Hermiston Herald
May 28, 2002

Guest Editorial

Dear Gov. Kitzhaber:

You will be receiving a letter today from the Executive Review Panel
conveying the unanimous recommendation that the permit requirement for an
adequate Emergency Response Preparedness for the Umatilla Army Depot has
been met. The program has come a long way since these issues were originally
raised and we celebrate the significant progress that the emergency program
has achieved to date; yet this is not enough to protect Oregonians. We are
communicating our concerns directly to you because our comments, including
the ones we've attached, continue to fall on deaf ears. Our concerns are as
follows:

1. Oregon will lose all leverage with the Army once you sign off on
emergency preparedness. You enjoy something that the Alabama governor
lacks, a permit requirement that ensures emergency preparedness. While
Governor Siegelman sued to ensure maximum protection for his constituents,
we urge you to accept nothing short of maximum protection as equal to
adequate. With threats of FEMA reducing its leadership role and returning
it to the Army, the clock will be set back on the ongoing commitments to
maintain what we already have achieved.

2. Commissioner Dennis Doherty today admitted that adequate does not meet
federal maximum protection standards. He maintained however that because the
permit says "adequate" he believes the Panel fulfilled their
responsibilities under the permit. We disagree. Nothing less than maximum
protection is acceptable under federal law, and Oregonians should not accept
anything less.

3. The Department of Environmental Quality will point to its public comment
period in support of this permit requirement, yet we had no document or
decision to comment on, until today. This is a sham for public process and
one that shouldn't be overlooked.

4. The Panel failed to address ongoing needs. They announced success, ready
to head home to rest on their laurels without ensuring a continued stride
for perfection. This is perhaps the most troubling aspect of this process,
where the Panel saw their goal as defining and measuring adequate, today,
without a thought given to tomorrow. As governor, you must strive for that
higher loft, a legacy that you can be proud of in the future.

We have heard repeatedly about the continued risk of storage, yet the Army
assured your predecessor that none existed, and we urge you to not accept
this fear as a motivation for accepting adequate. We demand and expect
more, and as an emergency room physician you have seen the horror that can
befall families and communities. We urge you to look beyond the moment, the
veils that hide short-term achievements, and announce that your resolve is
to ensure maximum protection for Oregonians, not just adequate.

Thank you Gov. Kitzhaber. We look forward to receiving your written
response.

- Karyn J. Jones, Debbie McCoy Burns, Susan L. Jones
GASP, Board of Directors