On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
Fracking is banned in Oregon
Almost two and a half years ago, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law
HB 2632, a ban on hydraulic fracturing -- known as "fracking." The bill, passed largely on party lines and when gas prices were just a little over $2.50 per gallon, was widely regarded as a symbolic measure.
Prior to the ban in Oregon, hydraulic fracturing required a permit and was regulated by the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, Department of Environmental Quality, and the Water Resources Department. Oregon has few petroleum resources, so fracking is not commonly used in Oregon.
introduced by Representatives Julie Fahey (D-Eugene), Ken Helm (D-Beaverton) and Senator James Manning, Jr. (D-Eugene), the bill was a response to the transient uproar in the media over fracking.
At the time Meredith Connolly Oregon State Director of Climate Solutions called the bill "a straightforward bill that reflects Oregon’s priorities to combat climate change and wean our economy off fossil fuels. The devastating impacts of fracturing on numerous
communities around the country further demonstrates the foolhardiness of expanding fractured gas exploration and production."
That kind of hyperbolic talk is no longer popular.
According to Brian Doherty, on behalf of the Western States Petroleum Association, "The facts are hydraulic fracturing has been demonstrated, across multiple state and federal jurisdictions, to be a safe and effective technology that can be used to increase the recovery of hydrocarbons and deliver significant benefits, without adverse environmental effects.
Contrary to persistent, unsubstantiated claims, hydraulic fracturing has been safely used for over 60 years, has not contaminated drinking water, does not use excessive amounts of water, and is comprehensively regulated in Oregon."
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-11-25 18:39:26 | Last Update: 2021-11-25 19:27:20 |
