Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2014)
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 Heppner wind project on hold for lack of renewable energy customers HEPPNER âzette imes VOL. 133 N 0. 8 10 Pages Wednesday, February 19, 2014 County historical society invites locals for Hanford tour - Photo courtesy o f the US. Dept, o f Energy reactor and produced the plutonium used in the ‘Fat M an’ bomb dropped over Nagasaki, Japan, in August of 1945. Five days after that bomb was deployed. World War II ended. “ B R e a c to r is an eng in eerin g m arvel that was built in only thirteen months (1943-1944). As the world's first nuclear reactor, draw ings and blueprints were being developed at the same time the reactor was being constructed. It -See HANFORD TOUR/ PAGE TWO The Morrow Pacific project passed a m ilestone recently when the O regon D epartm ent of Environm ental Quality (DEQ) issued air quality, water quality and construction storm w ater p e rm its for the C o y o te Island Terminal coal export project in Boardman. T he C o y o te Isla n d Terminal is a coal export project proposed by Ambre E n e rg y at th e P o rt o f M orrow in Boardman. If the project is completed, Ambre Energy would bring up to 8.8 million tons o f coal a year by train from Montana and/or Wyoming to Boardman. The company w ould store the coal in covered storage buildings at the Port o f Morrow before tran sferrin g it to barges using an enclosed conveyor system. The barges would then take the coal down the Columbia River to Port W estward in C latskanie, where crews would transfer H igh sch o o ls in the M orrow C ounty School D istric t have e x ceed ed statewide average rates for high school graduation, the district announced last week. The O r e g on Department o f Education released data on graduation said Smith. “These issues rates for all high schools in c a n be v e ry c o m p l e x the state for the 2012-2013 and I believe the school year on Feb. 6. The four-year cohort knowledge I bring to th em wi l l be graduation rate looks at the n u m b er o f students helpful.” Smith is serving w ho re c e iv e d a reg u lar his seventh term as a m em ber o f the O regon H ouse o f (,re 8 n R e p re s e n ta tiv e s . He is the longest- s e rv in g m e m b e r on the Joint C om m ittee on Ways and Means. He currently serves as Chair o f the Jo in t C om m ittee A recent report from on Wa y s a n d M e a n s the O regon D epartm ent Subcommittee on General o f E ducation found that Government. students in the M orrow To l e a r n more County School District are information, contact Smith performing at a lower rate at 541-377-0000. or email than the statewide average rep.gregsmith@state.or.us. on the new Kindergarten R e a d in e ss A sse ssm e n t. H o w e v e r, th e d i s t r i c t says data from this report will allow the M CSD to pinpoint areas that need improvement so the district can better prepare young students for school. 12 edition. During the start o f the D e a d l i n e f o r a d 2 013-2014 school year, submission is March 7 at all kindergarten students 5 p.m. Contact Megan at who entered Oregon public 541-676-9228 or megan@ s c h o o ls w ere r e q u i r e d rap id se rv e .n e t for m ore to c o m p l e t e an e a r l y information or to schedule screener assessm ent— the an ad. K indergarten R eadiness -See WIND FARM ON HOLD/PAGE SEVEN it onto ocean-going ships bound for Asia. “ A s w e ’ve sa id all along, we are com m itted to m e e t in g th e h ig h environm ental standards set by the state o f Oregon. By issu in g th e se th re e perm its after a rigorous process, the D epartm ent o f Environmental Quality h a s a ffirm e d th a t th e p r o je c t c o m p lie s w ith environm ental rules and reg u la tio n s o f the state o f O re g o n ,” said C lark M oseley, CEO, M orrow Pacific project. In a statement by the DEQ, the agency states, “ D E Q is i s s u i n g a ir quality, water quality and construction storm w ater p e rm its for the p ro je c t because, as proposed, they com ply with all relevant environm ental rules and regulations. The perm its went through a rigorous in te rn a l rev iew and an extensive public process involving more than 16,500 public comments.” “ A f te r c o n s id e r in g the com m ents received, DEQ has also concluded that a further water quality c e r tif ic a tio n — c a lle d a 401 c e r t i f i c a t i o n — is appropriate for the project. DEQ is co n sulting w ith the U.S. Arm y Qorps o f E n g in e e r s a n d A m b re Energy on the next steps for this certification,” the statement continued. In addition to the DEQ p e rm its , th e p ro je c t is currently seeking permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Department of State Lands. The DEQ stresses that “issuance o f these permits does not m ean th at the project has been approved to proceed. Rather, it means that the standards for these p a rtic u la r DEQ perm its have been met.” The project has been met with a wide range o f resp o n ses, from fervent support to equally vehement opposition. The DEQ says that, based on com m ents the agency has received, some people “question the agency's limited role in the permitting process.” Some people want climate change considered as part o f the process, while others have called for a federal review of coal export projects. The project is currently s e e k in g p e r m its fro m the U.S. Arm y C orps of Engineers and the Oregon D e p a r tm e n t o f S ta te L ands, and is p ro jected to be operational by the beginning o f 2015. The Corps has indicated that a permitting decision will be forthcoming in the spring of 2014. “We are committed to doing business the Oregon way, and working with local com panies to strengthen our economy. We’re ready to start work just as soon as we receive permits from the Corps and Oregon DSL,” added Moseley. high-school diploma within four years o f entering high school. The 2012-2013 five- year cohort graduation rate is connected to students who entered their ninth- grade year in the 2008-2009 school year. T h e se are s tu d e n ts who have received either a re g u la r, m o d ifie d or extended high-school diplom a, and/or a GED certificate, within five years o f entering high school. Wi t hi n the d is tr ic t, H eppner Jr-Sr High saw a 84.21 percent four-year g r a d u a tio n ra te and a 93.10 p ercen t fiv e-y ear rate. Irrigon Jr-Sr High was 81.25 percent for four years and 85.71 percent for five years, while Riverside Jr-Sr High had a 69.94 percent four-year rate and a 87.84 percent five-year rate. T hose com pare to a statewide average o f 68.7 percent for four years and 81.52 percent for five years. “ We are proud o f our students, faculty, and staff in ensuring student success in our school district,” said MCSD Superintendent Dirk Dirksen. “It takes a strong c o mmu n i t y o f su p p o rt, planning and dedication throughout the kindergarten through 12"’ grade system to ensure the child graduates. “ Morrow County School District will continue to hold high expectations in relation to students passing state achievement tests and ensuring that our students a re c o lle g e and c a re e r ready.” MCSD students perform below state average on new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Businesses invited to participate in St. Pat’s welcome page A rea b u sin e sse s are in v ited to w elco m e St. Patrick's weekend visitors to o u r c o m m u n i t y and inform them o f available goo d s and s e rv ic e s by including ads in a special color spread in our March to buy the electricity, and had not yet been able to secure a power purchase agreement for the Heppner project because o f electrical u t il it ie s ’ p re fe re n c e to “ s e l f - b u i l d ,” r e g io n a l transm ission constraints, and California’s preference for its renewable energy to be obtained from resources within California. A nother nearby, big, c o m p le te d w in d farm , M.C. district high school students exceed state graduation rates Rep. Smith named chair of House Republican Caucus Budget Committee S A L E M -R e p . G reg Sm ith (R -H e p p n e r) has b e e n ta p p e d by House Republican Leader M ike McLane (R-Powell Butte) to head up the House Republican C aucus B udget Committee. „ R e p . T h e g r o u p Smith is c h a rg e d wi t h t r a c k i n g is s u e s related to the state budget, reviewing pending budget b ills , and a d v is in g the House Republican Caucus, particularly Leader McLane, on these issues. “ I am honored by the o p p o rtu n ity to use my experience in regards to the state budget to help my fellow caucus m em bers,” w ind farm ; h o w ev er, a co m p an y sp o k e sp e rso n Tuesday did not say if or when the project would get underway, but did say that “the ultimate project size and development timetable are contingent upon market demand.” However, in a Jan. 9 letter from energy analyst Sue Oliver of the Hermiston S ta te D ept, o f E n erg y office, Oliver told the Siting Council that Invenergy was still looking for someone Coal terminal project passes milestone with three DEQ permits In this photo from W orld W a r II, It Reactor can be seen between the w ater towers on the right side of the photo, along with other facilities that supported reactor operations. The reactor began operating in September 1444; it was shut down from 1446-1948, and then went back into service until 1968. Interested persons are invited to sign up for an April tour o f the Hanford- Site B Reactor, scheduled by the M orrow C ounty Historical Society. An in te rn e t v isit to h a n fo rd .g o v o ffe rs the follow ing and additional in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e historic phenomenon: “ O n e o f th e m o st h i s t o r ic b u i ld i n g s a t Hanford is the B Reactor, code named 105-B during W orld W ar II. T h e B R eactor was the w orld's first, fu ll-sc a le n u c le a r Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon By David Sykes T he d e v e lo p e r o f a proposed 280-turbine wind farm on 40,000 acres o f private land seven miles east of Heppner apparently still has not been able to find buyers for the 500 m egaw atts o f renew able energy the wind farm would produce. Invenergy LLC, based in C h ic a g o , a s k e d for and was recently granted a one-year extension on its p e rm it to b u ild the ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. i Assessment (KRA)— that focused on students’ a b i l i t i e s as it r e l a t e s to early m ath and early literacy skills. After getting to know th eir stu d e n ts, kindergarten teachers were also asked to com plete a rating scale based on the students' social-emotional developm ent, approaches to l e a r n i n g , and s e l f regulation. T h e i n t e n t o f t he kindergarten assessm ent has been to provide teachers with key information early in the school year that they can use to guide instruction to meet the individual needs o f all students as well as help the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) gather baseline information to hel p ma ke d e c isio n s about how to use funds to a d d re ss ach iev em en t gaps. The goal is to address student learning needs early so that children can start kindergarten read to learn. Some findings in the M o r r o w C o u n t y KR A results (total kindergarten population); -Kindergarteners come into school having on or above average self regulation and interpersonal skills as compared with the statewide average. -Kindergarteners come into school wi t h below av era ge n u m b e r and operation skills as compared with the statewide average -See COUNTY KRA RE- SULTS/PAGE EIGHT AT MCGG SHOP IN LEXINGTON Doing Auto Repairs & Service. Call Lewis for an Appointment 541-989-822 GENERAL REPAIRS Morrow County Grain _____ Ltxington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment visit our w»l> sita at vwwmeffDot 3 »
