Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2019)
A4 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 26, 2019 OPINION Achievements abound in our communities P rogress, our new special section inside this week’s edition, is a testament to what can be accomplished when peo- ple work together with the shared goal of improving their communities. Despite being a small county with high unemploy- ment in an economically challenged region, the sto- ries of our communities are not fi lled with failure and woe. Instead, when faced with challenges, community members rallied together and overcame obstacles. As you fl ip through the pages — all 16 it took to get everything in — you’ll read about millions and millions of dollars of funding secured for important assets through- out Grant County and doz- ens of major projects coming to fruition. From an infrastructure project in Seneca to park upgrades in Monument, from community hall and school improvements in Dayville to new storefronts in Prairie City, positive achievements abound. New homes are being built in Canyon City. Long Creek has seen new busi- nesses. Mt. Vernon will soon have a new city hall. John Day is working on multiple projects to improve livability and encourage growth. Tourism is on the rise, transit has improved and the fi rst commercial torrefaction plant in North America is being constructed right here in Grant County. Despite diffi culties, peo- pled believed in their com- munities and found ways to make positive changes. This county is home to some amazing people who are using their talents and dedication to accomplish some amazing things. We applaud them for their efforts and congratulate them on their achievements. With vision, teamwork and a little Grant County grit, we’re sure the progress will continue for generations to come. 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. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@ cityofl ongcreek.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: governor.state.or.us/ governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised 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: oregonlegislature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.Cliff Bentz@oregonlegislature.gov. • Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503- 986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature. gov/fi ndley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@ oregonlegislature.gov. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456-1414. • U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202- 224-5244. Email: wayne_kinney@ wyden.senate.gov Website: http:// wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by GUEST COMMENT Did Oregonians vote for that? By E. Werner Reschke and Carl Wilson A s the Oregon Legisla- ture enters the fi nal week of the 2019 session, Sen- ate Republicans have left the state Capitol in protest of many things. Their absence means many policy and budget bills remain unpassed. However, a continu- ing resolution, passed and signed before Senate Republicans left, will keep state government hum- ming along for at least the next three months. At the center of the Senate Republican protest is House Bill 2020, a Cap and Trade mech- anism on carbon emissions. Republicans in both chambers have argued this bill will deci- mate Oregonians who live out- side of Portland. Under HB 2020 gasoline prices are expected to jump 22 cents per gallon to begin with and go up signifi cantly from there. Heating by natural gas is also expected to take a major leap in price, causing average work- ing families signifi cant stress on their personal fi nances. All of this to lower Oregon’s car- bon emissions to a level deemed acceptable by the extreme envi- ronmental intelligentsia. that is at the heart of the Senate Republican walkout. If you asked the average Democrat in Oregon if this is the agenda they approved when they voted in 2018 I bet they would say no. Many Democrats are realiz- ing their local party in Oregon now refl ects Alexandria Oca- sio-Cortez far more than Bar- bara Roberts. Oregonians have a built-in pioneering spirit, which values both entrepreneurism and the environment. But when the pendulum swings too far in one direction, Oregon voters usually snap it back. I believe we can safeguard our environment without having to kill our natural resource econ- omy and dramatically raise the cost of living for everyone else. Oregonians did not vote for Salem to usurp more control and create a more intrusive role in daily lives of Oregonian, but rather for state government to be more accountable and transpar- ent to the voters. So far those in the super- majority aren’t hearing that message. E. Werner Reschke of Klam- ath Falls represents House Dis- trict 56, and Carl Wilson of Grants Pass represents House District 3 and is the House Republican Leader. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Boardman to Hemingway power line ‘not real smart’ To the Editor: I am opposed to Idaho Pow- er’s request to build a multimega- watt power line from Boardman to Hemingway, Idaho, near Boise. When I was younger, we caught steelhead and salmon in the Powder River Canyon, on Big Creek, Lick Creek, Velvet Creek, Skookum Creek. Kids with fl y rods could catch dozens of fi sh during the day. We didn’t know much about fi sheries, just being farm kids, but those trout that we caught all day long were steelhead smolts, and the smaller ones in the evening were salmon smolts. Things started downhill with the approval of the Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon dams with no fi sh ladders in 1958. Much money was saved to supply cheaper power to the region, and it is cheaper if you discount block- ing hundreds of miles of anad- romous fi sh producing streams. That defi cit is made up for with hatcheries that are fi nanced partly by a surcharge on electric bills. Destruction of riparian zone hab- itat was supposed to be mitigated by Idaho Power, and somehow they forgot to do that for almost 50 years until the relicensing pro- cess was about to begin. One thing that is not mentioned on the B2H line: It does not end at Hemingway. It will connect with other power grids. We used to call this as the Western intertie. Mod- ern effi cient power generation and distribution, designed by the same people who lined up all the bat- tle ships and airplanes at Pearl Harbor. All the eggs in one bas- ket where one smart guy with a computer can make a third of the United States go dark. For decades we have fought over the management of BPA hydroelectric power on the Columbia dams. Any power distri- bution scheme that could alter the balance of salmon and steelhead and sturgeon is just begging for an Endangered Species Act law- suit. If that doesn’t scare the B2H advocates, then there is the Treaty of 1855 and the Bolt Decision and tribal rights. The Hells Canyon Complex with no passage was one of the biggest environmental blunders ever. Compounding that with the biggest white elephant power scheme is not real smart. Steve Culley Baker City 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. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Richard Hanners, rick@bmeagle.com Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Makenna Adair, offi ce@bmeagle.com Offi ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, offi ce@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION HB 2020 was really the straw that broke the camel’s back. But there is a far more fundamental reason for the Senate Republi- can absence from the state Cap- itol and that has to do with the strong-arming Democrat lead- ership who have a supermajor- ity in both House and Senate as well as control the Governor’s Offi ce. This absolute control on the legislative process has meant that Democrat leadership could do whatever they want, and indeed they have. Republican members have argued all session long they have been shut out from any meaningful input on almost every single policy shift from historic norms — many put in place by the citizen initiative process. It is this unwillingness of Democrats to allow Oregonians a direct voice on Cap and Trade, but also the new sales taxes found in HB 3427, overturning Measure 88 (granting undocu- mented people driver’s cards) and special deals for special interests in tax exemption sta- tus — all major policy changes, being passed by Democrat super majorities without Republican support and, more importantly, without a vote from the peo- ple. It is this blatant disregard for Oregon’s working families Online: MyEagleNews.com 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2019 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
