The INDEPENDENT, August 6, 2009
Earthquake presentation coming
Columbia County can have
earthquakes and local emer-
gency officials want you to
learn about and be prepared
for them.
The
Columbia
County
Homeland Security and Emer-
gency Management Commis-
sion (HSEMC) and the Oregon
Department of Geology and
Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)
are pleased to announce two
upcoming discussions about
the threat of earthquakes and
tsunamis in western Oregon.
The first presentation will be
Friday, August 7, at 6:30 p.m.
at Scappoose City Hall, 33568
E. Columbia Avenue. The sec-
ond presentation will be Satur-
day, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. at
the Clatskanie School Board
office, 555 SW Bryant Street.
Both presentations are free to
the public.
The speaker will be James
Roddey, an earth sciences in-
formation officer from DOGA-
MI. Roddey has given numer-
ous talks around the state re-
garding the history and science
of earthquakes in Oregon. His
presentations include narra-
tives of past earthquakes col-
lected from Native American
and Japanese records as well
as recent geological evidence
demonstrating that another
quake will occur in the future.
“Many people have heard
Roddey speak and they find
him to be exciting to listen to,”
said Derek White, acting
deputy director for Columbia
County Emergency Manage-
ment. “He’s definitely not a bor-
ing speaker and we are glad to
have him come out and speak
in Columbia County.”
White adds that it is vital for
people to understand the haz-
ards we face. “There are a lot
of things that can affect us in
Columbia County, but the
earthquake threat is potentially
the most catastrophic. People
should not live in fear but, in-
stead, be prepared for whatev-
er happens. We hope folks will
come out for these presenta-
tions and bring their families.”
Loan briefing for small businesses
The U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) Portland
District Office, at 601 S.W. Sec-
ond Avenue, Portland, will be
holding a briefing on financing
a small business. The session
is free and will be held from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on
Thursday, August 20, in Suite
2030 at the district office.
The Loan briefing is present-
ed by a SBA Loan Specialist
and will cover financing options
to start or grow a small busi-
ness. Topics will include: SBA
Loan Guarantee Program,
credit requirements, use of pro-
ceeds, how to approach a
lender and loan proposal assis-
tance.
For additional information,
call 503-326-2682.
Power of the People
By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager,
West Oregon Electric Cooperative
Legislative Update
The Oregon State Leg-
islature has wrapped up
and Federal is getting
ready to recess so it is a
good time to bring you up
to date on how electric co-
operatives did at the state
level and how we are faring at the national level.
Through the excellent efforts of the Oregon Rur-
al Electric Cooperative Association (ORECA),
our Board President Robert VanNatta, Board
Vice-President David Hess, our local legislators
Senator Betsy Johnson and Representatives
Debbie Boone and Brad Witt, and others, we ac-
tually fared very well during this session of the
State Legislature.
Among the highlights of this session was the
defeat of Senate Bill 80 which could have proved
very costly to all electric utilities in Oregon. It was
an untested cap and trade system which would
have capped carbon emissions and developed a
complex trading system for carbon credits.
These carbon credits could be traded or sold to
the highest bidder, which means the rich would
get richer and the poor lose out once again.
Through ORECA, the Oregon cooperatives de-
veloped an alternative offer with energy efficien-
cy and conservation proposal. Both bills failed
when climate legislation was shelved. The reel-
ing economy also played a key role, as the cost
of power would have been negatively impacted
for all aspects of every community.
ORECA and its member cooperatives also
helped defeat two other bills, (House Bill 2253
and House Bill 2042), which would have im-
posed new fees on electric cooperatives, result-
ing in increased costs to us and thus increased
rates to our members. Both bills failed to muster
support and never made it out of committee.
One of the biggest victories was the passage
Three coho okay from Nehalem River
With a large number of
hatchery coho salmon expect-
ed to return to the Nehalem
River basin this year, fishery
managers have increased the
daily bag limit to three adult
hatchery coho per day begin-
ning Aug. 1.
“We are expecting several
thousand hatchery coho to re-
turn to Nehalem Hatchery this
year, and we want to see these
fish caught by anglers,” said
Chris Knutsen, ODFW fisheries
biologist.
Nehalem Hatchery releases
approximately 100,000 coho
smolts every year. The adult
coho that are returning this
year entered the ocean as juve-
niles in the spring of 2008.
They were greeted by excellent
ocean conditions that have al-
lowed them to grow quickly and
survive in good numbers.
While these coho can be
very aggressive in the lower
bay, Knutsen counsels anglers
to be patient and vary their an-
gling techniques when fishing
in the upper bay and river.
“Being in the right place at
the right time is the key to suc-
cess,” he said. “Trolling spin-
ners a few feet below the sur-
face can be very effective at
times, and if you see coho
jumping, consider anchoring
and casting spinners toward
the rising fish. These fish will
often strike the spinner while it
is falling toward the bottom.”
ODFW reminds anglers that
chinook angling in the Nehalem
Page 17
Basin is closed this year and
that all chinook caught while
coho fishing must be released
immediately unharmed.
To find out more about local
fishing conditions, boat rentals
or specific tackle recommenda-
tions, Knutsen suggests an-
glers visit any of the several
marinas and tackle stores in
the Nehalem and Wheeler
area.
The Nehalem Basin is not
the only North Coast watershed
expecting a large return of
hatchery coho this year. With
expected large returns of
hatchery coho from the Trask
Hatchery, the daily adult
salmon bag limit also increased
to three in the Tillamook Bay
watershed on Aug. 1.
of Senate Bill 570, which was metal theft legisla-
tion that will help to curb metal thieves who
threaten public safety and utility reliability. Metal
thieves have cost West Oregon Electric Co-op
thousands of dollars in stolen items and dam-
aged lines. This bill will make payments be in the
form of checks instead of cash and increase the
identification process for those selling metal.
Other successful bills we supported were
transmission siting, making it easier to build new
transmission lines for renewable energy proj-
ects, efficiency loans, and tree trimming bills.
On the federal level, we are having a lot more
difficulty with the cap and trade issue and the
U.S. House of Representatives passed the
American Clean Energy and Security Act by a
vote of 219 to 112. Starting in 2012, the bill
would establish limits on emissions of carbon
and other green house gases from electric utili-
ties and oil refiners. The bill calls for emission
reductions of 17 percent below 2005 levels by
2020. Oregon Representatives Peter DeFazio
and Greg Walden voted against the legislation
while Representatives David Wu, Kurt Schrader,
and Earl Blumenauer voted for it.
We are very concerned with the aggressive
timelime, carbon targets, and potential costs of
this legislation and will be working through ORE-
CA and PNGC with our congressional delegation
to ensure we are not disadvantaged in the allo-
cation of “emission allowances” as we strive to
comply with the mandates in this bill. West Ore-
gon and the other cooperatives in Oregon have
a very low carbon footprint, but future growth will
have to come from a wide range of resources,
mostly renewable. A mix of other sources will be
needed to meet the ever growing power de-
mands of our members. This would force us to
have to buy much more expensive forms of en-
ergy or pay for carbon emission credits. Either
way, the costs of future power are going to be
dramatically more expensive if this bill passes in
its current form. We will keep you posted as the
Senate takes action on this bill sometime this
summer.
Schwan’s Block Party
11 am - 3 pm
Great Schwan’s Treats For All.
TACK, FEED
AND FARM
Camarda Gardens & Seeds!
Now carrying BWCN Worm Farm Products .
1:00 - 3:00pm Meet, greet,
and take a photo with the
Columbia County Rodeo Court
ENGLISH AND
WESTERN
Stop by and see the Trees and Shrubs,
Pasture Seed,Garden Supplies and more.
August 8 th 1103 Bridge St,
Open Mon. to Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sun. 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
503-429-TACK (8225)
Dawn@DoubleCTack.com www.doublectack.com