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
»