TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2021
Baker City, Oregon
A4
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EDITORIAL
Open up
government
Residents in The Dalles and The Oregonian
newspaper are in an indirect fi ght over secrecy with
Google. They want to know more about the com-
pany’s water use.
Google wants to expand its data centers in The
Dalles. Water helps keep data centers cool. And to
expand its data centers, Google needs The Dalles to
expand its water system.
Google is offering to pay The Dalles $28.5 million
to do so. Some residents wonder what that will mean
for the future of water in the area. How good a deal is
it? Oregonian reporter Mike Rogoway asked the city
for a record of how much water Google used last year.
The city’s answer: no.
Rogoway asked the Wasco District Attorney to
rule on the matter. He ruled the information was a
public record.
On Oct. 30, the city of The Dalles fi led suit to keep
Google’s water use a secret.
The city essentially argued Google’s water use is a
trade secret. Oregon law conditionally exempts trade
secrets from disclosure unless the public interest
requires disclosure.
The following passage in Oregon’s public records
manual is instructive. It’s long: “In assessing whether
the public interest requires the disclosure of trade se-
crets, we typically look to how much harm the entity
asserting a trade secret would suffer by disclosure;
the benefi ts enjoyed by that entity in connection with
submitting the information at issue; and the nature
of the governmental activity connected to the infor-
mation. For example, we concluded that the public
interest required disclosure of salary information of
private companies that had received sizable property
tax abatements: even assuming the information
qualifi ed as trade secret, we found that disclosure
would help the public monitor the effectiveness of
this investment of public funds tied to job creation....”
The public’s interest in Google’s water use is clear.
First, Oregon’s public records law favors disclosure,
not secrecy.
There is also absolutely no question that the pub-
lic in The Dalles would like to know more about the
deal their government is doing with Google. Without
knowing the details of Google’s water use, the public
cannot judge the performance of its elected offi cials
in creating the deal.
Google’s water use has been reported in other
states. That doesn’t necessarily have a bearing on
what should happen in Oregon. It is useful to know.
Where would Oregonians be if companies get tax
breaks or make deals with government that involve
public spending but can keep the details hidden? Or-
egonians would live in a state of secrets and silence,
not of open government.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Baker
City Herald. Columns, letters and cartoons on this
page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the Baker City Herald.
Honoring our veterans on their day
And just like that, the calendar,
once again, turns to Veterans Day.
For me, like many of my fellow vet-
erans, Oregonians and Americans, it
is a time to refl ect and take stock. One
year ago, we “gathered” for a Veterans
Day unlike any before it, in a virtual
environment that gave us some fl ex-
ibilities that we never had before, but
we had to forego the warmth of being
with other people.
Now, as we cautiously return to an
environment more closely resembling
normalcy, it’s appropriate to take stock
of all that we have to celebrate. We as
a country have much to be thankful
for, and much of it is thanks to our
veterans who fought for freedom and
stood guard over our peace, and to our
fallen heroes who made the ultimate
sacrifi ce.
We remember our World War II
veterans, the sadly dwindling “Great-
est Generation,” who have much to
still teach us about the importance of
self-sacrifi ce to a greater cause. Some
80 years ago, these brave men and
women left their homes and families
to answer the call — not only for their
own country, but the world.
We honor our Korean War veterans,
who fought in the “Forgotten War,”
which came so soon after the Second
World War that it is often overlooked.
In a foreign land, they endured freez-
ing conditions and disease in addition
to an unrelenting enemy, often against
impossible odds, and made a last-
ing contribution to world peace and
prosperity.
We thank our Vietnam War veter-
ans, who, regrettably, did not receive
the heroes’ welcome that they deserved
upon returning home from battle, and
this remains a painful stain on our
Letters to the editor
• We welcome letters on any issue of
public interest. Customer complaints
about specifi c businesses will not be
printed.
• The Baker City Herald will not
knowingly print false or misleading
claims. However, we cannot verify the
KELLY
FITZPATRICK
national memory that we must work
hard to erase. Yet, these remarkable
men and women refused to turn their
backs on their fellow veterans. Vowing
that another generation of service
members would never face what they
had to endure, many of them remain
engaged in serving their fellow veter-
ans.
We remember our veterans who
represent the peacetime era, serving
under the near-constant specter of the
Cold War and prepared to confront any
enemy that might threaten national
security around the globe. Many of
them engaged in so-called “small
wars” in Grenada, or other military
operations in far-fl ung nations such
as Bosnia, Somalia and a host of other
nations on the African continent.
And, we honor our veterans of
the confl icts of the Middle East and
Afghanistan. Many of these veterans
entered the Armed Forces in the wake
of the terrible attack on September
11, 2001, and fought and sacrifi ced to
ensure that the United States would
not experience similar attacks.
Thankfulness, gratitude, honor and
remembrance: This is the duty and
responsibility of all Americans who
have not worn the uniform — and it
is these principles that are embodied
in the more than 75-year tradition of
Veterans Day.
Originally known as Armistice Day,
the occasion celebrated the Allied vic-
tory in World War II. It was motivated
by a simple, two-word phrase from
the heart of our country: “Thank you.”
accuracy of all statements in letters to
the editor.
• Writers are limited to one letter every
15 days.
• The writer must sign the letter and
include an address and phone number
(for verifi cation only). Letters that do
not include this information cannot be
Gratitude is a simple yet powerful
thing. It has a way of humbling us, bet-
tering us and reminding us of what’s
most important.
We have much to be thankful for:
The freedoms and way of life that we
have long enjoyed, the peace that has
been secured for our children and
grandchildren — it is our veterans and
service members we have to thank
for that: Brave men and women who
answered the call, ready to face the
fi re and, if necessary, pay the ultimate
price on our behalf.
That’s my message this Veterans
Day, and every day, to all who wore
the uniform, regardless of branch, era,
rank, duties, race, ethnicity, gender
identity or sexual orientation, religion,
creed or ability: Thank you for your
service.
Please consider joining me and
ODVA for our Oregon Statewide Vet-
erans Day Ceremony, which will take
place at 2 p.m. Nov. 10 — the day be-
fore Veterans Day — at Oregon State
Capitol Park, directly across from the
front entrance of the Capitol Building.
The event will take place in person
and outdoors, with social distancing
and mask requirements in place. It
will also be livestreamed on ODVA’s
Facebook page at facebook.com/-
odvavet.
Kelly Fitzpatrick is the director of
the Oregon Department of Veterans’
Affairs and Governor Kate Brown’s
policy advisor on veterans’ issues. She
is a retired Army offi cer. Her military
awards and decorations include
multiple awards of the Meritorious
Service Medal, the Southwest
Asia Service Medal and the Army
Parachutist Badge.
published.
• Letters will be edited for brevity,
grammar, taste and legal reasons.
Mail: To the Editor, Baker City Herald,
P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814
Email: news@bakercityherald.com
OTHER VIEWS
Who benefits from River Democracy Act?
private property, public access, and
other traditional uses such as ranch-
ing. The only available map on the
Sen. Ron Wyden has proposed
Internet appears to be produced by a
adding over 4,700 miles of water-
Portland environmental group that
ways to the federal Wild & Scenic
helped write the bill.
Rivers System in Oregon. With
Secondly, the original Wild &
half-mile no-touch buffers, the “Riv-
ers Democracy Act” will apply access Scenic Rivers Act was intended
to preserve certain rivers with
and management restrictions to
outstanding natural, cultural, and
three million acres of federal land,
recreational values in a free-fl owing
much of it in our communities in
condition. From a list provided by
Northeastern Oregon. There are
the bill’s supporters, we know that
signifi cant issues still unaddressed
and important questions still unan- 85 percent of the bill’s Wild & Scenic
swered for such a consequential bill designations would be applied to
that is now moving through the U.S. small creeks, gulches, draws and un-
named tributaries — many of which
Senate.
For starters, there are no detailed are not free-fl owing and do not even
maps available from federal agencies carry water throughout the year.
If these small creeks, gulches,
that allow Oregonians to see where
draws and unnamed tributaries are
these designations are located, and
how these designations would affect worthy of such a designation, why
By LYNN FINDLEY and
MARK OWENS
does this bill subvert the careful
administrative study and review
process under the original act? And
why does this bill impose half-mile
buffers in these areas, when the Wild
& Scenic Rivers Act only calls for
quarter-mile buffers?
Federal lands are at high risk of
wildfi re and need active manage-
ment, thinning and fuels reduction
work. Wildfi res in recent years have
scorched watersheds and degraded
water quality as sediment and ash
is deposited into our river systems.
In 2020, over 76 percent of acres
burned in Oregon occurred on lands
managed by the U.S. Forest Service
and Bureau of Land Management.
Management is already restricted
in riparian areas. Would imposing
even more restrictions through Wild
& Scenic designations and half-
mile buffers really make it easier to
reduce wildfi re risks?
Oregonians are right to ask why
the River Democracy Act will add
more restrictions to three million
acres at a time when land manage-
ment agencies are already struggling
to implement proven and proactive
forest management activities to re-
duce the risks of wildfi res to forests
and watersheds.
The reasons for agency inaction
include a lack of funding and person-
nel, and the cost and time it takes
them to satisfy exhaustive analysis
and regulatory requirements. In
addition to the half-mile buffers, the
River Democracy Act will require
agencies to prepare exhaustive river
management plans that will take
years to complete, drain agency
resources, and open the door to ongo-
ing and additional litigation.
Proponents of the bill claim the
Rivers Democracy Act will sup-
port wildfi re prevention efforts and
protect private property rights. Yet
history shows that Wild & Scenic
River designations only encourage
more lawsuits and analysis paraly-
sis, especially where they intersect
with private property and other
public land uses.
As this bill advances through
Congress, citizens should be asking:
what does the bill actually do, why is
it necessary, and does it really benefi t
rural and frontier Oregon?
Senator Lynn Findley (Senate
District 30) and Representative
Mark Owens (House District 60)
represent Eastern Oregon in the
state legislature.