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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2018)
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Brown touts Oregon environmental legislation PORTLAND (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday, October 3, announced legislation that would maintain Oregon’s water and air quality rules at the same level or higher than they were the day before President Donald Trump took office. Oregon Public Broadcast- ing reports that one of the goals of the legislation is to protect public health welfare from the adverse effects of pollution and climate change. With the new legisla- tion, called the Oregon Environmental Protection Act, Brown said she is look- ing to inspire a national movement of states to oppose what she called the “unprece- dented and aggressive attack” on clean air and water. The Trump administra- tion has undertaken several actions to overturn or delay environmental laws from taking effect, ranging from carbon-emissions goals in the Obama-era Clean Power Plan designed to help the United States meet international cli- mate goals to protections for wildlife — and from regula- tions of pesticides, ozone and 23 The Nugget Newspaper Crossword By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service mercury to expanding fossil fuel development on public lands. Brown’s proposed legis- lation focuses on the federal Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. Both are regulated and enforced at the state level by Oregon agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Health Authority and the Water Resources Department. In most instances, the federal laws allow states to establish more stringent environmen- tal protections than required nationally. The governor’s office said, if passed by the Legislature, the legislation would main- tain Obama-era ozone emis- sion standards, regulate meth- ane and other pollutants from landfills, as well as mercury emissions from the state’s one remaining coal power plant and extend water qual- ity protections to some to the state’s rivers and streams. The state Legislature which is controlled by Brown’s fellow Deomocrats, has balked at some new environmental legislation in recent years. — Last Week’s Puzzle Solved — GOP gubernatorial candidate lays out education plan By Andres Selsky Associated Press SALEM (AP) — The Republican candidate seeking to become Oregon’s governor unveiled his education plan on Friday, in which he would seek a minimum 15 percent funding increase in biennium education budgets, paid for by cuts in state and local gov- ernment employees’ pension plan and health benefits. Buehler also called on state and local educators to achieve a handful of criti- cal, evidence-based profi- ciency standards and for professional development opportunities for teach- ers. He also said Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, should fire a senior education offi- cial because of mediocre test results from students in Oregon. Under his plan, Buehler would: • Require that the Legislature approve fair and legally permissible pension reforms that could redirect up to $1.2 billion to classrooms prior to signing any new spending bills. • Seek changes for all state and local government employees that would include protection of pension ben- efits already earned; cap sal- ary amounts used to calcu- late benefits at $100,000 per year. • Health benefits would be comparable to those offered by top employers such as Nike and Intel. Employee contributions to the premium would go on a sliding scale, based on ability to pay. • A partially funded Health Savings Account would be offered paired with a modest, health savings account-quali- fying deductible Buehler also challenged Brown to fire state schools chief Colt Gill after recent testing showed Oregon scores remained mediocre. He also wants to triple the number of 7th-grade English language learners who are English-proficient; move toward one-third of class- room staff being culturally and linguistically diverse, to better reflect the state’s growing diversity; and elimi- nate certification barriers to allow teachers certified in other state or who taught in Defense Department schools. This Week’s Crossword Sponsors WELL PUMP SERVICE Pump & Electrical Contractor PRESSURE TANKS • CONSTANT-PRESSURE SYSTEMS FREQUENCY DRIVES • MOTOR CONTROLS • PUMPS Sisters Owned A Division of CCB#178543 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE Zach 541-420-8170 BIKES BEER! FOOD SKIS! Bikes • Rentals • Repairs Open 7 days a week Corner of Hood & Fir, Sisters Essentials has planted nearly 5,000 trees worldwide through your purchases at our salon. Éminence plants a tree for every product sold! 9 million trees and counting ... forests for the future! Celebrating 28 years! 541-549-2471 Essentials Skincare Karen Keady Esthetician/Owner 541-480-1412 | 492 E. Main Ave. Mon-Sat Flexible Hours | SistersEssentials.com t
