WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon isn’t getting help to renters in time
Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Vanessa was about four months be-
hind on the rent of the Salem apartment
which she and her two children shared.
She received unemployment benefits
since the start of the COVID-19 pandem-
ic in March 2020, but she relied on the
federal government’s eviction moratori-
ums to keep a roof over their heads until
the last moratorium was nullified in Au-
gust.
When Vanessa informed her landlord
she wasn’t going to be able to pay rent in
August, they told her about an emergen-
cy rental assistance program funded by
the federal government for which she
might qualify.
Oregon’s application process has
been plagued with problems since it
launched in July. But a state law gave
Vanessa 60 days of protection from
eviction while she waited to find out if
her rental assistance would be ap-
proved.
The state approved that money this
week and paid her landlord the back
rent plus three months of future rent.
She has a level of security, unlike tens of
thousands in Oregon still waiting to find
out if their applications will be approved
by the state.
“It’s probably like my lifeline right
now,” Vanessa said. “Being able to have
a place for me and my kids to be able to
stay in, it’s been a substantial help in my
life right now.”
Though her situation was resolved
favorably, tens of thousands of renters
in Oregon are still waiting to find out if
their applications will be approved be-
See RENTERS, Page 3A
During COVID-19, homeless encampments grew across the Mid-Valley, including
this one in Salem near Market Street Northeast and the Interstate 5 overpass.
ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL
OVERCOMING BARRIERS Oregon readies
plan to cap
greenhouse
gas emissions
Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Adabella Bonifacio Herrera, Aide Robles Rodriguez and Karina Leon Ramirez, all children of farmworkers and
preparing to start the post-secondary chapter of their lives. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Children of Marion County farmworkers
plan to continue their education
Dora Totoian Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK
I
n the 10th grade, Adabella Bonifacio Herrera sat down to take an ex-
am in her English for Speakers of Other Languages class that would
determine whether she’d become proficient enough to take classes
in English full time. h When the school notified her a few days later
to change her schedule, it was an accomplishment for Bonifacio Herrera,
who is trilingual and had moved to Woodburn from the Mexican state of
Oaxaca at age 11. h Now, Bonifacio Herrera, 18, is tackling another goal.
She’s starting cosmetology school.
“(I’m excited) to meet other people
who are doing the same thing, and when
I’ll have my diploma, it’ll mean an oppor-
tunity to advance and accomplishing one
of my goals,” she said in Spanish, which
she said remains more comfortable for
her than English.
Bonifacio Herrera, like many other
children of Oregon agricultural workers,
is making the most of the opportunities
her parents never had. As these students
move beyond high school, they’re reflect-
ing on overcoming barriers created by the
U.S. education system, taking on experi-
ences that in some cases may be new for
the entire family and maintaining their
connections to their families, roots and
cultures.
“I’m proud of my parents because they
gave me the opportunity to study, while
See BARRIERS, Page 4A
Pit bull reunited with California
owners after being found in Salem
Virginia Barreda
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The odds were stacked against Jeanette Pulley and
Jake Crager.
The Crescent City, Calif. couple’s 89-pound pit bull,
Bobwire, escaped from their yard almost two weeks
ago. For days, they combed the streets of their neigh-
borhood, put up posters, offered a reward — and just
about lost hope.
But when they thought Bobwire was gone for good,
Pulley and Crager got a phone call from a relative
who’d seen a picture of the dog online. He was up for
adoption at the Marion County dog shelter.
After a frantic phone call and hurried drive, the
couple reunited with their beloved pup Monday eve-
ning — nearly 300 miles from their home, a Salem ver-
sion of the “Homeward Bound” journey.
See PIT BULL, Page 2A
Vol. 140, No. 41
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
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A Unique Edition of
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QEAJAB-07403y
After more than a year of work, Oregon has pro-
posed rules for its Climate Protection Program,
meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ad-
dress the effects of climate change.
Now, the public has a chance to weigh in. The
state will hold two public hearings this month, and
will take written comments until Oct. 4.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive or-
der in March 2020 directing multiple state agen-
cies to take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions.
The move followed two attempts by the Oregon
Legislature, in 2019 and 2020, to pass cap and in-
vest legislation, which would have put a progres-
sively declining cap on greenhouse gas emissions
statewide.
Both times, Republicans fled the Capitol to pre-
vent a vote.
The new program would set limits on green-
house gas emissions from significant sources in
Oregon, including large corporate polluters, trans-
portation fuels, and other liquid and gaseous fuels.
The program calls for declining caps on emis-
sions, with targets of reducing greenhouse gas pol-
lution to at least 45% below 1990 levels by 2035,
and 80% below by 2050.
It also establishes a Community Climate Invest-
ment Fund, which would allow fuel suppliers to
earn credits by contributing funds to groups work-
ing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon.
The program exempts landfills, electric power
plants, and some natural gas compressor stations.
However, the Oregon Legislature passed House
Bill 2021 earlier this year, requiring that all electric-
ity sold in Oregon be 100% clean by 2040.
“We all have witnessed the growing and horrific
effects of climate change across Oregon and the na-
tion,” Richard Whitman DEQ director, said in a
statement. “These new programs put Oregon on a
path to doing its part to avoid the worst effects of
climate change.”
Modeling conducted as part of the rulemaking
process showed that the program would signifi-
cantly reduce emissions without disrupting Ore-
gon’s economy, according to the state Department
of Environmental Quality.
A DEQ staff report said the program could in-
crease consumer fuel prices, but if clean alterna-
tive fuels are more cost-effective than the fossil fu-
els they replace, it could also decrease those costs.
A 35-member advisory committee helped write
the rules, meeting seven times since January 2021.
But some advocates say the rules should go fur-
ther. In June 2021, representatives of 24 organiza-
tions, including some members of the advisory
committee, signed a letter calling for stricter emis-
sions caps and fewer loopholes for polluters.
After the public comment period closes, the
rules must be approved by the Oregon Environ-
mental Quality Commission. A vote is expected by
the end of the year.
The new program would be just a part of the
statewide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions in Oregon. Other pieces include the Clean Fu-
els Program, incentives for electric vehicles, and
energy efficiency programs.
How to comment
The public can comment on the proposed Green-
house Gas Emissions Program at an online public
hearing, or by submitting written testimony.
The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission
will hold a public hearing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept.
30.
For information about the proposed program, to
pre-register to provide comments, and for instruc-
tions
to
join
the
meeting,
go
to:
https://www.oregon.gov/
See GREENHOUSE, Page 4A