I have a bit of a correction to make from my previous post. I misinterpreted some comments/events and ascribed the pushover vote to the wrong pushover. The second vote to repeal the local ordinance to protect groundwater will come from the Republican party, not the Democratic party, in Deschutes County. I apologize for the error. Either way, I smell blood in the water but I be afeared it is the local habitat for endangered fish species that is food for the sharks and not the so-called higher thinkers that make the decisions for that region of Oregon.
By the way, the word on whether the Democratic vote on this issue will be a pushover as well is still out. The vote will purportedly take place on this Wednesday, March 23rd.
Further, the juiciest bit of gossip is that the local representative from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality expressed dismay at the possibility of this ordinance being repealed. From what I have read on the issue so far, which I am sorry to report has taken much more of my life than I intended (there is a huge amount of info available online, is that the DEQ has taken a completely milk-toast stance on the issue. They have been so politically correct in their verbiage that you can't tell if they support protecting groundwater quality or not. They say the right things over all in terms of DEQ's program goals, but when it comes to the specifics of this matter in Central Oregon that affects one of the major rivers in the state, the tone and words are best described as bland, almost to the point of indifference. What did we the people hire these "professionals" to do?
Anyway, it appears from this vantage point that the endangered fish species (steelhead) in this basin don't have a voice. Where are the advocates that will fight to restore and prevent the further decline what was formerly a world class trout fishing stream? Where are the folks that would take action under the Endangered Species Act and use this nice little Citizen's guide to better understand their rights?
Here is state and local government using public resources to work to ensure there is one more reason not to come to Oregon.
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At least the area has many peer-reviewed papers from the investigations.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.deschutes.org/go/government/departments/community-development-department-2/planning-for-the-future/current-projects/groundwater-protection/groundwater-models/index.cfm
Yes, science has benefited, and I suppose there are folks well situated to say, "I told you so," when the s--t really hits the fan (pun intended), but that seems a little shortsighted. Oh well, as I heard a funny person say, "There's no fixin' stupid."
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