TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020
Baker City, Oregon
4A
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news@bakercityherald.com
EDITORIAL
Public
records
delayed
The ostensible purpose of Oregon’s Public Records
Law is both simple and noble.
The 1973 law reads, in part: “Every person has a
right to inspect any public record of a public body in
this state....”
This is so sensible as to be obvious. Public agen-
cies, including cities, counties and the state govern-
ment, produce records using public dollars, and the
public — which is to say, all of us — ought to be able
to have a look at those records.
But the reality, as is so often the case when it
competes against the conceptual, is neither simple
nor noble.
Part of the problem is the rest of the above excerpt
from the law, the words on the other side of the el-
lipsis: “... except as otherwise expressly provided by
ORS 192.338, 192.345 and 192.355.”
Ah, yes. Exceptions.
There are some dozens of exceptions to the Public
Records Law, and this list has been larded consider-
ably over the past fi ve decades.
The law, as a result, has been tilting ever more in
favor of public offi cials being able to keep records
hidden from the public.
But even when public offi cials can’t use any of
those exceptions as the legal bricks and mortar to
put up a wall between the public and the records,
there are other methods to withhold public records.
A situation happening in Malheur County, our
neighbor to the south, is a troubling example of this.
The Malheur Enterprise newspaper in Vale, as
part of its diligent coverage of Malheur County’s
effort to build a multimillion-dollar industrial park,
has requested public records related to the project.
The Enterprise has already paid $300 for records
the newspaper requested a month ago, according to
publisher Les Zaitz.
But on Friday, Malheur County offi cials, rather
than release those records to the newspaper, asked
for another $100. The county didn’t send an invoice
with its request, Zaitz said.
The publisher said the Enterprise emailed the
three Malheur County commissioners, along with
other county offi cials, on Friday asking for an in-
voice.
On Monday the county’s attorney told the Enter-
prise the county would release the records and send
an invoice later.
The Enterprise has received donations totaling
more than $3,000 from residents who support the
newspaper’s efforts to publish thorough and accu-
rate stories about Malheur County’s activities.
That’s heartening support.
But it shouldn’t be necessary.
The Public Records law provides for agencies
to waive fees in cases when releasing the records
serves the public interest. It’s diffi cult to imagine a
topic more important to the public than how govern-
ment offi cials are spending, or planning to spend,
public dollars.
In part because the Public Records Law lacks
signifi cant penalties for public agencies and offi cials
who use the law to obscure rather than to reveal
facts, the sorts of stalling tactics that Malheur Coun-
ty offi cials employed are unfortunately common.
Zaitz and his staff at the Enterprise will no doubt
continue to aggressively pursue the vital records
necessary to inform the public about what its gov-
ernment is up to.
Their success will serve both as a testament to
the importance of journalism, but also, sadly, as
an example of how a well-conceived law has been
gradually bastardized to the point that it too often
serves the interests of public offi cials rather than the
public.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
Debating Boardman to Hemingway Power Line Proposal
Line would benefit the region
Eastern Oregon will benefi t from the
Boardman to Hemingway transmission
line starting the fi rst day of construc-
tion and continuing decades into the
future. B2H will spur new jobs in the
near term. It will help stabilize regional
energy costs, generate millions of dol-
lars in local tax revenue and encourage
economic development in communities
across the region.
Hundreds of workers will be em-
ployed during construction. They’ll
design, prepare and build this billion-
dollar, 500-kilovolt transmission line.
When it’s complete, B2H will act as
a clean-energy pipeline transporting
energy to customers across the western
United States — not just Oregon and
Idaho. Utilities in Oregon will be able
to deliver the clean energy customers
and policymakers demand without
sacrifi cing affordability.
Construction of B2H will drive busi-
ness in Eastern Oregon. Hotels will
book more guests. Restaurants will sell
more meals. Stores will provide materi-
als and equipment for the job. Local
contractors likely will work directly on
the project.
For more than 100 years, Idaho
MITCH COLBURN
Power has worked closely with the
owners of farms, ranches and timber-
land in pursuit of our mission to deliver
affordable and reliable energy to our
customers. We’ve developed respectful
relationships that help us fi nd com-
mon ground and minimize impacts to
landowners’ operations. We’re bringing
the same attitude to the table as we
work to secure permits and easements
for B2H.
Easements along the B2H route will
be up to 250 feet wide with a typical
width of 150 feet — much smaller
than the “500-foot clearcut” some B2H
opponents have erroneously claimed.
Vegetation and trees will be managed
to encourage safety and preserve wild-
life habitat.
Idaho Power is committed to working
with landowners to fi nd the right spot
for every B2H structure on their prop-
erty. Landowners will be compensated
for easements across their property.
B2H’s greatest benefi t to Eastern
Oregon communities could come from
opportunities for long-term economic
development. When the line is built,
it will increase capacity on existing
transmission lines in Baker, Umatilla
and Union counties. B2H will help
keep energy prices affordable — a ma-
jor benefi t during the summer, when
irrigation and cooling demand soars
— and could attract new businesses to
the area.
B2H also will add an estimated $4
million every year to the tax bases of
the counties it crosses. The counties can
use this money to fund new projects for
their communities, maintain infra-
structure and help control property
taxes.
Idaho Power strives to be a good cor-
porate citizen and neighbor wherever
we do business. As we prepare to build
B2H, we look forward to a long and
fruitful relationship with the people
who live, work and play in Eastern
Oregon.
Mitch Colburn is the resource planning
and operations director for Idaho Power,
which is taking the lead on planning and
obtaining permits for the Boardman to
Hemingway transmission line.
Idaho Power’s ‘green-washing’
Mitch Colburn of Idaho Power is
touting the benefi ts of B2H again,
but we’re not fooled. His latest pitch
is about economic development and
green-washing. What’s green-washing?
It’s when a corporation tries to sound
“green,” appealing to our concerns over
climate and the environment, when in
fact they do just the opposite.
Let’s start with his rosy economic
development comments. If you study
their application to the state, you’ll
learn that 245 jobs might be created for
about 4-6 months. Local people might
be hired for 25% of these jobs: “clearing
and road building, material haulers,
restoration, and security.” Perhaps the
long-term jobs could get as high as 10;
but that number is confi dential. Yes, a
maximum of 10 jobs.
Colburn hails the economic benefi ts
of hotel bookings and restaurant meals,
but for only four to six months. He
doesn’t mention the traffi c, dust and
noise from heavy equipment. Then he
promises millions of dollars in local
taxes, a pie in the sky number. Those
numbers have never been confi rmed by
state or county revenue offi cers.
While there certainly will be some
tax dollars, at what cost to you as a
consumer? At least $1.2 billion dollars
along with an additional 6.7% guaran-
teed profi t will come from ratepayers —
just for construction. Then, for as long
as the line is in use, your co-op (Bonn-
eville Power Administration) will have
to pay tariffs to use that “clean energy
pipeline.” More green-washing? Better
to call it “Idaho Power’s profi t pipeline.”
FUJI KREIDER
The real costs of the B2H have never
been calculated: private property values
diminished, tourism assets reduced,
invasive weed management increased,
lost income from farms and small
timber producers, all generating less in
local income and tax revenues. The in-
trinsic and qualitative costs: viewsheds
marred, Oregon Trail defaced, wildlife
habitat ruined, hunting grounds altered
and recreation sites disturbed, have
not been calculated and Idaho Power
is counting on that. They also count on
the fact that emphasizing their touted
short term “benefi ts,” will distract from
the permanent negative consequences
to our forests, farms, homes and
resources.
If Idaho Power were actually more
interested in a “green alternative”
than in “green cash,” they would be
focusing on different investments:
• Upgrade the current 230kv lines
to 345kv on the same poles with the
same corridor and enhance their fi re-
resiliency. Better for the climate and
our security!
• Partner with customers and use
our smart meters for more than just
paying bills. Smart meters can help
incentivize reducing energy during
peak times and lots more. We could all
work together to do it!
• Partner with industrial custom-
ers to use their steam (think frozen
food factories) to produce energy and
reduce their costs. But, Idaho Power
doesn’t want to partner with its cus-
tomers.
• Investments should be made in
community solar projects or commer-
cial solar with battery storage near
the existing substations (smoothing
renewable power on to the grid.)
There are many alternative invest-
ments that would make us more
resilient and secure, and would be
kinder to our life and resources than
a 300-mile industrial scar on our
landscape.
However, once again we have
to read Idaho Power’s public rela-
tions pitch about B2H. Until Idaho
Power demonstrates support for a
genuine “green agenda” by building
renewables in their own backyard,
creating green energy jobs for local
people, using Idaho’s sun, wind and
hydro-resources, we will not be fooled
by this green-washing. We are East
Oregonians working to protect our
land, preserve our heritage. It has
taken a massive effort from hundreds
of people over multiple years, and our
resolve has not diminished. We invite
anyone who believes that the resources,
wildlife and people of this state should
take precedence over an out-of-state,
out-of-date, for-profi t utility, to join our
fi ght. For additional information, visit:
StopB2H.org
Fuji Kreider of La Grande is a board
member of the Stop B2H Coalition and a
retired community health administrator
and international development consultant.