon lawmakers are con- sidering this short session could be the one-two punch the state needs to consider- ably reduce the impact of wildfi re on its landscape and citizens. Wildfi re is one of the preeminent threats to Ore- gon’s way of life in a mul- titude of ways, but the state is hoping this year it can make headway in minimiz- ing its effects through an approach that takes both the short term and future into account. The fi rst is a bill — Sen- ate Bill 1514 — creating 15 projects to be led by the state Forestry Department that would clear trees, under- brush and other forest mate- rial considered to be “fuel” for wildfi re. The projects would take place in loca- tions across the state deter- mined by the department within the 5.2 million acres identifi ed as high-risk areas by the Governor’s Council on Wildfi re Response. The projects would be funded by a $25 million allocation laid out within the bill. The second bill — Sen- ate Bill 1536 — would over- haul the state’s approach to fi re mitigation and suppres- sion and help communities adapt to smoke and fi re. It includes a lengthy list of new policies and regula- tions around: •Assessing wildfi re risk for utilities and having them create their own mitigation plans. •Bolstering fi re insur- ance and setting standards that encourage homeown- ers near forests to harden their homes against fi re. •Creating new positions within the state Offi ce of Emergency Management to administer new mitigation and recovery efforts. •Mitigating the health effects of smoke by help- ing homeowners in smoke- prone areas retrofi t their homes with fi ltration systems. •Establishing minimum standards of defensible space around homes. •Setting a goal to annu- ally treat 300,000 acres of forest and remove fuels to prevent fi res from growing too large. •Developing Oregon’s forestry workforce. •Requiring the state fi re marshal and state forester to help local jurisdictions, landowners, businesses and individuals create new wildfi re service districts, or expand and adjust current ones, as well as providing fi nancial help. It’s unclear just how much Senate Bill 1536 would cost or where that money would come from. The Legislature’s budget committee’s fi scal impact statement found the pro- posal needs further work. The governor’s council esti- mated the cost at approxi- mately $4 billion over the next 20 years, or about $200 million a year. It’s a robust approach to many aspects of the con- versation the Governor’s Council and legislators con- tinue to have around reduc- ing the impact of wildfi re. But a party-line vote in the Senate Wildfi re Committee last week to send both bills into the budget commit- tee indicates Republicans might not have the appe- tite to tackle the entire plan now. According to State For- ester Peter Daugherty, wait- ing isn’t the best option. “A lot of people would say, we’ve been waiting a number of years with fuel build ups and have known about the conditions for almost a decade and of the need for fuel reductions and restoration on federal lands,” Daugherty said. The BIG READ kicks off Feb. 19th Pick up your copy of When the Emperor Was Divine and start reading! 107 E. Main St. 541.426.3351 Always open at www.bookloftoregon.com • bookloft@eoni.com Cap-and-trade woes could blow up the deal if Republicans walk By Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — The deal announced last week was intended to end the war in the woods that has beset Oregon forestry issues for decades. But not everyone is cheering what Gov. Kate Brown described as a “his- toric” deal between timber fi rms and environmentalists. The critics suspect some- thing is more at play than the pursuit of peace. Some characterize the agreement signed by sev- eral Oregon timber compa- nies and a coalition of envi- ronmental groups as the fi rst step in healing, but it also has bearing on a much broader discussions in the Capitol, particularly over climate change. “There are people who had the rug pulled out from under them 30 years ago, and they never really recov- ered,” Sen. Jeff Golden said. “That makes what we’re try- ing to do with the climate bill hard for them to accept. It’s interesting that all this is coming together at the same time, the question for those of us with a gavel is how to make the most of it.” The opening came after representatives of the tim- ber industry reached out to Brown and sat down for a meeting with her staff on Jan. 9. They requested that the governor moderate a dis- cussion between industry leaders and the environmen- tal community on moving forward as partners rather than adversaries. The governor agreed, mediating four meetings from Monday, Jan. 27 to Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Port- land and in Salem. Repre- sentatives from both sides aired long-standing griev- ances, explained their views and then considered how they might proceed together. What emerged was a memorandum of agreement signed by 13 of the most reputable Oregon companies and organizations on either side of the debate. It also means both sides will drop dueling sets of proposed bal- lot initiatives which seemed destined for an expensive clash in November 2020. Sam Stites (Left) Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, and Sen. Herman Baertschiger Jr., R-Grants Pass, both sit on the Senate’s committee on wildfi re, but have diff erent takes on what the agreement between timber interests and environmental groups means for Oregon. The agreement — some- where between a handshake deal and legally binding agreement — incorporates three key pieces. The fi rst outlines that the two sides will come together to create a habitat conser- vation plan that rules over 30 million acres of pub- lic and private timberlands throughout the state, protect- ing endangered species and updating timber practices. The second calls for all parties to support legislation to protect forest watersheds by restricting aerial spraying of pesticides and herbicides. The bill also outlines imple- mentation of a state-of-the- art system to notify neigh- bors of aerial spraying. Lastly, it widens buffer zones for streams within the Rogue-Siskiyou region of southern Oregon. New leg- islation also would expand stream buffers along salmon, steelhead, and bull trout streams to bring forest prac- tices into line with the rest of western Oregon. The deal is predicated on the idea that both sides agreeing to what is the best science to use for decisions. Agreeing to the deal were Hampton Lum- ber, Weyerhaueser, Rose- burg Forest Products, Sen- eca Sawmill Co., Hancock Natural Resource Group, Stimson Lumber, Green- wood Resources, Campbell Global, Pope Resources, Port Blakely and the Ore- gon Small Woodlands Association. In the environmental camp, Oregon Wild, Wild Salmon Center, Oregon Stream Protection Coalition, Beyond Toxics, Audubon Society of Portland, Cas- cadia Wildlands, Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Pacifi c Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Trout Unlimited, North- west Guides and Anglers Association and the Oregon League of Conservation vot- ers all signed. According to Casey Ros- coe, vice president for pub- lic affairs for Seneca, this agreement is a step to see if there’s a shared vision between the two sides for the future of forest practices which accounts for sustain- ability and Oregon’s eco- system. She’s cautiously optimistic that this deal rep- resents a fresh start for both sides. “That vision is of healthy trees. It’s of thriving wild- life. It’s of cool, clean water and world-class recreation. It’s of renewable building materials and other wood products,” Roscoe said. “That is our vision. What we’re hoping is perhaps that can be their vision too, and if that’s true, if we do have, in fact, shared vision, then maybe we can come to the table and talk about how to make that happen and work toward it, because we’re all on the same planet.” Bob Rees, executive director of the Northwest Guides and Anglers Asso- ciation, said that the deal shows good faith by the timber industry to hear out conservationists. “The pesticide appli- cation on these lands and waterways is of course of great concern to us, the real punch in the MOU is if the timber interests agreed to formulate this habitat con- servation plan that’s on the table,” Rees said. “It’s a good thing, and the science is already developed, but we haven’t implemented these practices on state or private lands.” Republicans in the Leg- islature criticize the deal for putting them in a less stable position around the discus- sion of Oregon’s proposed greenhouse gas reduction bill, Senate Bill 1530. 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