Oregon
Umatilla County wants to expand nuclear energy in Eastern Oregon. Tribes are pushing back
The Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton, Ore.
Antonio Sierra / OPB
Oregon lawmakers are considering softening a 45-year-old statewide ban to allow nuclear power in Umatilla County. The legislation has the backing of the county government, while tribal leaders are opposed.
House Bill 2410 received its first public hearing in front of the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment last week. Oregon voters effectively banned all new nuclear energy facilities in 1980, but the bill would create a carve out so that Umatilla County could start a small modular nuclear reactor pilot project.
State Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, is one of the bill’s chief sponsors, and although the legislation is mostly backed by Republicans, it’s picked up a couple of Democratic supporters. State Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, told the committee why she was backing the bill.
“With AI on our phones, that consumes an incredible amount of energy,” she said, “We need to make sure we have a clean way to address these long term energy needs.”
Testimony poured in from across Oregon and the Northwest, with both supporters and detractors making familiar arguments.
Proponents said small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, are a promising piece of technology that would allow utilities to harness a massive amount of reliable, low-carbon energy without the development costs that come with traditional reactors. They argued the smaller size of SMRs negates much of the meltdown risk associated with larger reactors, and waste they produce can be safely stored out of harm’s way. SMRs are being championed by Amazon, which wants to build several in southeastern Washington to power Eastern Oregon data centers.
Opponents of the bill said nuclear waste remains a real threat to public health and the environment, especially because the U.S. still doesn’t have a national repository for spent nuclear material. They added that SMRs are more wishful thinking than a proven technology, with previous projects coming in over budget and underperforming.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is one the bill’s opponents. Board of Trustees member Lisa Ganuelas pointed to the Hanford Site in southeast Washington, a former plutonium manufacturing facility that remains heavily polluted decades later.
“CTUIR knows from previous experience that nuclear waste is a burden that will be with us for millennia and unless and until a specific repository is selected, that it is almost certain that any newly generated nuclear waste will stay in Umatilla County and within CTUIR ceded lands indefinitely,” she said.
Cathy Sampson-Kruse, a CTUIR member and a longtime critic of nuclear energy, brought historical pictures of the tribes and said there was a long history of the tribal government not being involved in the decision making process.
“We hear the talk behind closed doors that do not consult us – tribes, treaties and the trust responsibilities,” she said. “It really disheartens us as a people.”
Other locals from Eastern Oregon wrote testimony opposing the bill over environmental and quality of life concerns. Pendleton resident Jennifer Abney name-checked Amazon in her opposition.
“I don’t want a nuclear plant in my backyard, nor Amazon using more of our water … Please listen to the voters,” she wrote. “An oligarch should not be able to bypass the law, nor should the counties.”
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
A 73-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for the 1983 killing of his then-girlfriend. It was a case that went unsolved for more than 40 years.
The sentence was announced by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.
In July 1983, Teresa Peroni, 27, was reported missing after attending a party in the Selma area of Josephine County southwest of Grants Pass. She was last seen walking in the woods with her boyfriend Marcus Sanfratello.
Authorities deemed Peroni’s disappearance suspicious, but they lacked evidence to bring charges against anyone.
In 1997, a human skull was found on private property near where Peroni disappeared. In 2024, authorities in Josephine County reopened the case. In addition to re-interviewing witnesses, they collected new DNA evidence to build a case against Sanfratello.
With the DNA, experts at the University of North Texas confirmed the skull was Peroni’s.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
A grand jury indicted Sanfratello of second-degree murder, on June 27, 2025.
Police arrested Sanfratello in Chico, California the next day. He was then extradited to Oregon to face the charge of murder.
Under a plea agreement, Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
He will serve at least 10 years in prison, Oregon’s attorney general’s office said.
“For Teresa Peroni’s family, this has been a 43-year wait for an answer they never should have had to wait for,” Rayfield said in a news release. “Cases like this remind us of why we don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed — if someone took a life, we’re going to keep working until we can hold them accountable.”
-
Pittsburg, PA3 minutes ago50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. VII – Pittsburgh Quarterly
-
Augusta, GA9 minutes agoStart your engines: Augusta Tech gets $6.8M grant for new auto institute
-
Washington, D.C15 minutes agoLawton veteran returns from Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight to Washington
-
Cleveland, OH21 minutes ago’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville
-
Austin, TX27 minutes agoCentral Texas aquifers could see slight boost after week of rainfall
-
Alabama33 minutes agoAlabama QB Ty Simpson says faith in Jesus Christ fuels confidence heading into 2026 NFL Draft
-
Alaska39 minutes agoHawaiian and Alaska Airlines officially integrate digital services
-
Arizona45 minutes agoArizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for April 22, 2026