The INDEPENDENT, August 3, 2011
Where to Find Them
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
(Dem)
1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 585
Portland OR 97232
Phone: 503-326-7525
223 Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510-0001
Phone: 202-224-5244
E-Mail: http://wyden.senate.gov/
contact
Website: http://wyden.senate.
gov
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
(Dem.)
One World Trade Center
121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-326-3386
313 Hart Senate Ofc. Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3753
E-Mail: http://merkley.senate.
gov/contact
WebSite: http://merkley.senate.
gov
U.S. Representative David Wu
(Dem) OR District 1
620 SW Main, Suite 606
Portland, OR 97205
Phone: 503-326-2901
2338 Rayburn House Ofc. Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-0855
Website: http://house.gov/wu
Senator Betsy Johnson
(Dem) Senate District 16
PO Box R,
Scappoose, OR 97056
Phone: 503-543-4046
900 Court St. NE, S-314
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-1716
E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@
state.or.us
Website: http//www.leg.state.or.
us/johnson
Representative Brad Witt
(Dem) House District. 31
21740 Lindberg Road,
Clatskanie, OR 97016
Phone: 503-728-4664
900 Court St. NE, H-373
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-1431
E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us
Website: http//www.leg.state.or.
us/witt
Representative Deborah
Boone
(Dem) House District 32
PO Box 926
Cannon Beach, OR 97110
Phone: 503-717-9182
900 Court St. NE, H-375
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-1432
E-mail: rep.deborahboone@
state.or.us
Website: http//www.leg.state.or.
us/boone
Page 3
Letters
Yep, that’s life!
To the Editor:
Upon Growing Older:
When you get about my age,
your eyes get weak.
You forget what you were
thinking,
when you start to speak.
Your hands don’t work as
good,
neither do your feet.
You don’t recognize,
half the people that you meet.
You’re always asking, “What?”
whenever people speak.
You have pains everywhere,
and your kidneys both get
weak.
Will things get any better?
History says never.
But there is one consolation.
Nobody lives forever.
R. Dee Stevens
Vernonia
Sponsors are vital to
life of Logging Show
To the Editor:
Thank you 2011 Vernonia
Logging Show Sponsors.
The following sponsors keep
the show going through their
generosity: Longview Timber
Company, Pape’ Machinery,
Teevin Bros. Land & Timber
Company, Meyer’s Auto Body,
Inc., Soderback & Daughters
Trucking, Mike Pihl Logging
Co., Inc., Gwin & Sons Logging
Co., Inc., Five Star Builders,
Inc., Archie Dass Logging, Inc.,
KLS Surveying, Inc., Vernonia
Auto Parts, Shaw Supply,
Wilcox & Flegel, Weller & Sons
Trucking, West Oregon Electric
Cooperative, Wood’s Logging
Supply, Cowlitz River Rigging,
Oregon Chain, Lucky Logger,
Whit-Log Trailers, All In Pub &
Eatery, Vernonia’s Voice, Preci-
sion Engraving, US Bank,
Wauna Federal Credit Union,
Dolly Keenon, Original Produc-
tions, Madsen’s Shop & Supply
Inc., Vernonia Realty & Insur-
ance, Vernonia Public Works,
The Independent, Diane Dil-
lard, Vernonia Mini Mart, Ver-
nonia Sentry Market and Ver-
nonia True Value.
We would also like to thank
everyone who volunteers their
time to keep the show going!
Vernonia Logging Show
Committee
Public service sans
cameras or audience
To the Editor:
Saturday morning, July 30th
(the Saturday before Jamboree
Weekend), my husband and I
were enjoying ourselves, going
to Saturday Market and a few
yard sales around town. Just
taking the day off to relax from
the work and stress of the up
coming week…getting ready
for Jamboree. When I saw
something that made me truly
humble.
As we were driving home,
we were passing between the
new West Oregon construction
site and the library, and what
did I see … our Mayor, her hus-
band and daughter sweeping
the street. No one was there to
see this act of service. At the
time all I could think of was to
yell as we drove past, “Good
Job Josette!” to which she
replied with a smile and,
“Thank You.” Just thought I’d
put that out there. Just an
observation.
Randal Harvey
Vernonia
Ed. note: They were also spied
spreading fresh barkdust on all
of the library landscaped areas
over a two day period.
Policy on Letters
The INDEPENDENT will
not publish letters with per-
sonal attacks on private citi-
zens. Preference will be
given to brief letters, 300
words or less.
All letters must be signed
and include a verifiable
address or phone number.
Ike Says…
From page 2
west side…the competition for tags will only get worse in my opin-
ion.
Be sure and bring the kids to the Izaak Walton League’s youth
fishing derby at Vernonia Lake on Friday the 5th. Registration
opens at 4:00 p.m., fishing is from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Izaak Walton League,
Nehalem Valley Chapter
meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-429-
7193 for location.
Governor seeks Supreme Court forest road review
Governor Kitzhaber, on July
25, requested the Oregon
Attorney General’s office to ask
the U.S. Supreme Court to
review the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals decision that forest
roads require individual water
discharge permits under the
federal Clean Water Act.
Governor Kitzhaber consid-
ers certain portions of the ruling
by the federal Court of Appeals
to be legally flawed and is con-
cerned that the ruling could
create increased economic,
social, and environmental
instability across Oregon’s
important forest management
sector. Specifically, the Gover-
nor believes the Ninth Circuit’s
ruling wrongly mandates a per-
mitting approach that should
have been left to the discretion
of the U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency and states and
effectively overturns a rule that
has been in place for 35 years.
“The Clean Water Act stipu-
lates that challenges to rules
adopted to implement the act
must be brought within 120
days of the adoption of the
rule,” Kitzhaber said. “Allowing
a challenge to proceed now, in
one state, 35 years after the
rule’s adoption, throws the tim-
ber industry and agencies into
confusion; upsets established
expectations; and will lead to
different rules in different parts
of the county – contrary to con-
gressional intent.”
Oregon Board of Forestry
chair John Blackwell agreed
with the Governor’s decision to
ask the Supreme Court to
review the ruling.
“Clean water is a crucial
benefit
of
well-managed
forests,” said John Blackwell.
“Roads are critical to that man-
agement, and we need sound
rules about the construction
and use of roads in forests. But
that’s a matter best addressed
by natural resources agencies,
not the courts.”
The Governor strongly
believes that improvements in
water quality are needed, but
that those improvements will
most effectively be achieved
through constructive interac-
tions between policy makers,
regulatory agencies, forest
landowners and managers,
and other interests.
“I’m not arguing with the out-
come sought by the plaintiffs in
this litigation: to improve forest
road management and curtail
impacts that result in harmful
discharges to streams and
degradation of water quality
and fish habitat,” said Governor
Kitzhaber. “However, we are at
a point in the history of our
management of forest lands
where we need to develop sta-
bility, consensus, and collabo-
ration, not management by
lawsuit. Dramatically expand-
ing citizen lawsuits risks accel-
erating the conversion of our
forest land to development,
costing us both in terms of har-
vest revenue and environmen-
tal values, as well.”
The Oregon Department of
Justice will prepare a petition
for the Supreme Court’s review
in the coming months.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden has decided to
pursue a legislative response
to the Ninth Circuit’s decision.
While Governor Kitzhaber rec-
ognizes that a narrow amend-
ment to the Clean Water Act
may ultimately be necessary,
he does not believe that this
should be our starting point.
“Before seeking a legislative
solution we should fully explore
an administrative resolution of
the issues created by the Ninth
Circuit’s decision, including
approaches that improve water
quality while minimizing or
avoiding the requirement for
individual permits,” said Gover-
nor Kitzhaber.