Smoke Signals
ancerns, Questions About Eco-Restoration
MAY 15, 2003
side and to the Port of Vancouver on
the Washington side. Support for this
project is lined up on both sides of the
river, from Olympia and Salem to
Washington, D.C.
Steadfast but overwhelmed opposi
tion from Tribes, fishing industry rep
resentatives, environmentalists and
even one of Oregon's ports has at
tacked the plan on scientific and eco
nomic grounds, though less so on the
question of culture.
In the late 1980s, a few ports on the
river proposed that the Corps of En
gineers study navigation on the river,
with an eye toward the current dredg
ing effort. The study found room for
improvement in the river's depth, and
in 1994, Congress directed the Corps
to undertake a five-year feasibility
study.
In 1999, the federal Fish and Wild
life Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service approved the project
and Congress authorized it. In Au
gust, 2000, NMFS withdrew its ap
proval and in quick succession, both
Oregon and Washington states denied
water quality certifications to the
project. The reversals prompted one
opponent to hail the demise of the
project, but NMFS rewrote the en
dorsement the following year and the
project moved forward.
Sustainable Ecosystems Institute
(SEI) a non-profit group of experts
sponsored by dozens of the interested
parties established compromises that
solve some federal concerns and put
the project potentially on the road to
solving the remaining federal and
state concerns, which is where the
project stands today.
What's left to do?
After 14 years of feasibility studies,
public meetings, draft opinions, final
reports and supplemental final re-
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ports, relatively few approvals remain
before the process will move forward:
Oregon must re-appropriate $27.5
B Six affected ports along the river
must sign a Project Cooperation Agree
ment with the Corps. This agreement
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million, (the same as the already ap
propriated Washington state contribution).
commits the port sponsors to a 10-percent
surcharge over 30 years or $11
million annually, and 35 percent of the
cost for ecosystem restoration features,
or almost $6 million.
Oregon and Washington states must
issue water quality certifications indi
cating that the project will not harm
the waterway. These are expected in
June.
Oregon must certify for federal as
sessment that the project is consistent
with local planning policies, specifi
cally for Clatsop County.
And finally, Congress must allocate
its 65 percent or $92.5 million piece of
the nearly $150 million project. If ap
proved in the 2004 federal budget, work
could begin early next year.
Nominations for Tribal Council Top May General Council Meeting
Sixteen candidates in the running this year for three open spots.
O I ' r"'-.
Tribal member and Election Board member Nancy
Coleman opened the floor of the May General Coun
cil meeting for Tribal Council nominations.
By Ron Karten
The May General Council meet
ing was held on Sunday, May 4,
at the Tribal Community Center
in Grand Ronde. Here are the
highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy called the meeting to or
der. Tribal member Nancy
Coleman offered the invocation.
Nancy Coleman also presided
over nominations for three open
seats in Tribal Council. All three
council members whose terms are
up were nomi
nated for another
term, and all will
run. Tribal mem
ber Eugene
Hudson nomi
nated current
Tribal Chair
woman Cheryl
Kennedy. Tribal
member Ed Haller
nominated cur
rent Tribal Coun
cil member Jan D.
Reibach, and
Tribal Council
member Valerie
Sheker Robertson
nominated cur
rent Tribal Council member Ed
Pearsall to another term. Last
year, Pearsall nominated Sheker
Robertson in her successful effort
to be elected to Tribal Council.
Other nominations are as follows.
All those who were nominated ac
cepted the nomination and upon
certification by the Elections Com
mittee will run for the council.
Tribal member Ellen Fischer nomi
nated Wesley West, Lenny Logan
nominated Joyce Kirk, Dan Pro
vost nominated Margaret Provost,
Bryan Langley nominated Tim
Holmes, Arlene Beck nominated
her son, Jack Giffen, Jr., Ida Pater
son nominated Lynn "Bear"
Robertson, Beryl Contreras nomi
nated Perri McDaniel, Bonnie Tom
nominated Bob Mercier, Donna
Casey nominated Todd Shandy,
Mike Wilson nominated Betty Bly,
Steve Holmes nominated
Loren Holmes, Marion
Mercier nominated Chris
Mercier and Carmen Mercier
nominated Mark Mercier.
Congratulations to $50
door prize winners: Tribal
members Matt Parazoo,
Georgine Gray and Dorothy
Leno; and to $100 winner:
Tribal member Tammy
Stillman.
Tribal Council member Ed
Larsen announced that the
Veterans' Memorial dedica
tion will be Saturday, May
31, from 11:00 a.m. 2:30
p.m, and will include enter
tainer Lee Greenwood.
Tribal Engineer Eric Scott
announced a Public Meeting,
May 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the
Governance Center to dis
cuss pedestrian improve
ments on Grand Ronde Road.
No general Tribal Council
meetings will be held through the
summer. Elections will be held
September 6, and the next Gen
eral Council meeting is scheduled
for 11 a.m. September 7 in the
Tribal Community Center.
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