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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2017)
A10 State Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Energy secretary visits McNary Dam Perry mum on BPA privatization By George Plaven EO Media Group EO Media Group/E.J. Harris Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, McNary Dam operations manager Dave Coleman and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, tour the McNary Dam on Monday in Umatilla. agement and Budget, urging them to support the BPA. “We believe divesting BPA’s transmission assets will harm individuals and businesses, divert capital needed for further infra- structure investment in the Northwest, and undermine regional utility coordina- tion,” the letter reads in part. “BPA has helped to devel- op and administer the com- plex electrical system that powers the Northwest, now providing affordable and reliable power to over 12 million people and the busi- nesses that help the region thrive.” Still, Perry was mum when asked where he stood AUTO MAINTENANCE & REPAIR JESSE JUDD , Automotive Technician 05999 27811 Apple Rd., John Day • 541-575-0238 www.oneguyandawrench.weebly.com LOOK FOR US BEHIND MOBILE GLASS! EO Media Group/E.J. Harris Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks about hydro electric power at a press conference after touring the McNary Dam with Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, on Monday in Umatilla. on the issue, saying only that they should not be afraid to have that conversation be- fore moving on to another topic. Walden, on the other hand, was more direct in his defense of the agency. He expressed confidence that the BPA will remain public, adding that the no- tion of privatization has united just about every member of the Northwest delegation. “(BPA) does its job. And it has a darn important job in our region,” Walden said. On the subject of hydro- electricity and renewable en- ergy as a whole, Perry said he is an “all-of-the-above guy,” pointing to the devel- opment of wind power and fracked natural gas during his time as governor of Tex- as. DACA supporters gather at Oregon Capitol By Claire Withycombe Capital Bureau Oregon’s capital city was the Monday night stop for youth activists traveling from California to Washington to show support for federal programs that allow certain undocumented immigrants, including young people and those from countries experi- encing war or environmental disasters, to stay in the United States. A few dozen people gath- ered on Oregon’s capitol mall Monday evening in a show of support for recipients of the federal government’s De- ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, called DACA, and those who have received Temporary Protected Status. DACA applies to certain immigrants who came to the country as children; tempo- rary protected status can be extended to people who came to the U.S. from countries that the Department of Homeland Security has designated un- safe to return to due to such “extreme” conditions as envi- ronmental disasters or war. The gathering followed a weekend of violence that broke out between white supremacists and counter- protestors gathering in Char- lottesville, Virginia, which organizer Leonardo Reyes, of the Oregon DACA coalition, said rendered him “speech- less.” “We are at a time when we’re trying to figure out what our country stands for and what we believe in,” Reyes told the crowd. The event at the state cap- itol was held Monday not only to commemorate the fifth-year anniversary of the first date people could receive DACA — Aug. 15, 2012 — but also to protest the action by a group of state attorneys general who have threatened to sue the federal govern- ment if the Trump administra- tion does not discontinue the DACA program by Sept. 5. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and officials from nine other states have said EO Media Group/Claire Withycombe Supporters of the DACA program for children of illegal immigrants gather on the Capitol Mall Monday in Salem. that if the federal government does not take action by that date, they will file lawsuits. According to previous me- dia reports, attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Ida- ho, Kansas, Louisiana, Ne- braska, South Carolina, Ten- nessee and West Virginia are also part of the group asking the federal government to re- scind the DACA program. Reyes said before Mon- day’s rally that activists want- ed to create regional unity among states on the West Coast. The Oregon DACA Coa- lition, a Salem-area organiza- tion formed by DACA youth last November, also advo- cates long-term immigration reform. DACA recipients are in the program for two years, at which point they can seek to have that status renewed if they continue to meet the pro- gram’s criteria. Activists say there are about 20,000 recipients of DACA in the state, and about 800,000 nationally. The gathering follows a legislative session that ex- panded some protections for undocumented immigrants in the midst of a national climate of uncertainty over immigra- tion policy. State lawmakers passed Quilts & Other Items on Sale the Week of the Eclipse. Quilts and Beyond 209 McHaley St. Prairie City, OR 97869 Open 10am-4:30pm Tues. - Sat. 541-820-4777 05982 U.S. Secretary of Ener- gy Rick Perry was noncom- mittal Monday when asked about a proposal in the presi- dent’s budget to privatize the Bonneville Power Admin- istration transmission grid following a tour of McNary Dam along the Columbia River. Perry, who was joined by congressmen Greg Walden (R-Oregon) and Dan New- house (R-Washington), met briefly with reporters out- side the dam where he said hydroelectricity will con- tinue to play an important role in America’s energy strategy. The Trump administra- tion, however, has proposed selling off transmission as- sets owned by BPA, which markets electric power generated by the Columbia River system — including McNary Dam. Northwest lawmakers have roundly criticized the plan, saying it will raise rates for consum- ers and affect reliability in rural areas. In fact, both Walden and Newhouse signed on to a letter sent June 5 to Perry and Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Man- Hydroelectricity will play an important role moving forward Perry said, and he commended the work done at McNary Dam. “My hat’s off to every different part of this oper- ation to make sure it runs smoothly,” he said. McNary Dam is just the first stop for Perry as he ar- rived in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. On Tuesday, he planned to travel to the Tri-Cities for a visit to the Pacific North- west National Laboratory, HAMMER Federal Training Center and Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Perry said security at Han- ford is “as good as there is in the world,” despite a partial tunnel collapse in May that contained highly radioactive waste. “We never like to have surprises, but we have them from time to time to time,” he said. “The long-term cleanup of that site is what’s import- ant. That’s what I wanted to see.” While at Hanford, Perry planned to visit the site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant, the 2268 Building, the WTP facility and the PUREX tunnels. He described both Han- ford and McNary Dam as ex- amples of American strength and ingenuity. “This is a fascinating part of America’s story,” Perry said. “There’s extraordinary history.” policies expanding healthcare coverage to all children, in- cluding undocumented kids, and mandating insurance and public health plan coverage for a range of reproductive health services, including abortions, to patients regard- less of immigration status. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, has been a vocal supporter of these policies. In February, Brown signed an executive order her office characterized as “broadening” the state’s 30-year-old “sanc- tuary state” law. Under the executive order, state agen- cies cannot use state funds, resources or personnel “for the purpose of detecting or apprehending” people who are violating federal immigra- tion laws. State agencies also cannot restrict services based on immigration status, unless required by state or federal law. Since 1987, Oregon law has prohibited state and local authorities from enforcing federal immigration law if an individual’s only violation of the law is that they are in the U.S. without legal status. This session, the legisla- ture also passed House Bill 3464, which prohibits public bodies from asking about cit- izenship status or disclosing certain information about in- dividuals, unless the disclo- sure is required by state or federal law. The state’s approach is not without opponents. State Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keiz- er, criticized what she called “flawed immigration policy on the state and federal level” in a Monday statement issued by a spokesman for the Senate Republicans. Several legislators in the Oregon House of Represen- tatives. Reps. Greg Barre- to, R-Cove; Mike Nearman, R-Independence; and Sal Es- quivel, R-Medford — have filed an initiative petition, IP 22, that would repeal the state’s sanctuary law.
