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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2020)
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 16, 2020 Spiritually Speaking PGE’s and NextEra Energy Resources’ True and lasting happiness leading-edge renewable energy project powers up Wind, solar and battery facility advances delivery of clean energy future Portland General Elec- tric Company (NYSE: POR) has announced the start of commercial power generation at the Wheat- ridge Renewable Energy Facility in eastern Oregon. Wheatridge is a joint project of PGE and a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. This ground-breaking new facility marks a mile- stone in Oregon’s accelera- tion to a clean energy future and will play an important role in achieving PGE’s recently established com- panywide goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. “Customers want and expect cleaner, greener en- ergy sources,” said Maria Pope, PGE president and CEO. “This is an exciting step toward completion of this important resource and adds to our growing wind generation portfolio. We deeply appreciate the partnerships that make the Wheatridge project possi- ble, with NextEra and with the transmission services teams at the Bonneville Power Administration and Umatilla Electric Cooper- ative.” Wheatridge will be one of the first large-scale ener- gy facilities in the United States to combine wind, solar and battery storage re- sources at a single location. The 300-megawatt wind farm is now complete and delivering power to PGE customers. The 50-mega- watt solar and 30-megawatt battery facilities will be completed by the end of 2021. “An important commu- nity effort like Wheatridge needs teamwork, and I’m happy to have teamed up over the years with PGE, Umatilla Electric, Morrow County, farmers like Jerry Rietmann and all the local officials to help this excit- ing Eastern Oregon proj- ect get over any hurdles,” U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said. “The latest good news about the wind farm part of this innovative renewable energy project will have huge benefits when it comes both to facing the climate crisis and generating good rural jobs.” With the addition of Wheatridge’s wind farm, PGE’s wind generation portfolio now totals more than 1,000 megawatts (one gigawatt) nameplate ca- pacity, available from five owned or contracted wind farms in the Northwest – typically generating enough power to serve the equiv- alent of 340,000 homes. When complete, the solar and battery storage facili- ties will be among the larg- est in Oregon. “Projects like Wheat- ridge Energy Facility pro- vide family-wage jobs, tax The Morrow County Wolf Depredation Advisory Committee will hold a spe- cial meeting on Thursday, December 17 to accept additional applications for grant funds. The applica- tions must be for expenses incurred to deter wolf activ- ity. Some examples include expenses for fladry, range riders, or bone pile remov- al/burial. Applications can be found on the Morrow County website: https:// www.co.morrow.or.us/bc- wdac. The application and W-9 must be received by 3 p.m., Thursday, Decem- ber 17 by one of the fol- lowing methods: email to rlutcher@co.morrow.or.us or drop off at the Board of Commissioners office, Bar- tholomew Building, Rm. 201, 110 N. Court St. The committee will meet later that day to de- termine the distribution of grant funds. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m., Bartholomew Building Up- per Conference Room, 110 N. Court St., Heppner. The meeting will be available electronically via Zoom or call-in. The details for attending electronically can be found on the agenda on the Morrow County web- site: https://www.co.mor- row.or.us/meetings For questions, please contact committee chair Dean Robinson, 541-980- 2350. Wolf Depredation special meeting scheduled By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St. Patrick Church All of us want to be happy, and we keep trying to find happiness that seems to dodge us frequently. What do we believe would really make us happy? Deep down in our hearts we know what will make us happy, but perhaps we are not focused on obtaining that which we crave. Have we tried finding our happiness in our God? God’s word invites us and challenges us to seek the Lord and find our happiness in Him. As believers, we feel that if God were to tell us exactly what He wants of us, we would gladly do His will. But are we truly willing to collaborate with His plans? revenue for our schools and services and strengthen Morrow County’s position in the region’s clean en- ergy economy,” said Don Russell, Morrow Coun- ty commissioner. “We’re pleased to play a part in providing clean energy to Oregonians.” Project details Located just northeast of Lexington in Morrow County, Oregon, Wheat- ridge’s wind farm gener- ates power using 120 wind turbines manufactured by GE Renewable Energy, Inc. The facility uses a mix of 2.3-megawatt and 2.5-megawatt machines. Final selection of the spe- cific equipment to be used at the associated solar farm and battery storage facility is still pending. Up to 300 jobs were cre- ated at Wheatridge during construction of the wind farm; up to 175 workers will be employed to build the solar and storage sites. Approximately 10 full-time employees will operate the combined facilities once all three components are fully commissioned for service. “Our long-term part- nership with PGE has cre- ated family-wage jobs in our community and brought clean- energy innovations like the Wheatridge Energy Facility,” said Ryan Neal, general manager of the Port of Morrow. “This makes our region more attractive, competitive and desirable for residents and business.” Ownership and con- struction The project’s early de- velopment work as a wind farm was performed by Swaggart Wind Power, LLC, an affiliate of MAP® Energy. NextEra Energy Resources purchased the development rights and to- gether with PGE expanded the project scope to include solar generation and battery storage. Power from the project will reach PGE customers in Portland and the north Willamette Valley via a new transmission line, con- structed by Umatilla Elec- tric Cooperative, that con- nects Wheatridge locally with the Bonneville Power Administration’s regional high-voltage grid. PGE now owns 100 megawatts of the wind proj- ect. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources owns the balance of the project and will sell its output to PGE under 30-year power purchase agreements. The NextEra Energy Resources’ subsidiary is building and will operate the combined facility. PGE expects to invest approximately $155 million for its owned portion of the project. BMCC seeks budget committee representatives The Blue Mountain Community College Board of Education is seeking to fill vacancies on its budget committee for represen- tation from the Pendleton area and Morrow County. The budget committee holds a series of public meetings to review, discuss, make additions or deletions, and approve the budget that the district’s budget officer proposes. After finishing indoor • Furniture • Lamps • Pictures • • Office Supplies • Plus Much, Much More! December 18th - 23rd 545 Pioneer Drive, Heppner The Lube Shop 15% off all December! Veterans & First Responders always receive 10% discount Lube Shop • Car Maintenance All Fluids • Oil Changes Wipers • Lights Call for appointment - 541-676-0438 148 E Center Street, Heppner its deliberations, the bud- get committee approves the budget and sends it to the district board of direc- tors for final approval. The committee also specifies the maximum tax rate or amount for any fund im- posing a property tax levy. Budget committee members serve a three-year term and will have an orien- tation to the process prior to the budget committee meetings that begin April 2021.Interested applicants are asked to submit a let- ter briefly outlining their interest and qualifications by January 20, 2021, to the BMCC President’s Office, PO Box 100, Pendleton, OR 97801 or by email to president@bluecc.edu. DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5PM From the second book of Samuel (7: 1-5, 8-16), we read of King David aspiring to build a dwelling place for Yahweh. But God has no need of the temple that Da- vid proposes to build. The Lord reminds David that it was always the initiative of Yahweh that made David victorious in battle, that gave him power and fame, that had made possible all David’s achievements and successes. Rather than Da- vid building a temple for the Lord, the Lord will make David a house and establish his dynasty that will stand Fr. Thankachan Joseph secure forever. We are not called to build a temple to the Lord, but we are asked to let God establish His kingdom in us and through us. Romans 16 (25-27) is the concluding part of the letter to Romans, wherein Paul exhorts all the people of God to be faithful to the Gospel, which is the wisdom of God made known to Christians. God’s plan of salvation for Jews and Gentiles has come to fulfillment in Christ. The good news must be broadcast everywhere. They are reminded that their role is to be obedient in faith to the plan of God. The Gospel of Luke focuses on Mary and the role she was called to play in God’s plan of salvation. Mary collab- orated with God’s plan by saying, “Yes.” God had made a promise to David that he would build his dynasty and that it would be great and a source of blessing. In Mary’s “Yes,” that promise was being brought to fruition. As God came to dwell in the Ark of the Covenant in David’s time, and as David danced before the ark, expressing his joy in Yahweh, so Mary welcomed the Lord into the new ark of the Covenant, her body, and glorified God in her song of praise, the Magnificat. Mary is presented to us as a role model for our response. Mary, like every young woman, had her plans and dreams. She was surprised by the coming of an angel who reveals God’s plan for her. “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Her decision to accept the message of the angel led her along a totally different path. She models for us in the following ways: 1) Mary, ardent listener of the word of God: As we are preparing for the feast of Christmas, the life of Mary should inspire every one of us to be like her, to be more open to the Word of God in our lives, too. We see Mary listening to God’s word. How do we spend our lives, es- pecially during this pandemic? Do we, like our Blessed Mother, take time to listen to the prompting of Christ? 2) Mary, full of Grace: Mary was addressed by the an- gel as, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” What things do we need to leave aside, what do we need to do to be addressed as God’s favored ones? 3) She bore Him in her heart: I think our blessed mother inspires all of us, as we prepare the groundwork for Christmas, to bear Him in our hearts always. We know she had the privilege of bearing Jesus in her womb, but before she bore Him in her womb, she carried Him in her heart always. She invites every one of us to do the same. 4) Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord (LK. 1:38). Mary knew as a good Jewish woman what the repercus- sions would be of her “Yes” to the Lord. Her surrender to God’s plan teaches us that we need to surrender ourselves occasionally to the plans of God. When pains come – such as financial crunches or a sudden death of someone in the family - all these moments remind us of our Blessed Mother; we need to surrender ourselves and our plans to the mighty hand of the Lord. So, what must we do in order to collaborate with God’s plan, as King David and Mary did? Our Blessed Mother is a real model of simplicity and humility. The life of our Blessed Mother reminds me of the contrast warned of by St. Paul: “Who made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own?” (1Corinthins 4:7). In this fourth week of our preparation for the Nativity of the Lord, the lives of King David and Mary demonstrate that we can actually approach God and be followers of Him if we fix our eyes on Him. When He becomes our priority, when He takes first place, when He becomes the center of our lives, then we are led to a deep and profound relationship with Jesus and find our happiness in Him. New Baby in Your Family? Engagement? Wedding? We want to share your life events! Stop in the Heppner Gazette office or email us with details and photos. All birth, engagement and wedding announcements are always free! 188 W Willow Street Heppner, OR editor@rapidserve.net 20% off Montana Silversmith Jewelry 10% off Men’s Wrangler Shirts & Jeans 10% off Danner, Georgia & Tony Lama Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed Heppner - 242 W Linden Way - 541-676-9422
