NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
A9
OTEC, other out-of-state electrical crews to help western Oregon restore power
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
As the snow and ice from
last weekend’s storm started
to melt, many Portlanders
were still without power, heat
and other services.
Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative sent a four-per-
son crew to the west side of the
state in Benton County to help
restore service in those com-
munities, according to a press
release from the cooperative.
The press release said that
a sister power company, Con-
sumers Power Inc., based in
Philomath, put out a call for
help after the catastrophic
storms damaged the infra-
structure throughout its ser-
vice territory, extending from
the coast to the Cascades.
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Rocky Mountain Utility Works trucks park in John Day en route to the western side of the state to help restore power after recent
storms.
Meanwhile, a crew of 32
workers from Rocky Moun-
tain Utility Works out of Salt
Lake City passed through
John Day for lunch as they
were en route to help the west
side of the state get its power
back on.
Mike Clark, a supervisor
with Rocky Mountain, said he
and his crew would be assist-
ing in Albany and Portland for
as long as it takes to get ser-
vice back on for people.
On Feb. 17, Portland Gen-
eral Electric tweeted, “Due to
the significant damage caused
by this historic storm, restor-
ing all customers could take
many days. Mutual Assis-
tance crews are here from out
of state to help, so we can get
your power on as quickly as
safety allows.”
The cooperative has a
mutual aid agreement through
the Oregon Cooperative Net-
work and sent a crew to West-
ern Oregon during the Labor
Day wildfires.
“This shows the power
of the cooperative network
and exemplifies the coopera-
tive principle of Cooperation
Among Cooperatives,” Mike
Pommarane, director of oper-
ations for the cooperative,
said. “OTEC member-own-
ers can rest assured that if we
found ourselves in a similar
emergency situation, co-ops
from across Oregon would be
at our doorstep in a moment’s
notice to help us.”
GOT INVASIVE ANNUAL GRASSES?
Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept. • Working for You in 2021
Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests Resource Advisory Committee, Grant
Weed Control is able to offer a 25% cost share program for invasive annual grass control on private graz-
ing lands, through a Title II funded Grant Project. This program will provide a maximum $10,000 of invasive annual grass
control services with a $2,500 maximum landowner contribution to qualifying participants. To be eligible for participation,
the treatment property must not be actively irrigated and must be primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of
20 acres in size, located within Grant County, and must contain invasive annual grass species. Applications for this limited
weed control assistance opportunity will be ranked and funded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Contact: Grant Soil and Water Conservation District Office at
(541) 575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845
for applications and additional information.
The application deadline for this program is March 12th, 2021.
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