The U.S. government shutdown that began Tuesday resulted in the full or partial closure of multiple locations throughout Malheur County, including the Bureau of Land Management’s Vale district office, the Farm Services Agency, Malheur National Forest and others. A representative with the BLM said via e-mail that all employees at BLM-Vale have been laid off with the exception of BLM law enforcement. All national parks have been closed, as have the Malheur National Forest and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In all, 260 people in Malheur County are employed by the federal government, according to the October report of the Oregon Employment Department. That’s a little more than 2 percent of the total employed workforce of 11,703 in Malheur County. Social Security will still maintain essential activities, and the field office in Ontario should remain open to conduct vital business as they operate under a contingency plan, a press release on the Social Security website stated. Discontinued Social Security services during the shutdown include replacement cards of any kind, benefit verifications, requests from third parties and a few others, the release stated. However, individuals can still apply for benefits, conduct normal post-entitlement actions and Social Security payments will continue. Individuals receiving benefits through the Oregon Women, Infants and Children program will continue to receive those benefits, said Sandy Ackley, WIC program director, and new applications are still being accepted. “Business as usual here,” Ackley said. “We’ll continue doing the stuff we have to do, including taking in new people.” Operations at the Owyhee Dam should also continue mostly undeterred, a representative from the Owyhee Irrigation District said. The shutdown is the result of a protracted dispute over President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. As the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate continue the stalemate, it’s unclear how long this shutdown could last. The last time the U.S. experienced a government shutdown was from Nov. 14, 1995 through Nov. 19, 1995 and again from Dec. 16, 1995 to Jan. 6, 1996, for a total of 28 days. Regional U.S. Forest Service offices are closed, but for those needing firewood permits there are several private vendors where the permits may still be available: • Draper’s Outdoor and Power equipment, Ontario. • Brogan Quick Stop, Brogan. • Burnt River Market, Unity. • The Waterhole, Unity. •Gold Post, Sumpter. Also, due to a lapse in federal government funding, campgrounds and trails on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest will not be maintained as of Oct. 1, according to a spokesperson. Some of the creation sites will also be closed. The water will be turned off at developed campsites and some restrooms will be locked for the season. Also, the campground condition will not be maintained during the halt in federal funding. Elsewhere in Oregon, nearly 300 people are being laid off at Crater Lake National Park — employees of the park and the concessionaire — as a result of the federal government shutdown. The entrances to the park were barricaded, and guests at Crater Lake Lodge and campgrounds were given until Thursday to leave. Film crews for a commercial and the movie “The Wild,” based on a memoir of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, were also shut out of the park. Other National Park Service properties — such as Oregon Caves, John Day Fossil Beds and the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park— were also shut down. Hunters looking forward to the opening of waterfowl season in Eastern Oregon this weekend will not be able to hunt on national wildlife refuges. They are closed to all visitors, whether hunters, bird-watchers or hikers. But national forests and U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands were open to deer, bear and cougar hunters. However, campgrounds on those federal lands were closed. Elk season, when many hunters camp out for the week, does not start until Oct. 12 in the Cascades region. In Idaho, the shutdown has closed federal campgrounds and prompted the furlough of 850 National Guard employees. U.S. District Court in Boise has enough funding to continue hearing cases for the next 10 business days if Congress doesn’t resolve the budget impasse. But the effect of a shutdown on other governmental agencies — and on participants in court cases — could mean that some cases are put on hold anyway. And if the lack of funding is extended beyond 10 business days, the court will look at what changes in functions or schedules are needed. U.S. Attorney for Idaho Wendy Olson said about half of her staff had been furloughed, and attorneys were expecting to file motions to temporarily halt court proceedings in environmental lawsuits, tort cases and other civil matters. The asset forfeiture unit — which helps federal prosecutors recover proceeds from drug trafficking and other crimes to help repay crime victims — is also stalled for now. About half of the Idaho National Guard’s 1,700 employees will take furloughs and were banned from reporting to duty until the shutdown is lifted, said Col. Tim Marsano, spokesman for the National Guard.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 21:38:54 +0000
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