Opinion
A4
Saturday, August 13, 2022
OUR VIEW
Let the state
know where
you stand
T
he push to give cities in Oregon more
leverage to decarbonize buildings got
defanged in the Legislature this year.
Instead, the bill got a do-over. It created a task
force to look at ways to decarbonize buildings.
If opponents of Senate Bill 1518 thought they
won a victory, it seems they won a delay. The
task force has a list of policy options it is getting
ready for the 2023 Legislature that are even more
wide-ranging. Maybe legislators won’t take action
on all of them. But watching the options the task
force is considering could be like looking into a
crystal ball to see Oregon’s energy future. That’s
especially true if Democrats continue to control
the Legislature and the governor’s offi ce after
November.
Electrify. Electrify. Electrify.
That’s a consistent theme. Natural gas for
heat, for cooking? Yes there are voices on the
task force who keep bringing up how natural
gas should continue to play a role. Maybe we are
wrong, but those voices sure don’t seem to refl ect
the majority view. The task force wants renew-
able electricity to be king.
We could hear it Tuesday, Aug. 9, in the dis-
cussion about a possible new mission for the
Energy Trust of Oregon. The discussion was to
change its mission. The Energy Trust gets its
money from customers of the big utilities and
uses it to stoke energy effi ciency. It is now fuel
neutral. Electricity and natural gas are both OK.
The proposal is to change its purpose to green-
house gas reduction and equity. Oregon’s natural
gas companies may not appreciate that.
We could hear the call for the electricity focus
in the discussion of electric heat pumps. Heat
pumps can heat and cool. They do what they do
very effi ciently. Task force members talked about
ways to encourage more people to install them —
incentives on top of any new federal incentives or
existing incentives.
There was even a discussion about the state
bypassing the choices consumers or builders
make for appliances in new homes and going to
manufacturers and distributors. The thinking is
incentives or rules could guide manufacturers
and distributors to off er only options powered by
electricity and that are high-effi ciency. Then no
“wrong” choices would be made.
Another topic that came up is to follow Cal-
ifornia’s lead on requiring appliances to be
“smart.” Smart in this context is that appliances
can schedule their use when there is less elec-
tricity demand. So maybe your car charger or
dishwasher kicks itself on at 1 a.m. That could
help spread out the energy demand over the day
and reduce the need for peak electric capacity.
Oregonians might like it, if they could control
it. They might not like it if someone else was
switching their appliances on and off .
What’s missing in these discussions is the
input of Oregonians. Yes, there are many fi ne
people on the task force and they represent dif-
ferent perspectives and interests. You should take
a look at the ideas on the table and tell them what
you want. You can see the concepts under consid-
eration here, tinyurl.com/Oregon081022. And you
can tell the task force what you think by email
here, JTFREB.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov.
Off ering suggestions with criticism
ANDREW
CUTLER
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
C
onstructive criticism of gov-
ernment agencies is part of
the job description for jour-
nalists and I like to think we do a
pretty good job of ensuring we keep
an eye out that taxpayers don’t get
bilked.
Newspapers are designed to
do many things at once, including
watching those appointed or elected
by voters keep the best interests
of voters at the forefront of their
decisions.
Yet our watchdog-like approach
is like two sides of the same coin.
One side is devoted to observing and
reporting — and through our edito-
rial page — criticizing government
agencies and nonprofi ts.
The other side of the coin,
though, is as important. That side is
one where we strive to give credit
where credit is due. For the most
part, local government agencies,
employees and elected leaders are
We need to keep an eye on our government agencies
and nonprofi ts, but we also should be aware that our
responsibility as voters also includes the capacity to
deliver a solution.
doing a pretty good job. They’re
good people, devoted to trying to do
the best they can in what can be, and
often is, a thankless job.
Occasionally I will run across
public criticism of elected offi cials
or non-profi ts that evolves into a
head scratcher. The First Amend-
ment allows all of us to share our
opinions, but I would suggest it also
gives us all an unspoken privilege
to also fi nd a way to deliver con-
structive feedback to help develop a
solution.
Sitting on the sideline and
attacking a particular policy or law-
maker is fi ne, but the real test of
civic responsivity is an eff ort to pro-
vide suggestions with that criticism.
Too often I see criticism but no
suggestions on how to fi x a specifi c
problem or policy. Throwing stones
at public offi cials is fi ne, as far as it
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Andrew Cutler is the interim editor of The
Observer and the regional editorial director for
the EO Media Group, overseeing The Observer,
East Oregonian and four more newspapers in
Eastern Oregon.
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford offi ce: 541-776-4646
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
STATE SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
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goes, but without a viable sugges-
tion to fi x the problem that criticism
misses the mark and is, in the end,
not very productive. Choosing to call
out a problem or challenge isn’t that
diffi cult. There are plenty of things
that need to be adjusted or fi xed
in our government agencies. Yet
delivering a criticism or complaint
without off ering a solution doesn’t
do a whole lot except create more
problems.
We need to keep an eye on our
government agencies and nonprofi ts,
but we also should be aware that our
responsibility as voters also includes
the capacity to deliver a solution.
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