The INDEPENDENT, August 1, 2012 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 Suzanne Bonamici, (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://bonamici.house. gov 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 Will have old pics to share at Jamboree To the Editor: Vernonia is a Loving, Caring Community. Thank you for the prayers, phone calls, cards, letters and flowers received the past three months regarding the brain tu- mor I had removed. God an- swered your prayers and all is well. It was a blessing to hear from you. We love each one of you and thank you for caring. We plan to be at the Friend- ship Jamboree on Saturday. We will have a booth by the school district office on Bridge Street. We have free “left over” school pictures to give away. Stop by our table and find yourself, former students and staff (1970-2003). Marguerite Nice (K-3, WGS, MGS, LGS) and Mel Nice (VHS) McMinnville We can all help keep our parks litter-free To the Editor: The city of Vernonia needs your help, with all the parks and empty lots caused by the many homes removed be- cause of the flood, they are struggling to keep them mowed. There is no money for someone to clean up the litter in the parks. As parents, try to instill in your children to clean up their litter, food wrappers, cigarette butts, and used condoms. Hawkins Park is especially bad, the cigarette butts are a real problem around the gaze- bo and picnic tables. Although there are garbage cans a few feet away they fail to use them. My husband and I have been cleaning up after these teenagers all summer, and surely there is someone out there younger than our 78 and 85 years-old who would be will- ing to help keep our parks litter free. Thank you, Don and DeLoris Webb Vernonia WOEC needs to look at new solutions To the Editor: I wrote an open letter to Marc Farmer of WOEC. He countered. My response: 1. Yes, WOEC is organized as a co-operative. Marc acts, the Board approves. Most of the time, in most co-operatives, this works for day-to-day oper- ations. A problem occurs when a crisis appears. WOEC has a big problem: a shrinking base, falling income and rising costs. The Board needs to get fired up, take control, solve the prob- lem(s) and have Marc expedite the process, not the other way around. 2. “Capital Credits”: If in- come exceeds costs, members are credited with their share of the excess, i.e. “dividends”. The co-op has been experienc- ing ongoing losses, and “divi- dends” are put back into the co-op. 3. BPA?. The law which gov- erns BPA and WOEC requires a percentage of WOEC’s budg- et to be dedicated to renewable energy in order to meet future energy needs. WOEC has met this requirement with minimum effort. It owns approximately 1% (yes, that is 1%) of a landfill methane project near Corvallis managed by Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC). Another is a wave en- ergy project not yet in produc- tion. And finally, a PNGC solar effort in Eugene (not Vernonia). BPA, as a wholesaler, receives and distributes energy generat- ed by others, some with nu- clear, natural gas and coal; and others with wind, geothermal and bio mass, but that is not the same as, nor an excuse for, WOEC producing minimum al- ternative energy. As Marc notes, WOEC has relationships with BPA in other ways. How- ever, there has been reluc- tance, e.g. by Marc saying, and publishing, that BPA has a “Dirty Little Secret”, referring to BPA’s responsibilities towards the protection of Salmon and the environment. That may his personal opinion but such statements do not help WOEC/BPA relationships or represent our membership as a whole. It does not solve, in any manner, the issue at hand, WOEC’s current financial cri- sis. 4. Marc has repeatedly cited the costs of alternative energy as prohibitive. He said solar for the HQ roof would be $200,000, or more, without ref- erencing what it specifically produced, just that it was too expensive. If that is true, how is it that Germany, most of which has more rain than we do, gen- erates 20% of it’s national en- ergy needs from solar; and is shutting down nuclear reactors as a result? Solar requires gov- ’t subsidies? Yes! And de- signed to amortize quickly at in- terest rates acceptable to com- mercial banks, leaving individ- ual citizens, and businesses, with free and clear ownership of the solar units. That is not Germany’s dirty little secret, it is their pride and joy. We are capable of the same if we all, collectively, get off our duffs. 5. Now comes the crux of WOEC’s problems, electrical energy generation. WOEC is a “transmission only” agency. WOEC has always had one supplier, BPA. A single supplier scenario always results in ris- ing costs. No way out! There- fore, the solution to WOEC’s fi- nancial problems has two choices: (1) Shut down and di- vide up WOEC territory under PUC supervision (it does not matter other energy producers do not want all or part of WOEC. The PUC will take care of that); or (2) become a “Gen- eration and Transmission” agency and control our own costs and income. If we choose to generate electricity, how do we do it? We do it by incremen- tally amassing solar and micro hydro electric units. I will dis- cuss affordable solar later. Meanwhile, information is available online. As to Marc wanting hydro electric, con- crete and/or earthen dams within our Nehalem river sys- tem, forget it. These types of units generating hydro electric- ity (a desirable product) are an environmental and high cost problem. What is needed are non-invasive, fish-friendly, slow moving, reverse direction, in- stream hydro electric genera- tors, expressly made by Hydro- volts, Inc. (look them up!). Cost? Dramatically less, easy to maintain and very efficient (income producing). Subsi- dies? Political action we can, as a membership produce, plus I have never known a bank to turn down a profit guaranteed by the government. 6. Trees? Clearing right of ways? I stand my ground. 7. Washington, D.C.? They are “complimentary that we take the time and effort to visit them in Washington D.C.”? They can see us, here, in our new facilities. They work for us, not visa versa. If in reading this you want to see a solution to your high, and rising, electric bills (yes, rates are going up), please show up at WOEC Board meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday evenings at the new facility. Plus attend membership meet- ings, when called. Become part of democracy by exercising “The Power of One”. Jack Phillips Vernonia Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters with per- sonal attacks on private citi- zens. Preference will be giv- en to brief letters, 300 words or less. All letters must be signed and include a verifiable ad- dress or phone number. Ike Says… From page 2 ture in the form of sidewalks are being torn up and thrown away long before the end of their useful life time. Environmentally this project was abusive, but as a community, if we wanted to move forward it became a necessary evil. Have I appreciated the noise (I sleep during the day), dust and added traffic at my home adjacent to the new school? No, but being a member of our community I must overlook the inconveniences because I believe in the good for the whole community at the ex- pense of the few. Would we have overlooked these same con- cerns for a private enterprise, even though it would be an overall positive for the community? Think about that. Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-429-7193 for location.