Street roots., August 31, 2018, Page 4, Image 4

S treet R oots • Aug. 31-S e p t 6, 2018
News
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MAKE IT ILLEGAL!
Modernize O u r Forest Laws Today
W’iV'iV.tAtïhUnÂNTSAM-.SS.ORG
PHOTOS BY EM ILY GREEN
John Talberth (left), president o f the Center for Sustainable Economy, holds a sign outside the Coastal Caucus Economics Sum m it on Aug. 22 at Chinook
Winds Casino in Lincoln City. The Center for Sustainable Economy has concluded that logging is the No. f source o f carbon pollution in the state.
Oregon could lead on cap-and-invest
Economic benefits are a t the forefront o f carbon reduction discussions among top lawmakers
low-incom e h o u se h o ld s,” h e said, adding th a t
th e s ta te is co n sid erin g low-incom e en erg y
assista n c e an d ta x su b sid ies to offset th o se
BY EMILY GREEN
S E N IO R STAFF REPORTER
s O reg o n law m akers p re p a re fo r th is
y ear’s legislative sessio n , a bicam eral
a n d b ip artisan co m m ittee h a s b e e n
h ash in g o u t th e details of a to p p rio rity on
th e 2019 agenda: g re e n h o u se gas red u ctio n
in th e fo rm of a cap-and-invest bill sim ilar to
th o se in tro d u c ed d u rin g th e p a s t two
sessio n s.
T h is tim e aro u n d , S en ate P re sid e n t P e te r
C o u rtn ey (D-Salem) and H ouse S p eak er T ina
K o tek (D -Portland) say th ey in te n d to se c u re
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its passage.
Sim ply p u t, th e cap-and-invest pro g ram
would place a p rice on carbon em issions
from th e larg est e m itte rs in O regon’s
econom y a s a way of nudging th e m ark et to
find m o re efficient w ays to do b u sin e ss. T h e
sta te w ould place a cap on em issio n s th a t
w ould d ec re a se over tim e, and Use revenue
g e n e ra te d from selling carbon allow ances to
b o o st jo b creatio n in O regon’s clean-energy
se c to rs and to help w o rk ers and com m unities
affected m o st by clim ate change adapt.
T h is effo rt w as fro n t and c e n te r on day
o n e of th e se v en th annual O regon C oastal
C aucus E conom ic S um m it o n Aug. 22 and 23
a t C hinook W inds C asino in L incoln City,
w h e re th e s ta te ’s to p e lected officials and
legislative carb o n red u ctio n co m m ittee
m e m b e rs m e t w ith co astal g o v ern m en t and
in d u stry lead ers.
T h e effects of clim ate change have h it th e
O regon C o ast fa ste r and h a rd e r th a n m any
o th e r a re a s of th e sta te , as university
r e s e a rc h e rs an d o th e r pan elists em phasized
th ro u g h o u t th e day.
O cean acidification is negatively affecting
Nehalem Bay is seen in Manzanita, Ore. The effects o f climate change have hit the Oregon
Coast faster and harder than many other areas o f the state.
o y ste r and o th e r shellfish in d u stries,
w ildfires a re th w artin g to u rism and forestry,
and coastal com m unities are scram bling to
m itigate risin g tid es and th e th r e a t of
ex trem e-w eath er events.
B u t coastal com m unities also have unique
o p p o rtu n ities to h a rn e ss th e carbon
se q u e stra tio n and en erg y producing
capabilities of th e ir fo re st lands and coastal
w aters, and ju s t how th e y can play a ro le in
O regon’s clim ate fu tu re is an ongoing d eb ate.
T h is y e a r’s coastal su m m it w as th e m o st
successful yet, w ith nearly 700 coastal
g o v ern m en t officials, b u sin e ss lead ers,
c o n serv a tio n ists and agency re p re se n ta tiv e s,
am ong o th e rs, in atten d an ce.
D uring an early m orn in g panel, s ta te
eco n o m ist M ark M cM ullen told a tte n d e e s
th a t th e O regon C oast should b e m o re
involved in th e s ta te ’s carbon-policy-m aking
p ro c e ss e s b ecau se its re sid e n ts will face
h ig h er dow nstream co sts o n c e carb o n is
priced.
“N o t only do coastal co m m u n ities re q u ire
m o re tra n sp o rta tio n fuel and h eatin g fuel ju s t
b ecau se of th e w e a th e r and th e d istan c es
th a t th e y have to travel, b u t m o re
im portantly, th e s e a re a b igger b u rd e n o h
co sts.
M an y re sid e n ts u p an d dow n th e co ast are
alread y stru g g lin g w ith a costly housing
m a r k e t th a t’s o u tp aced sta g n a n t w ages, and
m o st se asid e tow ns have still n o t reco v ered
from th e G re a t R ecessio n .
F ish in g in d u strie s in O reg o n could b e
f u rth e r affected if en e rg y c o sts ris e to o high,
said Tony Dal P o n te of Pacific Seafood. As
fuel an d en e rg y c o sts rise , h e said, th e y add
u p for a n in d u stry th a t re lie s o n high-energy
cold sto rag e an d ice p ro d u ctio n . H e said
fishing b o a ts could easily “offload
e lsew h ere.”
P re v io u s v ersio n s of th e cap-and-invest
bills ta rg e te d th e la rg e st p o lluting facilities -
th o s e em ittin g m o re th a n 2 5 ,0 0 0 m etric to n s
of carb o n p e r y ear. On th e c e n tra l coast, th e
G eo rg ia Pacific p ulp p la n t in T oledo is th e
only e m itte r th a t falls in to th a t category,
M cM u llen said, m aking it o n e of ju s t six
facilities sta te w id e th a t m e e t th e carbon-
em ittin g th re s h o ld th a t w ould trig g e r
reg u latio n .
“W e n e e d to go fo r th e low-hanging fru it,”
h e said. “T h a t’s w h e re w e s ta rt, is w ith th e
big n u m b e rs.”
B u t a co u p le of O reg o n ’s m o st sig n a tu re
in d u strie s h av e b e e n t h u s far specifically
e x e m p te d from th e cap an d in v est bills
in tro d u c ed in O regon. A g ricu ltu ral an d
fo restry .
W hile it’s unlikely th e s e in d u strie s will b e
in clu d ed in 201 9 ’s cap-and-invest bills,
See CARBON, page 5