Columbia basin farmer issue #2

Vol. 57 No. 2 basiNfarmer.com march/april 2014

In This Issue:Rich Finger set to lead

tours of the Basin Washington sets export record

Contracts signed to improve irrigation access

The Columbia Basin

Farmer

2 – The Columbia Basin Farmer March/April 2014

March/April 2014Vol. 57 No. 2

Publisher: Eric LaFontaine

Contributing Writer: Erik Pague

Graphic Design: Josh Crosier

The Columbia Basin Farmer is an agricultural-focused magazine published by Basin Publishing Co. It is directly mailed to more than 13,000 rural addresses in the Columbia Basin.

For a two-year (every other month) subscription, send $15 to:

The Columbia Basin Farmer, 125 S. 1st Ave., Othello, WA 99344Have a story idea?

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Othello, WA 99344 or call (509) 488-3344 or

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© Copyright 2014 by Basin Publishing Co., Othello, Wash.

Inside…Rich Finger to lead Columbia Basin tours . . .4

Area increase in canine parvovirus . . . . . .5

Contracts signed to improve irrigation access . .6

Canal schedule released . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Tree experts collaborate to fight fire blight . .8

Area students earn BBEC scholarships . . . .9

Washington sets export record . . . . . . . 10

Climate change impact felt on the farm . . . 11

CHS redistributes cash . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Nuclear power bill passes Senate . . . . . . 14

The Columbia Basin

Farmer


Wildlife expert Rich Finger to lead several tours

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Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Rich Finger has only lived in the Columbia Basin area since 2004, but it didn’t take him long to learn to love the environment here. He first got involved with the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival in 2007 as a way to help people learn about the balance humans and animals have built here.

“I hope all of the tours will bring about an appreciation for the species of the Columbia Plateau, the pros and cons of the irrigation project and an appre-ciation of the balancing act we play be-tween feeding humans and conserving resources,” Finger said.

Finger said the Columbia Basin Irriga-tion Project has made huge differences in the habitat of wild animals, provid-ing some animals, like sandhill cranes and waterfowl, with all new lands to live in, but it also harmed habitats of some less fortunate species, as well. Some species, such as the Washington ground squirrel, burrowing owl, pygmy rabbits and leopard frogs, are all either on an endangered species list or close to being placed on one.

Finger used to give boat tours on the Potholes Reservoir, along with trips to check out cranes and burrowing owls. Lately, his work with WDFW has him

studying and conducting translocations of ground squirrels from Sage Hills Golf Course. At the festival, he’ll be giving a lecture on what he’s learned there and then lead his group on a tour at the course to follow up.

The squirrels are one of the threat-ened species and Finger and other biolo-gists are working to prevent their popu-lation from slipping even further by moving them away from the busy golf course in the months following waking up from hibernation to environments more suitable for the species. Finger hopes to send the message that even though most people ignore the fuzzy little things, even the lowest creature serves a role in the intertwined ecology of the basin.

The squirrels are a key food source for animals like the Ferruginous hawk and the American badger. The badger, in pursuit of squirrel prey, digs a lot of tun-nels that other animals, like burrowing owls, can then use as their habitat – just one example of how many layers there are in the environment here.

“So, what most view as a rodent, I view as a focal species in my work be-cause the time invested in the squirrels benefits many other important spe-cies,” he said. “They are pretty low on the food chain and most everything wants to eat them, including species we are concerned about.”

From his time growing up in Black Diamond along the banks of the Green River up to now, Finger said the out-doors has always been his playground and wants to ensure future generations have the ability to follow in his foot-steps. Finger knows providing tours like these helps people realize there’s a whole wide world out there if you just happen to look up from the screen for

a second.“These educational opportunities are

critical to conservation and environ-mentalism,” he said. “It’s easy for people to miss out on the natural beauty of this area and be drawn to other forms of rec-reation. If we lose sight of the value of natural areas, Washingtonians will no longer invest in its protection.”

Submitted Photo

Biologist Rich Finger will be leading several tours at this years Sandhill Crane Festival.

March/April 2014 The Columbia Basin Farmer – 5

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a second.“These educational opportunities are

critical to conservation and environ-mentalism,” he said. “It’s easy for people to miss out on the natural beauty of this area and be drawn to other forms of rec-reation. If we lose sight of the value of natural areas, Washingtonians will no longer invest in its protection.”

OTHELLO – Local veterinarians are urging dog owners to learn more about a significant canine disease that can strike their pets quickly – and be fatal if left un-treated for too long.

After an Adams County veterinarian recently treated animals with parvovi-rus gastroenteritis, a Washington State University expert is warning about the disease’s danger. The Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WS-VMA) is joining in the call, asking pet owners to make sure their dogs’ immuni-zations are current and to talk with their veterinarians if they have concerns.

Dr. Jim Evermann, PhD, of WSU’s Col-lege of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman, says dogs with parvovirus may vomit and have bloody diarrhea with stomach pain. Often the diarrhea has an unusu-ally offensive odor caused by blood in the dog’s stool. With parvo, intestinal bleed-ing occurs in the small intestine so that the blood is partially digested and pro-duces black, tarry excrement.

Parvovirus gastroenteritis can kill your dog if it goes untreated for too long, Evermann says. Puppies are particularly susceptible.

Dr. Sheena Sorensen of Othello’s Sage-hill Veterinary Services, says she became concerned about a potential local in-crease in parvovirus gastroenteritis after the New Year when she saw 12 dogs with the disease. Some of the dogs arrived at

the clinic in terrible pain. Sorensen says there are signs owners should watch for if they feel their pets might have con-tracted the disease, including:

· Vomiting;· Diarrhea;· Abdominal pain;· Offensive stool odor caused by blood;· Intestinal bleeding;· Rapid weight loss;· Weakness;· The tenting of skin when pinched;· Tacky gums; and,· Sunken eyes. Both Dr. Evermann and Dr. Sorensen

point out that parvovirus gastroenteri-tis is contagious. Cleaning up feces in a dog’s kennel or backyard or dog park re-duces the potential for transmitting the disease. Owners should also maintain an ongoing vaccination program to in-sure immunization for their pets.

Dr. Jocelyn Woodd, WSVMA presi-dent, urged pet owners to talk with local veterinarians about parvo gastroenteri-tis: “This disease got some unexpected publicity during the recent Sochi Olym-pics, when the media published stories about American athletes adopting stray dogs from the Russian city. The more dog owners know about this disease, the better off their dogs will be.”

For your pet’s sake learn more about canine parvovirus


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WARDEN — Documents signed by officials from the state Department of Ecology, U.S. Bureau of Reclama-tion, the East Columbia Basin Irri-gation District and others during a ceremony held Wednesday, March 6, made way for the delivery of wa-ter through the new Weber Siphon along the East Low Canal as early as this fall.

Ecology’s Maia Bellon presented Reclamation’s Pacific Northwest Re-gional Director Lorri Lee with a sec-ondary use permit that allows for the delivery of 164,000 acre-feet of water from the Columbia River to 70,000 acres of farmland within the Columbia Basin Project once all work is completed. The project is intended to replace water sourced from the Odessa aquifer, where studies have found groundwater levels have fallen 200 feet since 1980.

Officials from ecology said increas-ing the capacity of the East Low Ca-nal was a crucial link in the system moving water to farmers. State leg-islators approved $31 million for the project during the 2013 session. The project began in 2011 with work on the Weber Siphon, which carries wa-ter from Banks Lake and Lake Roo-sevelt underneath I-90, and includes substantial widening of the canal from the siphons south to the Scoo-teney Wasteway.

“First, there was the construction

of the Weber Siphon and now other structural upgrades and changes are underway, funded by state, to get water to farmers as promised,” Ecol-ogy’s Office of Columbia River direc-tor Derek Sandison said.

Lee also signed a contract with the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District to deliver water from the state’s Lake Roosevelt Project to 10,000 acres of land via the siphon. Craig Simpson, manager of the dis-trict, said they hope to begin deliv-ering some of this water to Odessa Subarea farmers by the end of the year thanks to the strong relation-ships built between the different agencies involved.

“The East District, by and large, is the one that’s benefitting from hav-ing these additional contracts,” he said. “We’ve all had issues we’ve had to overcome, but we’ve done it collec-tively and that’s how we got here.”

Almost 2 million cubic yards of dirt will be removed from the 44-mile stretch of canal by project comple-tion. There will be five siphons be-tween the Lind Coulee Wasteway Gate, north of Warden, and the Scoo-teney Wasteway and Simpson said workers are looking to ramp up the pace this summer and begin work on one of the two siphons planned at Lind Coulee.

“We’re working with the Bureau of Reclamation on that right now to come up with the plan on how to move forward with the construction of that siphon,” he said. “With any

luck, we’ll have some residual funds left over and be able to do an addi-tional siphon.”

Reclamation and the district are beginning negotiations for a contract for the irrigation of the 70,000 acres under the new permit.

“We don’t know who’s eligible to receive that yet and it will be part of what we have to determine in the cri-

teria,” Simpson said. Irrigators choosing to enter the

program to replace their groundwa-ter with federal surface water will be required to set aside their groundwa-ter rights, placing them into reserve or standby status, before getting ac-cess to East Low Canal water.

Contracts signed to improve irrigation canal access

Photo by erik Pague

Craig Simpson, manager of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, delivers a speech to the crowd gath-ered at the East Low Canal near Warden for a signing ceremony Thursday, March 6.


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Canal scheduleThe Quincy-Columbia Basin Irriga-

tion District began filling the west canal Wednesday, March 12, and the Crab Creek lateral Monday, March 10 – barring any unforeseen delays. Prim-ing will continue on smaller canals and laterals through the first week of April, depending on weather and demand for water deliveries.

Telephone recorders were available March 17 in all watermaster offices for water ordering. This service will be available Saturdays and up to 11:30 a.m. Sundays for the following Monday's wa-ter order throughout the season.

After March 12, water users are urged to contact their respective watermaster headquarters to receive current infor-mation and schedules.

South Columbia Basin Irrigation Dist. Announces 2014 Water Turn-On Dates

The South Columbia Basin Irrigation District’s 2014 irrigation season be-gan March 18 to the Mattawa area and the Potholes area of Franklin County. The Walla Walla County system began March 18.

Irrigation deliveries will be depen-dent on demand in the individual lateral systems. In locations where pumping plants are required for ir-

rigation deliveries, startup dates will depend on adequate orders to start the pumping plants.

Irrigation to the Block 18 East Low Canal system is scheduled to begin March 27. Landowners will need to con-tact their watermaster office for specific delivery dates and water availability.

East Columbia Basin Irrigation District

The East Low Canal will begin filing Saturday, March 24. The East Low Ca-nal serves the Moses Lake, Warden and Othello areas of the East Columbia Ba-sin Irrigation District and the Connell (Block 18) area of the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District. Deliveries to the East District's Block 49, from the Potholes East Canal, began March 18. Deliveries from the East Low Canal will begin to be available March 27.

Irrigation deliveries will be depen-dent on the demand in individual lat-eral systems. Pump plants will also be shorted when orders are sufficient for start-up of the plants. Water users should contact their respective water-master headquarters in Moses Lake or Othello or contact their ditchrid-er to receive current information and schedules.

Canal schedule released


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With the planned phasing-out of sev-eral popular antibiotics apple and pear growers use to treat fire blight coming this fall, The Organic Center, a non-prof-it research firm, has released a new re-port highlighting existing practices and emerging research growers can utilize to control the disease while maintaining organic certification.

The 28-page report, available at or-ganic-center.org, was co-authored by Washington tree fruit consultant Har-old Ostenson and David Granatstein, a sustainable agriculture specialist for the Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The report combines on-field experi-ences from organic growers who have already developed various approaches to non-antibiotic fire blight control such as exporters to Europe – where antibiotics aren’t allowed – with preliminary results from a range of research trials on new materials and strategies.

Granatstein said a lot of the argument for adopting organic methods to treat fire blight without antibiotics is due to signs of bacteria building resistances to popular medicines such as streptomy-cin. One other drug, Oxytetracycline, hasn’t shown a loss in effectiveness indicative of bacterial resistance, but since both drugs won’t be allowed in or-

ganic farms under the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) after Octo-ber, Granatstein said now is the time to explore alternatives.

“There have been a lot of politics with it, but it’s not a bad direction in terms of pushing to develop biological controls and I think it’s going to set the pace for the whole food industry,” he said. “Peo-ple will figure out some alternatives in organic, and when the day comes where antibiotics aren’t allowed, we’ll have the solution figured out.”

A product from Europe released in 2012 has shown promise as an alterna-tive treatment method. The yeast-based biological pesticide meets NOSB guide-lines and is included with many other practices in the report. Granatstein ex-pects farmers in this state to have plenty of choices on the market to prevent fire blight organically by 2015.

“The concern two or three years ago, was that the research wouldn’t be com-pleted to where growers would have fair-ly well vetted alternatives before this ex-piration date,” he said. “It’s looking like things are maybe a little better than we thought and it looks like these alterna-tives are working.”

Other climate regions in the country may struggle more through the transi-tion to an all-organic fire blight treat-ment program.

“Most of the testing has been done in our environment, which is very differ-ent, and fire blight can be a much worse

problem in the eastern environment if the conditions are right,” he said.

Granatstein said the situation will continue to evolve and points to studies showing producers’ opinions on organic farming are continuing to look more fa-vorable as time passes. He said it would take time as different producers get a chance to try out the new methods fea-tured in the report before a sure-fire

method is locked in. The Organic Center is also looking to combine research from Oregon State University’s Ken Johnson, who is working on a study on the topic to be finished in 2015.

“This is a great example of how re-search can tackle problems,” Granatstein said. “The project’s really been creating some excellent results.”

Tree fruit experts collaborate on methods to fight fire blight

Submitted Photo

Fire blight attacks an apple tree in eastern Washington.


www.BasinFarmer.com

The Washington State Dept. of Ecol-ogy Youth Corps is offering summer job opportunities for youth.

By joining Ecology Youth Corps you will attain work experience and job skills, teamwork, meet new friends, safety training and environmental edu-cation. You can also earn a potential let-ter of recommendation and earn more than $1,000.

The application deadline is April 4 by 5 p.m. (received in the EYC offices – no postmarks). To apply visiy www.ecy.

wa.gov/programs/swfa/eyc/ero.html.The Washington State Department

of Ecology is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, dis-ability, age, religious national origin, sex, marital status, disabled-veteran status, Vietnam-Era veteran’s status or sexual orientation.

For special accommodation needs, please contact the Employee Services Offices at (360) 407-6186.

Three scholarships were awarded at the 75th Big Bend Electric Cooperative annual meeting held recently at Basin City Elementary School. The winners are all seniors at their respective high schools. They are Bridger Smith from Lind-Ritzville High, son of Tim and Michelle Smith; Danika Pink from Chi-awana High in Pasco, daughter of Mike

and Davina Pink; and Brendan Holst from Connell High, son of Chris and Maria Holst.

The students were introduced to the membership, at which time they read their scholarship essays. The scholar-ships are $500 a year for up to four years with a total value of $2,000.

Summer youth corps opportunity Area students earn BBEC scholarships


OLYMPIA – The state of Washington set a new record for exports in 2013 with $81.9 billion in products and ser-vices sold to international customers, the U.S. Department of Commerce re-cently announced. Washington was one of 16 states that set new records, help-ing total U.S. exports reach $2.3 tril-lion, also a new high.

The most recent year was particularly good for Washington – an 8.4 percent increase – but in the past five years the state has nearly tripled the national growth rate. Since 1996, Washington’s exports grew 209 percent compared to 153 percent for the nation.

Washington’s export growth is led by aerospace, with international sales that last year totaled $43.6 billion, an 18 percent increase over 2012. Other top Washington exports include fuel, industrial machinery, wheat, elec-tric machinery, medical instruments, and wood.

Also impressive is a spike in the num-ber of Washington companies engaged in exporting: 12,677 according to most recent U.S. Commerce data, up from 8,551 in the last survey.

Building on strong results from aero-space and increased agriculture com-modity prices, the Washington State Department of Commerce has worked continuously over the past several years to broaden the pipeline of companies selling Washington products and ser-vices overseas. Success stories can be found in other key industries including advanced manufacturing, global health and life sciences, information and com-munications technology, clean energy and the maritime sector.

“With at least one in three jobs in Washington related to international trade, creating a culture of exporting is a key pillar of our economic develop-ment agenda,” said Washington State Department of Commerce Director Bri-

an Bonlender. “Companies from a vari-ety of industry sectors have opportuni-ties to reach new customers in some of the fastest growing economies in the world. We have increased focus on suc-cessful export assistance programs to help more new-to-export small- and medium-sized businesses compete in

the global marketplace.”For more information about export

assistance available from the Washing-ton State Department of Commerce, visit www.exportwashington.com. For more information on Washington’s in-ternational trade, view Commerce’s Trade Update – Winter 2014.

Washington state sets exports record of $81 .9 billion


Hardly a day goes by that we don’t think about the weather. But we tend to ignore the climate – unless, of course, we see some dreadful catastrophe on the news or witness a sharp exchange on the Sunday talk shows. At some point we recoil, flip the channel and look for something less likely to inflame our emotions, send us into deep depression or bore us to tears.

Yet, like it or not, climate matters a great deal to all of us. It defines the range in temperature and precipitation pat-terns that make up our weather. And it gives us an idea of the probability that a particular type of weather will occur. As the old saw goes, “Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.”

Because weather is a major factor in agriculture, the climate from which it is derived ultimately determines how well we eat.

You have undoubtedly heard of cli-mate change. You may have formed defi-nite opinions about whether it is occur-

ring, whether mankind is responsible or whether it is anything to worry about at all. Or you may be frustrated and con-fused by the sea of conflicting informa-tion in the media and on the Internet. Whatever your opinions or experience, we hope this column will add to your knowledge, providing the background you need to understand how climate works and to assess the information you come across.

Most importantly, this column is meant to promote a civil, fact-based conversation about climate and climate change. We need to be talking with one another, rather than at or past one an-other, about this topic that is so vital to our general welfare.

Jim Amonette is an earth scientist and Patricia Fincher, a certified structural in-tegrator. Both are volunteers with the Tri-Cities chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. For more information contact [email protected].

Climate change impacts farms



Sixty patrons of CHS in Othello are sharing a payout of $644,400 in cash patronage and equity based on the level of business they’ve conducted with the producer-owned cooperative company in the last year.

“We’re extremely proud that we once again can deliver this important benefit of being part of a cooperative business to our customers and owners,” CHS general manager Royal Muller said. “One of the most important ways we help producers grow is by delivering an economic return on the business they do with CHS. This – along with the qual-ity energy and crop inputs, crop mar-keting and services we provide year-round – underscores the added value of being a cooperative system owner and customer.”

Muller said the distribution amounts vary year to year due to market chang-es but are mostly based on the total

amount of product farmers are able to bring to CHS. $258,000 of the total dis-tribution goes to area farmers in a cash payout, with the remainder going into an equity fund members are eligible to tap into after reaching 70 years old.

“This helps the farmers to defray some of their costs and makes them loyal to CHS here at the Othello bean plant,” Muller said. “When you’re serv-ing that much money – it’s consider-able in the community with that many farmers.”

Muller estimates the rate paid out around $3 back for every 100 pounds of beans growers brought to CHS.

Nationwide, CHS expects to return an estimated $433 million to almost 1,100 eligible cooperatives and 50,000 individuals. This is the second highest return on record for the company and CHS has returned more than $3.5 bil-lion back to its owners since the dis-tribution program was established in 1998.

Washington State Parks announced Sunday, Jan. 19, and Monday, Jan. 20 were the first of 12 “free days” in 2014 when visitors are not required to display the Dis-cover Pass to visit a state park.

The “free days” are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass, a $30 annual or $10 one-day permit required on recreation lands managed by Wash-ington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the De-partment of Natural Resources.

The Discover Pass legislation allowed State Parks to designate up to 12 “free days” when the pass would not be required to visit state parks. The free days ap-ply only at state parks; the Discover Pass is still required to access DFW and DNR lands.

The 2014 State Parks free days are as follows:*April 19 – A spring Saturday “free day”*April 22 – Earth Day*May 11 – A spring Sunday “free day”*June 7 and 8 – National Trails Day and Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife free fishing weekend*June 14 – National Get Outdoors Day*Aug. 25 – National Park Service birthday*Sept. 27 – National Public Lands Day*Nov. 11 – Veterans Day

CHS redistributes cash

No Discover Pass needed to visit parks on designated days

www.BasinFarmer.com


Upcoming eventsMarch

Thursday to Sunday, March 27 to 30: 8 a.m. to noon – Junior Livestock Show, Grant County Fairgrounds, Moses Lake

Friday to Sunday, March 28 to 30: Home and Garden Show, Grant County Fairgrounds, Moses Lake

Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30: Taste Washington 2014, CenturyLink Field

Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30: Maryhill Winery Spring Release week-end, Goldendale

Monday to Sunday, March 31 to April 6: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – WSU Sheep Shearing School

AprilTuesday, April 1: 9 a.m. – Quincy

Columbia Basin Irrigation District board meeting, Quincy

Wednesday, April 2: 9 a.m. – East Columbia Basin Irrigation District board meeting, Othello

Thursday, April 10: 9 a.m. – South Columbia Basin Irrigation District board meeting, Pasco

Friday, April 11: 9 a.m. to noon – Washington Wine Commission board meeting, Chelan

Tuesday, April 15: 6 to 8 p.m. – Co-lumbia Basin Development League board of trustees meeting, Moses Lake Simplot

Thursday to Sunday, April 24 to 27: Washington State Quarter Horse Asso-ciation Southeastern Washington Show, Walla Walla

Friday to Sunday, April 25 to 27: 8 a.m. to 11:55 p.m. – Pacific Northwest Dutch Oven Society, Grant County Fair-grounds, Moses Lake

Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Grant County Gun Show, Grant County Fairgrounds, Moses Lake

MayThursday to Sunday, May 1 to 4: Cen-

tral Washington Quarter Horse Associa-tion, Moses Lake

Tuesday, May 6: 9 a.m. – Quincy Co-lumbia Basin Irrigation District board meeting, Quincy

Wednesday, May 7: East Columbia Basin Irrigation District board meeting, Othello

Thursday, May 8: South Columbia Basin Irrigation District board meeting, Pasco

Friday, May 9: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Washington State Wine Commission board meeting, Richland

Wednesday, May 14: 6 to 8 p.m. – Co-lumbia Basin Development League board of trustees meeting, Moses Lake Simplot

Wednesday, May 21: 10 a.m. – Wash-ington State Water Resources Association board meeting, Greater Wenatchee Irriga-tion District, East Wenatchee

Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24: Washington Junior Angus field day, Wheatland Community Fairgrounds, Ritzville

Friday to Monday, May 23 to 26: WSQHA Trophy Circuit, Monroe

Friday and Saturday, May 30 and 31: WSQHA Inland Empire All Novice Show, Spokane

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By Rebecca GourleyWNPA Olympia News Service

OLYMPIA — Emotions were high on the Senate floor earlier this month as legislators debated whether to pursue a proposal to study nuclear energy’s pros-pects in Washington.

Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, said nuclear power is safer and more efficient than in the past and deserves a fresh look as a source for electricity.

"Nuclear power will have a future in Washington state," he said during the Feb. 12 floor debate.

Following the debate, a bill that would create a task force to study nuclear power as a replacement for fossil fuels passed with a 34-15 vote. It moved to the House Technology and Economic Development Committee Feb. 20 for a public hearing.

Ericksen, the primary sponsor, said Senate Bill 5991 calls only for a study, not construction of new facilities.

The task force would consist of eight legislators, four from the Senate and four from the House, with equal representa-tion from both Democrats and Repub-licans. They would hold four meetings during 2014 and report their findings to the Legislature by Dec. 1. The task force would be concluded by Dec. 15.

Dale Atkinson, of Energy Northwest, which owns Columbia Generating Sta-tion, a nuclear power plant near Rich-land that produces approximately 10 percent of Washington’s electricity, is in favor of the bill.

Atkinson said nuclear power could be a good source of electricity for Wash-ington and the nation because it doesn't burn fossil fuels and it doesn't release carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

"We believe that the study of nuclear

power as a replace for fossil fuel is ap-propriate and timely," Atkinson said at a public hearing in the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee in January.

A push for nuclear power in Washing-ton State has happened before. In the 1950s, the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS), since renamed Energy Northwest, started a massive statewide nuclear power-plant construc-tion project.

Construction was halted mid-project as a result of design issues and cost changes. Four of the five plants were never finished. The fifth was the Colum-bia Generating Station, which is still in operation. WPPSS Board of Directors stopped construction in 1982 because the projected cost for all the plants was going to be more than $24 billion instead of the original $16 billion estimate.

This caused the agency to default on $2.25 billion in bonds — money that had already been spent on the scrapped pow-er plants. At the time, it was the largest municipal debt default in U.S. history.

The total debt for the project is cur-rently $5.4 billion, which includes the Columbia Generating Station, according to Energy Northwest. The debt is owned by Bonneville Power Administration because they were the original backers on the bonds.

That debt is being paid by ratepayers

through their electricity bills.Despite this mostly failed attempt at

reviving nuclear power in Washington, some legislators now want to revisit it as an alternative energy source. But getting public support could be a challenge.

Sen. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, is in “soft support” of the bill and said in an interview that before any more reactors are built, nuclear energy advocates will have the task of convincing the pub-lic that this will be good for the state. McCoy is a ranking member of the Energy, Environment and Telecomm- unications Committee.

“The proponents of it have a huge (public relations) campaign to do,” Mc-Coy said. “They are going to have a lot of difficulties.”

He also said supporters will encounter the issue of finding investors to fund fu-ture projects.

That is evident already, as BPA said it is not looking at nuclear power as an op-tion right now.

“We have no plans to build any more (nuclear power plants),” Doug Johnson, spokesman for BPA, said.

In the first section, the bill states that nuclear power is "a safe, reliable, cost-effective, and carbon-free source of electricity." Some legislators and others think this statement should be the question around the study, not the assumption.

Sen. David Frockt, D-Seattle, agreed a study should be done but disagreed with the language in the bill’s first section.

"I don't have a problem with a study," Frockt said. "I have a problem with a definitive statement by our Legislature that this is a safe industry."

Frances Hall, a concerned citizen from Bremerton, testified at the House Technology and Economic Development Committee public hearing Feb. 20, ex-pressing similar concerns.

“This sentence is prematurely drawing conclusions,” Hall said.

With an amendment added by McCoy to include life-cycle costs and waste dis-posal, the resulting substitute bill passed the Senate but with strong opposition from a handful of legislators. During the debate on the Senate floor, Sen. Chris-tine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, urged a "no" vote from her colleagues.

"Let's take care of what we have in eastern Washington (Hanford)," she said. "Let's not talk about expanding smaller nuclear packages throughout our state and putting more communi-ties at risk."

Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, said they shouldn't say no to the study, but nucle-ar power comes with disadvantages.

"Generating more waste, or studying how to generate more waste, is a waste of our time," he said.

Nuclear power bill passes Senate and moves to House


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