A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Another threat
to Oregon’s
timber industry
S
ome folks sure know
how to start a conver-
sation.
Take, for example, a bill
in the Oregon House of Rep-
resentatives that could lock
up more than 1 million acres
of Oregon forestland. House
Bill 2656 would ban timber
harvests, road-building and
the use of pesticides and fer-
tilizers in any forest water-
sheds that provide drinking
water to cities and towns.
Such a “conversation
starter” is more like a punch
in the nose for the state’s
timber industry. State and
federal timber regulations
already protect water qual-
ity, yet this bill could virtu-
ally shut the industry down
in some areas of the state.
Hampton Lumber estimates
more than half of its 89,000
acres would be impacted by
the bill.
Under the bill, any activ-
ities would have to be
approved by the state Board
of Forestry. Because the
plans would be made pub-
lic ahead of time, one might
also assume that environ-
mental groups would insert
themselves into the issue the
same way they have in other
timber management issues.
In other words, the lawsuits
would start fl ying.
The fi rst question that
comes to mind: Is there
a problem with Oregon’s
drinking water quality?
Interestingly enough, the
Oregon Association of Water
Utilities just awarded the
city of Stayton an award
for the best tasting drinking
water in the state. It is the
third straight year the city
has been honored. Stayton
gets all of its drinking water
from the North Santiam
River, whose watershed has
been logged for decades.
It should be noted that
municipal utilities are
required to constantly
monitor their water qual-
ity. If there was a prob-
lem, it would be found
immediately.
During a recent hear-
ing, those who want to con-
trol and hamstring the tim-
ber industry tried to link the
blue-green algae outbreak
at Detroit Lake to logging.
Just where, exactly, was
that alleged logging taking
place? Scientists say warm
weather had as much to do
with the bloom as anything
else.
It’s clear that this bill,
like others making the
rounds during the legisla-
tive session, is just another
anti-logging, anti-jobs and
anti-economy measure
aimed at shutting down an
industry that has been part of
the state’s backbone.
If logging is so terrible,
why are we all surrounded
by the green of public and
private forests?
Well-managed forests
have long been a large part
of Oregon’s history — and
its future, if the legisla-
ture and environmentalists
don’t shut it down. The tim-
ber industry is in every sense
the epitome of a renew-
able resource. Even those
who don’t like logging prob-
ably live in houses built
using lumber from Oregon’s
forests.
And there’s more. New
technology is allowing the
state’s timber industry to
take part in a revolution in
which mass plywood and
cross laminated lumber will
be become an important part
of future construction proj-
ects around the world.
Yet some folks want to
start a conversation about
stopping that.
“House Bill 2656 is an
unnecessary and extreme
solution in search of a prob-
lem,” said Mary Anne Coo-
per, vice president of public
policy for the Oregon Farm
Bureau.
That about sums it up.
If there are any problems,
let’s address them in a mean-
ingful and targeted manner.
If there aren’t any problems,
then maybe the conversation
should end.
WHERE TO WRITE
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@
centurylink.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.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Grant County
wise to maintain
local dispatch
To the Editor:
I recently had the opportu-
nity to read some back issues
of Condon’s weekly (Globe)
Times-Journal newspaper. Arti-
cles reported on Frontier Telen-
et’s fi nancial and managerial cir-
cumstances starting with the Dec.
27 edition and continuing in sub-
sequent issues through Feb. 21.
Frontier Telenet is an ORS 190
entity that has made infrastruc-
ture available for 911 emer-
gency dispatch for Gilliam, Sher-
man and Wheeler counties. This
caught my attention as this is
the same entity that was sug-
gested as an option for providing
911 dispatch when voters turned
down a local option tax proposal
intended to provide revenue for
911 dispatch.
The articles detail the reve-
nue shortfalls, inadequate record
keeping, inferior management
and lack of oversight of Fron-
tier Telenet. Their board of direc-
tors met multiple times in Jan-
uary 2019 to discuss a course
of action for the fi nancial, man-
agerial and governance issues,
hiring a consultant to assist in
implementing recommendations
made by the Association of Ore-
gon Counties, updating inter-
governmental agreements, pro-
cesses, etc. Also discussed was
the fact that it hadn’t been deter-
mined who owes money and how
much to Frontier Telenet. That
task is further compromised as
no written agreements or con-
tracts were consummated, and no
previous or historic knowledge
is available. Gilliam and Sher-
man counties each were asked for
$100,000 to meet the entity’s lia-
bilities for December. Frontier
Telenet accepted $100,000 loans
from both Sherman County and
Wheeler County.
Additionally, the Frontier
Telenet board of directors are the
three elected county judges. A
confl ict of interest, whether poten-
tial, real or perceived?
I wonder if inquiries were
made regarding the administra-
tion and management of Frontier
Telenet to determine its solvency,
operating policies and procedures.
It appears to be a dysfunctional,
corrupt, loosely organized and
managed entity. I have no doubt
Grant County would also have
been asked for money to help bail
Frontier Telenet out.
I’m certainly glad that Grant
County decided to go its own way.
Charlene Morris
John Day
Defi nitions, rights
and privileges
To the Editor:
Defi nition: “... a statement of
Courtesy
and respect
To the Editor:
Is courtesy and respect dead?
Maybe not, but it has one foot
in the grave and the other on a
banana peel!
I had a disturbing experience
on the way to work. As I drove
past a couple of kids walking to
school, I waved out the side win-
dow of the car and received a mid-
dle fi nger wave from the younger
of the two. The student was prob-
ably a fourth-fi fth-sixth grader. I
turned around and went back to
talk to the young man. When I
got next to him and rolled down
the window, he said he waved
with his fi rst fi nger. I said that is
not a very nice way to say good
morning to someone. He repeated
that it was his fi rst fi nger a couple
more times. Then I said you know
what you did and drove off.
It really bothered me that a
kid that young would be that dis-
respectful. Then I realized that
much of our society acts the same
way, so why should I expect bet-
ter from a kid?
I recognize that not everyone
likes or agrees with everyone else,
and that is fi ne; it is what makes
our society great. I just wish that
people would choose to treat oth-
ers with respect and courtesy. If
people could let go of their dis-
dain for others, many interactions
would be more pleasant and likely
more productive.
I hope for civility and courtesy
— consider it during your next
interaction with someone who
may not be you favorite person.
Shannon Springer
Prairie City
Loan a better fi t
for dam project
To the Editor:
I am concerned about the Wal-
lowa Lake dam improvement
proposed by Gov. Brown and to
be voted on soon.
I agree with rehabilitating the
dam for several reasons such as
safety for people and equitable
water distribution for irrigators.
It has the potential to help many
irrigators and store more water. It
also has the potential of making
the newly formed irrigation dis-
trict a lot more money.
My concern is that perhaps
over $16 million will be provided
the irrigation district to get the
dam to store more water, which
the district will sell. I believe
money from water sales would go
to the district.
If this is good for the county
as a whole, great. However, I
don’t think that Oregon taxpayers
should have to pay money to help
just a local few. If it is a good
idea to fund the project, do it as a
loan to be paid back with receipts
from water sold.
I don’t agree with funding
west-side projects with my tax
dollars. I also don’t agree with
asking the whole state to fund a
project that only benefi ts a few
and may provide a profi t to a pri-
vate entity.
Don’t beg the legislature to
fund your activities. Agree to a
loan and pay it back.
I have contacted Bill Han-
sel, state senator, and Greg Bar-
etto, state representative, on this
and encourage any who agree
to do the same. Do we want to
help reduce or increase state debt
problems?
Joseph T. Zinni
Joseph
L
ETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues.
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Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.
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MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
the meaning of a word or word
group or sign or symbol ...” The
defi nition is from Webster’s Col-
legiate Dictionary!
Right: “... something to which
one has a just claim: as a: the
power or privilege to which one
is justly entitled ... b (2): the
property interest possessed under
law or custom and agreement
in an intangible thing ...” Again
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary!
Privilege: “a right or immu-
nity granted as a peculiar benefi t,
advantage, or favor: PREROGA-
TIVE ...”
All meanings and defi nitions
contained in this letter are from
the above-mentioned dictionary.
Guarantee: “... 2: to engage
for the existence, permanence,
or nature of: undertake to do or
secure ... 3: to give security to ...”
Our nation was established
as a republic, and in a republic
the electorate has the sovereign
power to elect representatives
that are responsible to them. (The
people.)
The Constitution of the United
States is the supreme law of the
land. We have elected offi cials
and representatives in our state
legislature that presume to place
themselves above that law and
to enforce on the people their
own standards and unconstitu-
tional laws. Some of these laws
go directly against the rights and
privileges guaranteed by our con-
stitutional government. Senate
Bill 501 is one of these errone-
ous pieces of legislation they
want to force on all our law-abid-
ing people by which many would
become criminals unless they
comply to probable buy-back or
confi scation schemes that must
assuredly follow.
The Second Amendment to
our Constitution states, “A well
regulated militia being necessary
to the security of a free state, the
right of the people to keep and
bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Infringe: “1: to encroach
upon in a way that violates law
or the rights of another ... 2 obs:
DEFEAT, FRUSTRATE ...”
SB 501 would commit unlaw-
fully all the above against we the
people.
Michael Christensen
John Day
Grant County .........................................$45
Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57
Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60
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