3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
Washington state ‘Culture change’ needed at
limits carbon
state human services agency
High rate of
pollution from
harm for
large sources
kids in care
Latest state to
take action on
climate change
By PHUONG LE
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Washing-
ton state adopted a new rule
Thursday to limit greenhouse
gas emissions from large car-
bon polluters, joining a handful
of other states in capping emis-
sions to address climate change.
State environmental regu-
lators inalized a rule requir-
ing large industrial emitters to
gradually reduce carbon emis-
sions over time. The change will
cover power plants, oil reiner-
ies, fuel distributors, pulp and
paper mills and other industries.
“When we consider the chal-
lenges our communities face
from climate change, we are
compelled to act,” state Ecol-
ogy Director Maia Bellon said
at a news conference on Seat-
tle’s waterfront.
Critics say it will hurt fam-
ilies, as costs are passed on to
consumers; limit the state in
attracting and retaining busi-
nesses; and hamper the ability
of energy-intensive businesses
to compete globally.
Supporters say limiting
heat-trapping gases is needed
to protect human health and
the environment; the state faces
severe economic and environ-
mental disruption from rising
sea levels; increased risks of
drought and wildire, and other
climate change impacts.
but will have a chilling effect on
our economy.” It would force
families to pay more to heat
their homes and drive to work,
he said.
But Bellon says consumers
likely won’t feel the impacts.
Using worst-case scenarios,
the state estimates that by 2020
electricity prices would go up by
$16 a year and gas prices would
increase by 1 cent.
Climate action
Several
environmental
groups on Thursday applauded
Inslee for pushing ahead on
climate action, saying it’s an
important irst step.
“We must continue to work
toward a comprehensive cli-
mate policy” that puts a price
on emissions and reinvests the
money in clean energy pro-
grams and communities most
impacted by climate change,
Sasha Pollack with the Wash-
ington Environmental Council
said in a statement.
Businesses would have dif-
ferent ways to comply. They
could lower their emissions,
invest in projects that perma-
nently reduce carbon pollution
or buy credits from others in the
program or from other approved
market-trading carbon markets.
A state economic analysis
indicates the costs for all busi-
nesses to comply over 20 years
range from a low of $410 million
to a high of $6.9 billion, depend-
ing on the way they comply.
The measure is also estimated
to provide $9.6 billion in bene-
its over 20 years by improving
environmental, health and other
conditions.
Inslee sought rule
Gov. Jay Inslee sought the
rule last year after failing to gain
legislative support for a more
ambitious plan to charge pollut-
ers a fee, similar to California’s
cap-and-trade program. A coali-
tion of Northeast states also has
a cap-and-trade program that
applies to power plants.
Under Washington state’s
rule, large carbon polluters
will be required to reduce car-
bon emissions by an average of
1.7 percent annually. The rule
would apply to those that release
at least 100,000 metric tons of
carbon a year. More facilities
will likely be covered by the rule
as the threshold is lowered over
the coming decades.
Unlike the cap-and-trade leg-
islation Inslee sought last year,
the rule adopted Thursday won’t
charge emitters a fee for carbon
emissions. Inslee had previously
pitched a polluter fee as a way to
raise more than $1 billion a year
for schools, transportation and
other state needs.
Republican lawmakers have
criticized Inslee, a Democrat, for
taking executive action on the
issue, saying lawmakers should
set such policy. Some legislators
have previously tried to prohibit
the Ecology Department from
passing such a rule.
State Sen. Doug Ericksen,
R-Ferndale, said in statement
Thursday that the rule “will have
no impact on the world climate,
Tax measure
Two dozen businesses likely
will to be covered when the rule
takes effect in October 2017.
They include all ive oil rein-
eries, several Puget Sound
Energy facilities, including
those in Longview, Goldendale
and Sumas, the Grays Harbor
Energy Center in Elma, Freder-
ickson Power facility in Tacoma
and Spokane’s Waste to Energy
facility.
In November, Washington
state voters will consider Initia-
tive 732 that would impose a
direct tax on carbon emissions
from fossil fuels burned in the
state while lowering state sales
and business taxes.
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Saying the
state has a “deep and abiding
moral obligation” to keep chil-
dren in its care safe, a commit-
tee assembled by the governor
to assess the safety of children
in substitute care has agreed
that the Department of Human
Services and state leaders need
to follow through on ongoing
reform efforts.
The agency faces a somber
diagnosis: Oregon has a high
rate of harm of kids in foster
and residential care compared
to other states, and the commit-
tee was created after revelations
of abuse that went unaddressed
by agency leaders.
The external advisory com-
mittee on child safety includes
lawmakers, child welfare pro-
fessionals and advocates.
Its meeting Wednesday
focused on the recommenda-
tions of a consulting irm hired
to assess the agency’s most
pressing problems.
The irm, Public Knowl-
edge, presented four “founda-
tional recommendations,” or
things that had to be changed
before its detailed recommen-
dations could get traction.
Consultants said the Depart-
ment of Human Services needs
to change its culture; focus on
child safety; use data to inform
decisions; and increase staff-
ing resources for entities within
the department, including Child
Protective Services.
Implementing the recom-
mendations, though, is going
to require adequate staff and
external experts in areas such
as policy and data use, consul-
tants said.
Costs not clear
It’s not immediately clear
how much making and main-
taining the recommended
changes may cost, though con-
sultants noted that increasing
stafing may be cost-intensive,
compared to the three other
foundational measures that
consultants rated either low-
cost or cost-neutral.
The committee agreed that
funding for the agency should
be a priority in the upcoming
legislative session.
The cost of failing to pro-
tect foster children from harm
is high — the committee esti-
mated that in the last ive years,
the state has paid between $30
million and $35 million to set-
tle claims brought by children
who were abused in foster care
or residential facilities.
In a letter to the gover-
nor, a draft of which was read
at the meeting Wednesday,
the committee said that “the
need for a cultural shift in the
development, implementation
and monitoring of policies is
paramount.”
The committee also noted
that the recommendations pre-
sented by the consulting irm
were “not altogether different
from past proposals developed
by and for DHS.”
Prior failures
Clyde Saiki, the depart-
ment’s director, has acknowl-
edged the prior failures of the
agency to make changes after
problems were brought to light.
A draft of the consultants’
report released late last month
identiied two main deicien-
cies that, if tackled, consultants
said, could prevent child abuse:
How the agency chooses where
to place kids in care and how it
receives and addresses reports
of abuse.
Placements could be better
matched to children’s needs,
consultants said, and the sys-
tem for reporting and monitor-
ing abuse is decentralized and
disjointed.
But the agency also has lim-
ited capacity, making head-
lines for putting children up in
hotels.
In the past two years, the
state has “lost nearly 400 foster
homes and 100 residential beds
statewide,” the agency’s child
welfare spokeswoman, Andrea
Cantu-Schomus, wrote in an
email last week.
Consultant Stacey Obrecht
noted Wednesday that the
number of children in residen-
tial facilities outside Oregon
is more than 20, compared to
none several years ago.
Others in Warrenton bike theft ring sentenced
The men stole bikes
from campgrounds
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
The two other Warrenton men
involved in stealing more than a dozen
bicycles in July from visitors at Fort
Stevens State Park and the KOA camp-
ground have been sentenced.
Jacob Martin Kitzman, 25, pleaded
no contest Wednesday in Circuit Court
to second-degree theft. Kitzman was sen-
tenced to 46 days in jail.
Earlier this month, the District Attor-
ney’s Ofice dismissed a irst-degree theft
charge against John Michael Lafreniere,
26, as part of a plea negotiation to settle
past cases.
Lafreniere was sentenced to 2 1/2
Jacob Martin
Kitzman
John Michael
Lafreniere
years in prison after pleading no contest
to charges of menacing, burglary, unau-
thorized use of a vehicle and attempt-
ing to elude police. His previous crimes
occurred between April and July.
Lafreniere and Kitzman were joined
in July by Devin Corey Gerou, 19, who
pleaded no contest to irst-degree theft in
August. Gerou also pleaded no contest to
past theft and burglary cases. He was sen-
tenced to two years in prison.
Warrenton Police received multiple
reports in July of stolen bicycles from the
local campgrounds. None of the bicycles
were locked or secured.
Oficers increased patrols, and were
able to identify the trio. The three men
were arrested July 31.
In total, police recovered nearly 15
stolen bicycles, valued at $8,000 to
$10,000, and returned several to their
owners. Some of the bicycles had
been dismantled, had parts or acces-
sories removed, and one had been
repainted a different color, according
to police.
Police found many of the bicycles at
a location near the campgrounds, and at
a residence on U.S. Highway 101 just
south of Warrenton. A stolen motorcycle
was also recovered.
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