A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
It’s time to free
the Hammonds
e are hearing renewed
rumblings that action
in the clemency
cases of Dwight and Steven
Hammond is imminent.
President Trump should
commute the sentences of the
father and son and allow them
to return to their Burns ranch.
Ranchers in Oregon’s
Harney County, the Hammonds
have a long history of disputes
with the Bureau of Land
Management over grazing
allotments. Dwight Hammond
was convicted of one count
related to a fire that burned
139 acres of BLM land in
2006. Steven Hammond was
convicted of one count related
to the 2006 fire, and a separate
count related to a fire in 2001.
The Hammonds received a
fair trial, were found guilty and
were given fair sentences. In
addition to lengthy probation,
Dwight Hammond received
six months in prison, his son
one year. The original prison
sentences were served.
But the government
appealed those sentences
because the judge ignored the
minimum mandatory five-
year sentence prescribed by
the federal arson statute. The
appeals court overturned the
original sentence, and the trial
court ordered the Hammonds
to report to a federal prison
in California to serve out the
remainder of new five-year
sentences.
Their case, mostly unnoticed
in urban America, drew a lot
W
of attention in the western
ranching community where
they received a lot of positive
support. And some that was
less than helpful.
Before taking over the
Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge, the militia group led
by the Bundy clan conducted a
rally in Burns in their support.
The armed group urged the
ranchers to refuse to return
to prison and offered them
“protection.”
To their credit, the
Hammonds chose not to make
a bad situation worse and to
instead follow the rule of law.
They went quietly to prison
where they have sat since
January 2016.
We are not fans of
mandatory sentencing
guidelines that deny judges
discretion in considering
circumstances when fixing
punishment. Sometimes, the
cause of justice is served by
leniency.
The original judge in the
Hammonds’ case found a
mandatory five-year sentence
overly punitive given the
circumstances of their crimes.
So do we.
Ordering the Hammonds
to serve the five-year
mandatory sentence, though
unquestionably legal under
statute, was an injustice.
The Hammonds have
been in prison too long. The
president should commute their
sentences to time served and
send them home.
G UEST C OMMENT
Enjoying public lands
By U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
Winter is finally winding down,
and people are heading outside to
enjoy the great outdoors.
Enjoying and protecting our
outdoor places has helped define
what’s exceptional about our coun-
try. Millions of Americans enjoy
hiking, biking, hunting, camping,
boating, fishing and numerous other
outdoor activities that improve our
health and quality of life, while con-
tributing to our nation’s economic
growth, especially in rural areas. In
February 2018, the Bureau of Eco-
nomic Analysis reported that recre-
ation activities account for almost
$400 billion in economic productiv-
ity in the U.S. The growing outdoor
recreation economy presents a win-
win for us all.
However, when we head back
home and talk to Utahns and Ore-
gonians, we hear from outdoor rec-
reation enthusiasts in every corner
of our states about the bureaucratic
red tape they encounter when they
try to get outdoors.
While outdoor recreation contin-
ues to grow in popularity and eco-
nomic impact, some barriers still
exist. Well-intentioned but overly
burdensome federal rules often sty-
mie access to recreation on public
lands while not providing additional
protections to our natural resources.
Thankfully, there are members
of Congress in both parties who are
serious about increasing access to
public lands. Our Recreation Not
Red Tape Act is evidence of a true
bipartisan solution to this problem.
This bill untangles the web of
regulations and permitting hurdles
that hinder access to public lands.
While permits are often necessary
for orderly use of land and to ensure
public safety, many times they sim-
ply thwart access. What’s worse, the
multiple land management agencies
that issue recreation permits often
fail to coordinate or miss critical
deadlines, which threatens the live-
lihoods of small business owners
and their employees.
Federal agencies should be able
to overcome communication dif-
ficulties and resolve jurisdictional
quandaries quickly. Too many
Americans are turned away by per-
mitting processes that are convolut-
ed, confusing and time-consuming.
Streamlining this process is long
overdue. We’re all on the same
team; it is time to start acting like it.
In Washington, politicians on
both sides of the aisle often talk a
big game, but fall short on real solu-
tions. Yet holding our government
accountable is essential. The Rec-
reation Not Red Tape Act creates
benchmarks that measure the effec-
tiveness of federal land managers
to ensure that they are truly serving
the American people. The Recre-
ation Not Red Tape Act also holds
land managers accountable for ex-
panding access to new and existing
recreational opportunities.
While some may argue it is not
possible to promote activities such
as recreation without imperiling
other uses of federal lands, or the
multiple-use mandate of our public
lands, we believe this is a false di-
chotomy. The solutions this bill puts
forward don’t amount to a choice
between one or the other. Instead,
our bill reinforces the basic princi-
ple that many uses of federal lands
can and should coexist.
Keeping recreation alive and
thriving for the American people
isn’t something that divides us. We
all know we should put down our
electronic devices every once in a
while and go outside. Recreational
activities provide an outlet for more
physical activity, a healthier citizen-
ry and a greater appreciation for our
natural resources. Our economy ul-
timately benefits from this.
Democrats and Republicans
can’t seem to agree on much these
days, but we do agree about the im-
portance of increasing and enhanc-
ing access to outdoor recreation.
The Recreation Not Red Tape Act
is an opportunity to seize on this
moment of bipartisanship, proving
that working together is good for
the American people and the public
lands they are eager to access.
Democrat Ron Wyden is the senior
U.S. senator for Oregon. Republican
Rob Bishop is a U.S. representative
from Utah.
G UEST C OMMENT
W HERE TO W RITE
GRANT COUNTY
• Grant County Courthouse — 201
S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-
575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon
City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax:
541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu-
rylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville
97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-
987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day,
97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-
575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long
Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax:
541-421-3075. Email: info@cityoflong-
creek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument
97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025.
Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt.
Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax:
541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie
City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax:
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www.
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State Capitol,
Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180.
Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes
Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313.
• Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900
Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone:
503-986-1730. Website: www.oregonlegis-
lature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@
oregonlegislature.gov.
• Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court
St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-
986-1460. Website: www.oregonlegislature.
gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@
oregonlegislature.gov.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
• The White House, 1600 Pennsylva-
nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500;
Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch-
board: 202-456-1414.
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart
Senate Office Building, Washington D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Email:
wayne_kinney@wyden.senate.gov Website:
http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717.
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 Hart
Senate Office Building, Washington D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email:
senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202-
228-3997. Oregon offices include One
World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St.,
Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310
S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR
97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278-
1129. Fax: 503-326-2990.
• U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R — (Second
District) 1404 Longworth Building, Wash-
ington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730.
No direct email because of spam. Website:
www.walden.house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774.
Medford office: 14 North Central, Suite 112,
Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4646.
Good treaties make good neighbors
By Francisco L. Palmieri
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
The United States and Canada
will begin negotiations to modernize
the Columbia River Treaty regime
May 29-30. The 54-year-old treaty
is an extremely important agree-
ment with our best ally and partner
in the hemisphere. Established in
1964, the treaty’s flood risk and hy-
dropower operations have provided
substantial benefits to millions of
people on both sides of the border
and facilitated additional benefits
such as supporting the river’s eco-
system, irrigation, municipal water
use, industrial use, navigation and
recreation. The United States deep-
ly values our unique and essential
relationship with Canada.
Around the world, this treaty
serves as a model for transboundary
water cooperation — and rightly
so. Americans and Canadians alike
should be proud of the invaluable
cooperation that has contributed
to the development of the regional
economy on both sides of the bor-
der.
But we don’t live in 1964. There
is a whole swath of arrangements
established under this durable yet
flexible treaty that should be mod-
ernized. In both countries, our un-
derstanding of the river and the
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
P UBLISHER ............ ..................... C HRIS R USH , CRUSH @ EOMEDIAGROUP . COM
E DITOR & G ENERAL M ANAGER ... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM
R EPORTER ............................... R ICHARD H ANNERS , RICK @ BMEAGLE . COM
C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM
S PORTS ................................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM
M ARKETING R EP ....................... K IM K ELL , ADS @ BMEAGLE . COM
O FFICE M ANAGER ..................... L INDSAY B ULLOCK , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM
O FFICE A SSISTANT .................... A LIXANDRA P ERKINS , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM
basin has changed since the devel-
opment of the transboundary sys-
tem with three treaty dams in Brit-
ish Columbia and one in Montana.
Last December we announced it
is time to modernize the Columbia
River Treaty regime. That’s short-
hand for the treaty and the myriad
technical mechanisms and arrange-
ments that translate the agreement
into day-to-day realities. It is in
many of these details where the
United States wants to see improve-
ments. As the United States enters
into bilateral negotiations with our
Canadian counterparts, our objec-
tives include continued, careful
management of flood risk; ensuring
a reliable and economical power
supply; and better addressing eco-
system concerns.
The U.S. negotiating team set
these objectives with input from
the people most directly affected
by the treaty. On the U.S. side, the
starting point is the U.S. Entity Re-
gional Recommendation for the Fu-
ture of the Columbia River Treaty
after 2024, a consensus document
released in 2013 after five years
of consultations among the North-
west’s Tribes, states, stakeholders,
public and federal agencies. Since
the submission of the regional rec-
ommendation, the Department of
State has continued to meet with
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and hear from the sovereigns, states
and stakeholders within the region.
The U.S. negotiating team deeply
values the expertise and experience
of the Tribes and will continue to
consult with them on a regular ba-
sis as negotiations proceed. We are
committed to keeping our American
partners informed of our progress
during the negotiations.
As we begin active negotiations
with our Canadian neighbors, we
will hold town halls throughout
the region to hear views from the
public on the process and the trea-
ty. The first town hall took place in
Spokane on April 24 on the margins
of the Lake Roosevelt Forum and
included an open question-and-an-
swer session for the public. We plan
to hold the next town hall later this
summer.
Good treaties make good neigh-
bors. The United States and Cana-
da have a long, positive history of
engagement on the Columbia River.
We expect to continue that cooper-
ative spirit when we engage in ne-
gotiations.
The author is a career diplomat
and currently serves as the acting
assistant secretary for Western Hemi-
sphere Affairs at the U.S. Department
of State. He has spent over 31 years
representing the United States at
home and on assignments abroad.
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