A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
OUR VIEW
Is Oregon ready
for growth in
electricity use?
A
question we hear in state meetings about climate, power and
even discussions we have overheard at Bend’s Midtown
Yacht Club: Does Oregon have enough electricity if every-
body moves to using electricity for pretty much everything?
The short-term answer is: No, not right at this moment.
The long-term answer is: Yes, with the right action.
We can’t predict the future. We aren’t experts on energy in Ore-
gon. We know there is also a very important question: Should Oregon
do it? But today we are looking at the is-there-enough question. (And
we should thank the folks at Oregon’s Public Utility Commission for
the help they gave us to try to track down answers.)
The easiest-to-digest answer comes from the Oregon Department
of Energy. It looked at how ready Oregon’s grid is for electric vehi-
cles. In the next few years, it’s not expected to be a big deal.
“But as more Oregonians make the switch to EVs, utilities
are already working on potential solutions to meet the increased
demand,” the department said in a blog post. “To handle peak
demands, the electricity sector has long engaged in multi-year capac-
ity planning to forecast future peak demands on the grid and to iden-
tify whether new resources (like new energy-generating facilities) are
required to meet those demands.”
Electric vehicle loads are not unusually large. But they do come
bundled with complications.
Charge up a Nissan Leaf in a home and that is only about twice the
energy of a typical refrigerator. But multiple EVs charging together
on a Level 2 fast charger could gobble up the capacity of a local dis-
tribution transformer. So utilities will need to plan for those upgrades.
They will need to have an understanding of where and importantly
when EVs charge. Moving the demand for EV charging to the late
evenings and night would help reduce the need for peak electrical
capacity.
Capacity for electric vehicles is one slice of the answer. There are a
lot of discussions in Oregon about the future of natural gas for heating
and cooking. There’s even been talk in Bend of prohibiting new natu-
ral gas hookups for residences.
For the bigger picture, we talked to Bob Jenks. Jenks is executive
director of Oregon’s Citizen Utility Board. It’s basically Jenks’ job
and CUB’s job to look out for the interests of consumers when util-
ities ask for changes in rates and submit their capacity plans to the
state.
Jenks says: No. Right now, there is not enough electrical capacity
in Oregon if everybody switched to electric cars and electric heating
and cooling.
“I think we can get to about 90% to 95% clean (to about 2035)
on the electric system even with electrifi cation of transportation and
buildings,” he told us in an email. “That last 5 to 10% is what will be
diffi cult. Off shore wind might be the answer. New advanced nukes
might be. But there is time to fi gure this out.”
Electrical capacity is not just an Oregon question. The grid is
regional. The scenario everyone is trying to avoid is energy shortages.
They call it loss of load probability. The goal, at least in the North-
west Power Plan, is to have an adequate power supply so the likeli-
hood of having one or more shortfalls in a year is 5% or less.
Just a couple years ago, in 2019, the Northwest Power Council
was worried that with the retirement of coal-fi red power plants the
loss of load probability would rise to 8.2% in 2024 and 17% in 2026.
Not good.
But the Northwest Power Council’s new report published a
few months ago in the Federal Register doesn’t sound alarmist. It
talks about the need for planning. And it talks about the need for
preparation.
Oregon’s utilities do look at these challenges in their plans fi led
with the state’s Public Utility Commission. For instance, Pacifi c
Power did an independent study of how the electric vehicle market
would impact its systems.
We may have tried to take on this question a little early. A key doc-
ument that will look at the state’s energy future is actually scheduled
to come out on Nov. 1. It’s the 2022 Biennial Energy Report from the
Oregon Department of Energy.
If there is a hint of loss of load probability in that report, if there
is hint that Oregon is not ready for the energy future, legislators will
need to act.
Blue Mountain
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Put an end to
John Day socialism
To the editor:
In the Aug. 24 BME, our friend
Nick Green opined against another out-
standing member of our community.
He has chosen to go back in time to
18th century France, when he should
have gone into 18th century Amer-
ica and the people’s fi ght to win inde-
pendence from England. With Green’s
background with the DC liberals and
an education in the socialist element in
the Seattle area, he has no choice but
to go to his socialist upbringing. Hav-
ing lauded a “local” upbringing in John
Day, he has spent little time in our com-
munity and has absolutely no manage-
ment experience in any municipality.
The Morrises’ challenge is what
Democracy is all about. What both-
ers Green and the city administration
is that the people of John Day and the
larger community have a diff erent opin-
ion than theirs and we are willing to
fi ght for it. Yes, we are more fi scally
responsible and patriotic using our con-
stitution, which our forefathers fought
for and died for. The attacks against us
have increased since we have had some
successes and are getting the truth out
about what is going on in the city. We
will fi ght for what we believe in with
facts, not backroom deals.
Green uses the power that Mayor
Lundbom’s administration has given
him as a proxy to apply their socialist
agenda. He has attacked the Riverside
Park, with feckless accusations during
the COVID era, costing tens of thou-
sands of dollars. This is his Orwellian
method of forcing people to do what he
wants at all costs. My annexation is my
personal experience with his thumb on
the scale. Using Oregon law to leverage
people’s minds which he appointed,
and being like-minded, using dictator
tactics.
Councilors Adair and Holland
took on this tactic by attacking fel-
low Councilor Rookstool for express-
ing what the people wanted four years
ago. We need to vote no on the forced-
again pool levy. Vote for Heather Rook-
stool for mayor and Sherrie Rininger
for city council. This will be a start in
getting control of the socialist agenda
which will go to no end, using taxpayer
money, using their dictator Third World
tactics.
Bob Pereira
John Day
Innovation Gateway
breeds noxious weeds
To the Editor:
The Innovation Gateway Project
(i.e., the old mill site west of John Day)
is a horrible example of stewardship.
The city has featured this property to
obtain grants, built a greenhouse, used
the existing shop, constructed trails,
used buildings as a storage facility, and
constructed new access points. All of
this while disregarding the infestation
of noxious weeds. There is, at a mini-
mum, three species identifi ed at various
locations on the property: Scotch thistle
(Onopordum acanthium), diff use knap-
weed (Centaurea diff usa) and puncture-
vine (Tribulus terrestris).
Since there has been a lot of vehi-
cle activity, pedestrian travel, fi ll mate-
rial and disturbance throughout the
area, there is the potential for other nox-
ious species as well as plant population
movement within the area. Patterson
Bridge Road to the west is infested with
knapweed on the west side. Weeds can
rapidly colonize bare ground as well as
ground with sparse vegetation, such as
areas with cheatgrass and other annual
grasses. With the upcoming Cycle Ore-
gon program and the projected number
of bicycles, the city cannot expect trail
users to stay only on the paved trails;
in fact, they will be encouraged to use
these trails for short rides and access to
and from base areas.
It is obvious many people, including
city employees, are unable to identify
noxious weeds or ignore their presence.
Mayor Lundbom was made aware of
the problem approximately three years
ago, not only showing him an example
of knapweed but a suggestion to con-
tact Grant County Weed Control for
reference material and an employee
identifi cation class. Apparently, this
does not fi t the city’s agenda, so it is
simple to disregard the problem.
John L. Morris
John Day
We don’t really
need a pool
To the Editor:
A letter to the editor published on
Aug. 24 by Nick Green stated, “Grant
County does need a pool.” Mr. Green
confused wants with needs.
Needs are essentials for survival:
food, clothing, shelter and medical care.
I would add safety, but that was not
in the defi nition found online. Wants
include everything else, things that
can improve quality of life. A pool is a
want, not a need.
Now, with high infl ation, increasing
fuel and food costs, loss of the dollar’s
purchasing value, already stressed fam-
ilies from unexpected increased costs,
and uncertainties in employment is not
the time for an unnecessary expendi-
ture. Costs for heating will be an added
burden with the onset of winter, and
food and fuel costs will continue to rise.
I understand a segment of our popu-
lation wants a pool in John Day, but it is
fi scally irresponsible to approve a bond
levy during this time of fi nancial insta-
bility, committing the community to
paying years of added taxes for a want.
If you have extra money not
required to meet your family’s needs,
please consider donating to the Grant
County Food Bank or Carrie Young
Memorial. Both entities are providing
assistance, encouragement, and support
to people in need in our community,
and the needs are growing.
Do not vote to commit your neigh-
bors, many of whom are struggling
fi nancially, to any added, unnecessary
taxation to satisfy your want of a pool.
Struggling families deserve consider-
ation and compassion, not censure for
opposing an added tax levy.
Pauline Loerke
John Day
Rookstool ‘option’
no option at all
To the Editor:
The Aug. 23 John Day City Coun-
cil meeting has brought a lot of confu-
sion after Councilor Heather Rookstool
made the statement that she’s found a
pool company that will come build our
community a pool for $2 million. What
she failed to do was give any facts or
actual information, which leads most
people to ask how?
Is Anderson Poolworks going to
move the dirt, dig the hole, pour the
concrete for the deck, build the fence
around the pool, do the construction
work for the locker rooms and recep-
tion area? What about electrical or
plumbing, and of course all of the fi n-
ish work? And parking? All of this for
$2 million?
When asked by her fellow coun-
cil members the details of the supposed
proposal, Councilor Rookstool had no
answers. While she couldn’t answer a
single question, she did manage to give
the illusion to the public that if they
voted no on the upcoming ballot mea-
sure that we’d still get a pool.
So I decided to call Anderson Pool-
works to get the details myself. What I
discovered was that the pool company
was completely misrepresented, and
Councilor Rookstool was not honest or
truthful with the company or with the
public. Councilor Rookstool’s $2 mil-
lion pool only includes the pool with
mechanical equipment; not two locker
rooms, a family room and a reception
area like she claimed last Tuesday.
Bob Pereira was right, there is mis-
information coming from the city and
it’s coming from Councilor Rookstool.
Public offi cials have a responsibility to
their constituents and the public to pro-
vide factual information with support-
ing evidence. No one owes her an apol-
ogy, but Councilor Rookstool owes this
community an apology for her contin-
ued and deliberate attempts to mislead
the public.
If you want a pool, vote for the pool
that’s on the ballot. Don’t be fooled
into believing there’s another option as
Anderson Poolworks told me myself,
there’s not.
Susan Pearce
John Day
Due diligence on
pool costs overdue
To the Editor:
It may be true that John Day City
Councilor Heather Rookstool’s pro-
posal to build a $2 million pool instead
of a $6 million pool facility might
weaken support for the $4 million
bond vote in November. But her pro-
posal should have been included as an
alternative from the very beginning.
Instead, John Day city staff came up
with an even grander alternative that
included a large gymnasium, an impos-
sible dream.
This is one more example of inad-
equate due diligence by city staff , to
go along with a failed greenhouse and
questionable claims for future custom-
ers of reclaimed water from the new
sewer plant. Call me old-fashioned, but
I believe the city council’s job is to take
a close look at city staff proposals. In
that light, Rookstool is doing her job,
albeit a little late.
A curious point is this — how can
the pool cost only $2 million while the
concrete apron and wooden building
cost $4 million? You could buy land
and build more than a dozen fi ne sin-
gle-family residences for $4 million.
Richard Hanners
John Day
Cost to build
pool could go up
To the Editor:
I would like to share my thoughts
and concerns with everyone about the
swimming pool measure that will be
on the November ballot.
I read in the BME that a group of
people is working towards getting the
same swimming pool measure on the
November ballot that they put on the
May primary ballot.
This group of people got an esti-
mate to build a $6 million swimming
pool about a year ago. They had $2
million. They asked for an additional
$4 million bond in the May primary.
It did not pass. Now they want to put
the same measure on the November
ballot.
Do you think that a $4 million
bond will be enough to build the $6
million swimming pool?
Two things come to my mind:
(1) They did not take into consid-
eration the 25% increase in the build-
ing materials a year later. It will be
another year before the work can be
done. In that time, costs may go up
another 10 to 20%.
(2) Due to costs going up this next
year, they may only have enough
money to build part of the swimming
pool.
They will be going back to the
people asking for more money.
I think that this is a major mistake
in their planning.
We have a lot of senior citizens liv-
ing in the parks and recreation district
and the Canyon City/John Day area.
With the cost of everything going up,
they can’t aff ord additional taxes.
As for the people who rent, their
cost is going to go up also. Do you
think that the rental owner is not going
to pass this increase on to the renter?
If you think that voting “yes” for
the swimming pool is a good idea, I
have a friend who has some Arizona
oceanfront property for sale that you
may be interested in.
I think you should think twice
before you vote “yes” for the swim-
ming pool. And then vote “no” on the
swimming pool measure.
Tom Sutton
John Day