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STATE & NATION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A Debate over Snake dams heats up ■ Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson calls for removing the four dams on the lower Snake River By Nicholas K. Geranios Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. — Nearly two decades ago, Republican President George W. Bush stood on a bank of the Snake River near Pasco, Washington, and declared that four hydroelectric dams would not be torn down on his watch, though many blamed them for killing endangered salmon. This month, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho issued a bold plan that called for removing those same dams to save the salmon. In between those two acts were decades of litigation that show no sign of ending and $17 billion worth of im- provements to the dams that did little to help fi sh. Now the question is: Can Simpson’s plan win approval from Congress and the Biden administration and help save an iconic Pacifi c Northwest species from extinction? Other Republicans are vow- ing to save the dams. Demo- crats have come out in support of Simpson’s plan, which calls for spending $33 billion to breach four dams, replace the lost hydroelectric energy with other sources and ensure that irrigation, river navigation and fl ood control will continue as before. The issue of what to do with the Snake River dams has long divided the Pacifi c Northwest, with Democrats generally siding with saving the salmon and Republicans dams, has long fought to pre- serve the structures. “Spending more than $33 billion to breach them — with no guarantee that doing so will restore salmon populations — is a drastic, fi scally irrespon- sible leap to take,” she said. Conservation and tribal groups issued statements sup- porting Simpson’s proposal. “We’ve spent decades making minor improvements and adjustments that simply haven’t worked, and what we really need is serious funding and a major overhaul,” said Liz Hamilton, executive direc- tor of the Northwest Sport- fi shing Industry Association. Ted S. Warren/Associated Press “Healthy populations of The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen in 2019 from the air near Colfax, wild salmon and steelhead Washington. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, has proposed removing four hydro- are essential for Northwest electric dams in the Northwest, including the Lower Granite Dam, as part of a sweep- tribes, local economies and ing plan to save salmon populations and to provide aid to farmers and others. the region’s way of life — and they’re running out of time,” saying it’s foolish to remove into committee leadership website Saturday, saying, “The said Collin O’Mara, president hydropower resources in the positions for the fi rst time in current system is clearly not and CEO of the National era of climate change. years, he said. working.” Wildlife Federation. But Lindsay Slater, Simp- “There is all this seniority Four Republican House The plan calls for the son’s chief of staff, said the in the Northwest,” Slater said, members — Cathy McMorris removal of the Lower Granite political winds are blowing pointing to Washington Sens. Rodgers, Dan Newhouse and Dam near Colfax in 2030, in favor of a solution to this Patty Murray and Maria Jaime Herrera Beutler, all with removal of three other decades-long controversy. Cantwell and Oregon Sen. from Washington, and Rep. dams — Ice Harbor, Little For one thing, the Biden Ron Wyden. Russ Fulcher of Idaho — op- Goose and Lower Monumen- administration is preparing a “This is lightning in a bottle. posed Simpson’s plan. tal — in 2031. The dams were massive economic relief pack- It really is,” Slater said. “We “The hydropower devel- built in the 1950s and 1960s age for the nation, and Simp- are telling stakeholders this is oped in the Pacifi c Northwest to provide power, fl ood con- son wants the Northwest to a once-in-30-years opportunity. benefi ts every resident, family, trol, irrigation and to make designate this solution to the Do we want to grab it?” and business in our region,” navigable a portion of the salmon issues for the region’s Simpson was motivated they said in a joint statement. Snake River from Lewiston, share of the package, Slater by the prospect of continued “Without it, life as we know it Idaho, to the Tri-Cities of said. For another, Democratic litigation even as salmon die in our region would cease to Richland, Kennewick and control of the Senate has off, Slater said. exist.” Pasco in Washington, and propelled numerous longtime Simpson unveiled the McMorris Rodgers, whose downriver to Pacifi c Ocean senators from the Northwest plan in a video posted to his district has several of the ports. County commissioners reset hearing on zoning changes By Samantha O’Conner soconner@bakercityherald.com Baker County Commissioners de- cided Wednesday, Feb. 17 to resched- ule a public hearing for proposed changes to the county’s zoning ordi- nance to their next regular meeting, March 3. In other business, commissioners unanimously approved the agree- ment between the Sheriff’s Offi ce and Equature for recording calls at the 911 dispatch center. Sheriff Travis Ash said the fi ve-year main- tenance agreement costs $6,950 per year. Commissioners also unanimously approved applying for $131,400 from a state transportation program on behalf of Community Connection, which would use the money to pro- vide transportation for seniors and residents with disabilities. Commissioners also discussed a separate state transportation that both Community Connection and Elkhorn Taxi are interested in apply- ing for. Commissioners will continue their discussion on that program, which has $636,000 available, during a March 10 work session. “We are on the hook for everything that’s spent and I would just like to clearly understand,” Commissioner Mark Bennett said. In the meantime the county will send in an application, leaving the fi nancial allocations blank pending the March 10 discussion. SUSPECTS Continued from Page 3A Judge Vitolins said in the Feb. 10 hearing, after reviewing the interview tapes, that Mobley read Miranda rights to Isaac Connery quickly and did not ask if he under- stood those rights before immediately beginning questioning. Several minutes into the interview Isaac Connery requested a lawyer. On the stand, Mobley said he is required to stop questioning a suspect if they request a lawyer but is not required to stop talk- ing to them. Instead of stopping the interview, Mobley said he told Isaac Connery how he planned to proceed, by ar- resting two of his siblings and a family friend in con- nection to the murders. “I believed I had prob- able cause for the arrests of them,” Mobley said on the stand. Mobley said he then told Isaac Connery during the interview that Oregon was a death penalty state, which he said he believed was accurate at the time. Mobley said Isaac Connery then told him he would talk but only if Jones and Komning left the room. He said the oth- ers left, and Isaac Connery confessed. Isaac Connery’s attor- ney, Geoffrey Gokey, said Mobley used “deceptive police tactics.” Carpenter said in his release that Oregon’s law regarding Miranda rights is clear, and he expected the court to rule as it did. “We have to deal with the facts as they exist, not as we would like them to be,” Carpenter said. “Connery had the right to be advised of his rights in a way that he understood, and the right to have an attorney present when he requested one. The police must recognize those rights and proceed accord- ingly.” Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh dies COUNCIL Continued from Page 1A Councilors discussed writing a joint letter of support, By Matt Sedensky AP National Writer and individual letters, supporting the continued employ- ment of a school resource offi cer, a city police offi cer who Rush Limbaugh, the talk works primarily in schools. radio host who ripped into liberals and laid waste to Councilor Lynette Perry, talking about safety in political correctness with a Geiser-Pollman Park, said she’d like to see the city have gleeful malice someone patrolling the park regularly during the summer. that made Perry said she’s seen a lot of drug activity there. him one of the Councilor Heather Sells said she likes the idea of col- most powerful laborating with the county to patrol the Adler Parkway, the voices in politics, paved path that follows the Powder River. infl uencing the Under the water/wastewater category, councilors said Limbaugh rightward push they want to prioritize thinning forests to reduce the wild- of American fi re risk in the city’s 10,000-acre watershed in the Elkhorn conservatism and the rise of Mountains. Donald Trump, died Wednes- Under the self-suffi ciency category, Mayor Kerry Mc- day. He was 70. Quisten said she feels the city is at “the mercy of things we Limbaugh said a year ago shouldn’t be” in regards to state and federal mandates. that he had lung cancer. His Councilors said they want to speak with multiple groups, death was announced on his including the American Red Cross, the county’s emergency show by his wife, Kathryn. management department and Oregon Trail Electric Coop- Unfl inchingly conservative, erative, about emergency preparedness and what the city wildly partisan, bombastically could expect if it was cut off during a disaster. self-promoting and larger than “If something catastrophic happened it’d be nice to say life, Limbaugh galvanized lis- OK, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the state is doing, teners for more than 30 years we’re in a bubble and we’re safe,” McQuisten said. “We with his talent for sarcastic, have enough to get people by for two weeks, six months, insult-laced commentary. whatever.” He called himself an enter- In discussing livability, Councilor Johnny Waggoner Sr. suggested that City Manager Jonathan Can- non could “get some input from department heads in We Cancel TIMESHARES for You building and code and water, Every year 150,000 people reach out to us for help getting rid of their timeshare. maybe we In 2019, we relieved over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and maintenance fees. could come up We can help. with something to promote new Get your free information kit and see if you qualify: housing.” 855-385-4473 Councilors Waggoner talked about improving transparency with citizens NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING, by launching a new city OR YOUR MONEY BACK GUARANTEED! website and making better CALL US TODAY FOR use of the city’s Facebook A FREE ESTIMATE 1-855-536-8838 page. The Council also plans % AND! % + % to review the city charter OFF OFF OFF to see if councilors want to YOUR ENTIRE TO THE FIRST SENIOR & MILITARY PURCHASE 50 CALLERS! DISCOUNTS ask voters, who have the fi nal say on the charter, to Promo Number: 285 make any changes to that document. 15 10 tainer, but his rants during his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 U.S. stations shaped the national political conversation, swaying ordinary Republicans and the direction of their party. Blessed with a made- for-broadcasting voice, he delivered his opinions with such certainty that his fol- lowers, or “Ditto-heads,” as he dubbed them, took his words as sacred truth. “In my heart and soul, I know I have become the intel- lectual engine of the conserva- tive movement,” Limbaugh, with typical immodesty, told author Zev Chafets in the 2010 book “Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One.” Forbes magazine estimated his 2018 income at $84 mil- lion, ranking him only behind Howard Stern among radio personalities. Limbaugh took as a badge of honor the title “most dan- gerous man in America.” He said he was the “truth detec- tor,” the “doctor of democracy,” a “lover of mankind,” a “harm- less, lovable little fuzz ball” and an “all-around good guy.” He claimed he had “talent on loan from God.” Limbaugh often enunciated the Republican platform bet- ter and more entertainingly than any party leader, becom- ing a GOP kingmaker whose endorsement and friendship were sought. Polls consistent- ly found he was regarded as a voice of the party. His idol, Ronald Reagan, Try the SHIP TO STORE feature at 5 * wrote a letter of praise that Limbaugh proudly read on the air in 1992: “You’ve become the number one voice for conservatism.” In 1994, Limbaugh was so widely cred- ited with the fi rst Republican takeover of Congress in 40 years that the GOP made him an honorary member of the new class. During the 2016 presi- dential primaries, Limbaugh said he realized early on that Trump would be the nominee, and he likened the candidate’s deep connection with his supporters to his own. 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