KWSO News 10/29/25

Spill Update: Excavation Underway, Agencies Coordinate, Objectives Planned

DEQ’s Charles Kennedy provided more details and photos about the spill. Excavation, with cultural resource monitoring, began October 28th at 9 AM. SOSC coordinated with Warm Springs Emergency Manager, DEQ (RG), ODOT hazmat (RG), Evren Northwest (RG), Tyree, SMAF, and NWFF.

Planned objectives include continued excavation, SAP development and approval, rock breaking, a DEQ project manager site visit, and coordination with a DEQ toxicologist.

Incident response is ongoing (3 operational periods since Sunday). This is the final planned SOSC update unless new developments occur.

Trial Underway for Legality of Trump’s National Guard Deployment in Portland

A federal trial is underway in Oregon, scrutinizing the legality of President Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland. Judge Karin Immergut, who previously blocked federal troops, is overseeing the trial to determine if the administration followed statutes for federalizing the National Guard and if state’s rights were infringed.

Trump deployed 200 Oregon National Guard members in late September, citing a “war-ravaged” Portland and the need to protect an ICE building, leading to lawsuits from Portland and Oregon.

Trump administration attorneys argue the president’s authority due to assaults on federal officers, damage to federal buildings, and unhelpful local authorities, noting the Portland Police Bureau’s refusal to assist with immigration enforcement.

Conversely, Portland, Oregon, and California contend that protests, even with some unlawful conduct, aren’t a “rebellion” warranting military intervention. They argue staff challenges and budgets don’t justify military use and that the deployment “inflamed the situation,” worsening communication between PPB and federal officers.

The Trump administration recently corrected the number of Federal Protective Service officers deployed to Portland from 115 to 86. The cities and states argue FPS deployed “relatively few resources” despite having over 1,300 employees.

Trump Administration Opens Arctic Refuge to Drilling, Fuels Debate; Approves King Cove Road Amid Objections

The Trump administration has finalized a plan to allow oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain, reigniting debate over development in the sensitive area. This decision, announced by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, fulfills a promise by President Trump and congressional Republicans to reopen this 1.5 million-acre area, considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in.

While Gwich’in leaders oppose drilling due to its impact on the caribou herd they rely on, the Iñupiaq community of Kaktovik, located within the refuge, supports it for economic well-being.

Additionally, the Trump administration completed a land exchange deal for a road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. This road is crucial for King Cove residents to access emergency medical care, but conservationists and some tribal leaders are challenging it due to concerns about migratory bird habitats. The proposed road would be an 11-mile, one-lane, gravel, noncommercial-use road.

KWSO Weather for Central Oregon

• Tonight: It’ll be partly cloudy with a low around the 30s. 
• Tomorrow: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near the 50s.