OPINION
6A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
JEREMY FELDMAN, Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
Community’s
support is
helping college
S
ome great things are happening at Clatsop Community
College with the help of the region’s residents.
The Patriot Hall redevelopment project is nearly finished,
and some fundraising efforts are on the uptick. Both pieces of
news are especially timely as the college continues to strategically
position itself for the future while state budget shortfalls present
difficult financial challenges ahead.
The Patriot Hall project began two years ago, and the college’s
leadership hopes the $16 million, 30,000-square-foot academic
hall will be available for graduation ceremonies on June 16. The
building, funded equally by a countywide bond measure and state
bond money, will have a new 540-seat gymnasium, several new
studios and classrooms, expanded cardiovascular and weight train-
ing areas and a third-floor elevated
running track looking out over the A special
scenic Columbia River.
appeal during
The college plans to open the
gym for the graduation ceremony, the event
then close Patriot Hall afterward
generated
to bring in additional equipment.
$37,000
Then it intends to have a pilot
opening of the building during the which will be
summer term with several physical
education and community courses, dedicated to
scholarships.
followed by a more robust fall-
term opening. As college President
Christopher Breitmeyer said, “Patriot Hall will be a center of com-
munity engagement on our campus whether it is through the edu-
cational programming, special events or recreational opportunities.
Patriot will be a valuable resource for years to come.”
On the fundraising front, the Clatsop Community College
Foundation’s Art & Experience dinner and auction recently gen-
erated $123,000, far surpassing the amount raised in the event in
each of the past two years.
A special appeal during the event generated $37,000 which will
be dedicated to scholarships. The foundation awards scholarships
entirely from the interest earned on its investments.
The event also featured live and silent auctions with interna-
tional trips and vacation packages, artwork, dining and recre-
ational opportunities all up for grabs.
Both pieces of news show the community’s deep support for
the college’s success, an investment in the future that we hope will
continue for many years to come.
Rare roundtable only a start
in combating region’s issues
t’s not often 40 elected officials and staff from throughout the
region get together to discuss pressing issues and potential
solutions.
In fact, last week’s gathering in Gearhart, organized by Clatsop
County Manager Cameron Moore and presided over by County
Commission Chairman Scott Lee, was only the second time in
recent years for a roundtable to identify and discuss the region’s
top issues. The attendees included mayors; city councilors; county
commissioners; the county’s top planners and emergency man-
ager; and city managers and staffers. Those attending agreed hous-
ing and emergency preparedness top the issues’ list.
In the discussions, two things were apparent: the region is fur-
ther ahead on emergency preparedness than it is in finding hous-
ing solutions; and there is an appetite among the region’s leaders
to work together to resolve them. While solving either problem
won’t happen overnight, it’s important that our region’s leaders
work jointly and keep the dialogue going.
On housing, details that emerged included that most in the
county and cities are aware of the discrepancies between wages
and the location, availability and housing cost and its impact on
business retention, recruitment and expansion. But the county has
only anecdotal evidence and lacks enough hard data to support it.
The attendees were enthused hearing about a recent six-month,
$100,000 study Tillamook County undertook that identified spe-
cific data about that area’s housing markets and possible solutions.
All agreed part of the solution is to have the political will to make
difficult and often unpopular decisions, especially in matters of
zoning and land use.
On emergency preparedness, all acknowledged more needs to
happen. Gearhart City Councilor Dan Jesse pointed out the need
for everyone to keep the issue at the forefront, saying, “No one is
going to solve this problem but ourselves.”
He’s exactly right, and it applies to both issues. There is
strength and knowledge in unity, and hopefully political will that
can match it. That’s the reason the dialogue needs to continue.
I
GUEST COLUMN
How Oregon can cut carbon
— and boost its economy
By JACK HARRIS
Special to The Daily Astorian
E
arlier this year, Oregonians
got a reality check on the
state’s carbon pollution.
We’re less than three years away
from a deadline to
cut planet-warming
gases, yet the latest
numbers show
we’re not even
close to making the
goal.
The shortfall isn’t for lack of
consensus. About three-quarters of
people in Clatsop and surrounding
counties believe carbon dioxide
should be regulated as a pollutant,
according to an estimate from Yale
University. And transitioning to a
clean energy economy creates good
jobs — more than 50,000 of them in
Oregon alone, according to an anal-
ysis of U.S. Department of Energy
data by the national business group
Environmental Entrepreneurs.
My own business here in Astoria,
Fort George Brewery, is a good
example. We hired a director of
sustainability to help keep our car-
bon footprint low and our operating
efficiency high. Whether we are
donating food scraps to a local farm
or upgrading our boiler systems, our
investments contribute to the broader
economy here.
We need a stronger statewide
plan to ensure the largest emitters,
such as large oil and gas companies,
utilities, landfills and industrial man-
ufacturers, also do their part. State
lawmakers are now considering the
Clean Energy Jobs bill (HB 2135),
which will establish a limit on green-
house gas emissions from the largest
sources in the state and put a price
on each ton of pollution. Proceeds
would then be reinvested into local
communities for clean energy proj-
ects, which help create new jobs and
lowers energy bills.
Capping and pricing emissions
is a low-cost way to cut greenhouse
gases. It gives businesses the flexi-
bility they need to comply and the
certainty of long-term, enforceable
limits. It stimulates investments in
renewable energy and efficiency
— technologies that ultimately pay
for themselves for businesses and
homeowners — while creating more
jobs for the installers and technicians
who make up Oregon’s clean energy
workforce.
Not only will the proposal help
us redefine — and actually achieve
— our climate goals, it will also gen-
erate funds to boost communities.
Language in both the House and
Senate versions of the bill specifi-
cally directs funds to programs in
economically disadvantaged areas,
with an emphasis on job creation
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Pasture raised chickens roam at Blackberry Bog Farm in Astoria.
Blackberry Bog Farm has raised and processed chickens for Fort
George Brewery. The brewery hired a director of sustainability.
and training. Proceeds will also
provide electric bill assistance for
low-income customers and bill cred-
its for small businesses.
Despite the
perplexing
inaction on
climate change
from the White
House and
Congress,
states can and
will take the
lead on smarter
policies,
because it is
states that will
feel the brunt
of unchecked
warming.
The Clean Energy Jobs bill
would work in tandem with other
innovative initiatives such as the
Clean Fuels program and the
Renewable Portfolio Standard,
encouraging a transition to cleaner
energy across sectors. Gains made
under one approach will help offset
obligations to another.
Despite the perplexing inaction
on climate change from the White
House and Congress, states can and
will take the lead on smarter poli-
cies, because it is states that will feel
the brunt of unchecked warming.
Oregon stands to lose billions of
dollars from the impacts of a hotter,
drier climate, from forest fires to
decreased viability of livestock and
aquaculture. With support from state
legislators such as Betsy Johnson
in the Senate and Deborah Boone
and Brad Witt in the House, we can
change that course.
We need look no farther than this
district, which is home to more than
160 clean energy jobs, to see how
local action on climate is already
creating opportunity. A new E2 fact
sheet for our state Senate district
notes that EV charging stations and
alternative fuels are growing, while
Tillamook County’s Misty Meadow
dairy digester is generating revenue
and power while keeping at least
7,000 tons of greenhouse gases out
of the air every year.
Let’s expand this type of growth
by putting a price on emissions and
reinvesting the proceeds so we can
reward businesses for innovating,
clear the air and keep the clean
energy jobs coming.
Jack Harris is the co-owner of
Fort George Brewery.
WHERE TO WRITE
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
(D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washing-
ton, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-
0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District
office: 12725 SW Millikan Way,
Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005.
Phone: 503-469-6010. Fax 503-326-
5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313
Hart Senate Office Building, Wash-
ington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-
3753. Web: www.merkley.senate.gov
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D):
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510. Phone:
202-224-5244. Web: www.wyden.
senate.gov
• State Rep. Brad Witt (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E.,
H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone:
503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/witt/ Email: rep.bradwitt@
state.or.us
• State Rep. Deborah Boone (D):
900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Salem,
OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1432.
Email: rep.deborah boone@state.
or.us District office: P.O. Box 928,
Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone:
503-986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/ boone/
• State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E.,
S-314, Salem, OR 97301. Telephone:
503-986-1716. Email: sen.betsy john-
son@state.or.us Web: www.betsy-
johnson.com District Office: P.O.
Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056. Phone:
503-543-4046. Fax: 503-543-5296.
Astoria office phone: 503-338-1280.
• Port of Astoria: Executive
Director, 10 Pier 1 Suite 308, Asto-
ria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-741-3300.
Email: admin@portofastoria.com
• Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners: c/o County Manager, 800
Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR
97103. Phone: 503-325-1000.