OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 25, 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
GUEST COLUMN
Paris Achen/Pamplin Media Group
State Sen. Kathleen Taylor, a Democrat, and Sen. Tim Knopp, a Re-
publican, helped guide equal-pay legislation.
Great example
Pay equity bill sets standard
other states should follow
O
regon is setting a national example for ensuring employ-
ees are paid equally for performing equal work.
In doing so, Oregon also has shown how Democrats
and Republicans can work together. And it happened because of
the Legislature’s struggles on an unrelated issue — curbing the
soaring costs of the Public Employees Retirement System.
House Bill 2005, known as the Oregon Equal Pay Act of
2017, outlaws wage discrimination on the basis of race, sex, dis-
ability, sexual orientation, age, veteran status and other protected
classes. It allows different pay levels for equivalent work if the
disparity is because of bona fide factors such as merit, seniority
and quality of a person’s work.
And it bars employers from asking for job applicants’ salary
history before offering a job. That matters because women often
have been paid less in the past, and using salary history for a
new job can perpetuate that disparity.
The bill, which Gov. Kate Brown plans to sign into law next
week, combines enforcement and education. It encourages
employers to examine the internal equity of their wages, pro-
vides them with legal protections for doing so, but expands pen-
alties for employers who willfully discriminate.
The bill initially was so divisive that it passed the state House
in late March on a party-line vote after Republicans narrowly
failed to substitute their own version. Yet the final version unani-
mously passed both the Senate and this week the House.
How could this be?
It stems from good-hearted people being willing to listen,
make compromises and not fall victim to ideology.
State Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, gives broad
autonomy to his committee chairs instead of ordering them what
to do. He also has a knack for pairing the right people to lead
committees, which is where most of the Legislature’s work gets
done.
Kathleen Taylor, a first-term Democratic senator from
Milwaukie, and experienced Republican Sen. Tim Knopp, of
Bend, did not know each other well before Courtney appointed
them to the Senate Workforce Committee.
But chairwoman Taylor and vice chairman Knopp developed
a collaborative trust and respect as they worked this year on
PERS and other issues. Under the Legislature’s deadlines, they
ran out of time to resolve PERS, which they shipped off to the
legislative budget committee for more work.
Pay equity is a priority for Taylor, and Courtney asked Knopp
to work with her on it.
Republican Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena, a member of the
Workforce Committee, said Taylor’s leadership and Knopp’s
collaboration were crucial. Little by little, the committee
reshaped the measure from a bad bill into a good bill.
The working relationship between Taylor and Knopp was per-
sonified by her giving the opening argument for the bill on the
Senate floor and his giving the closing argument, Hansell said.
In the House, the bill had elicited considerable rancor. In the
Senate, all sides got their say, as negotiations started by finding
common ground. Senators talked with House members about
their concerns. Misunderstandings and miscommunications were
resolved. Blowups and hiccups happened, but no one was will-
ing to walk away from the negotiating table.
Seeking perfect legislation can be the barrier to achieving
good legislation. On the pay equity bill, business and labor —
Republicans and Democrats — were largely satisfied that the
final version was both effective and reasonable.
Oregon can be proud of its equal-pay legislation.
And equally proud of its legislators, starting with Sens. Taylor
and Knopp.
Pacific Power
Wind energy is part of the focus as Pacific Power moves to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
North Coast leads charge
toward clean energy future
By ALISA DUNLAP
Special to The Daily Astorian
A
cross the West, communi-
ties, both rural and urban,
are asking for cleaner
energy that remains affordable. And
across the West,
that change is
happening.
Last week, Clat-
sop County and
local city govern-
ments announced
a joint effort called the North Coast
Blue Sky Challenge that aims to
expand the number of local res-
idents supporting renewable
power. This extraordinary coordi-
nated effort from Clatsop County,
and the cities of Astoria, Cannon
Beach, Gearhart, Seaside and War-
renton extends a long, pioneer-
ing track record. The countywide
challenge to increase our commit-
ment to renewable energy should
make Clatsop County only the sec-
ond county in the nation to take
these steps to become a U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency Green
Power County.
The North Coast is joining the
front of a movement that has accel-
erated in recent years. At the turn
of the millennium, many thought
it would be a stretch for wind and
solar to play a major role on the
nation’s grid, as emission-free
hydro power has for over a cen-
tury. Wind and solar had potential,
but many thought them simply too
expensive and too difficult to fit into
the existing system.
But fast forward to 2017 and you
see an entirely different landscape.
Wind and solar can be an import-
ant and competitive generation
resource.
Just like on the North Coast,
energy customers across the region
have been clear that they want
cleaner, reliable, lower emission
energy at affordable rates. Pacific
Power hears you. We recently
announced a significant expan-
sion of the company’s renewable
resources with $3.5 billion in new
investments over the next three
years. These are investments that
will provide more clean energy, and
keep energy rates low by reducing
overall costs.
About $1 billion of that involves
upgrading or “repowering” much of
our existing wind fleet (905 mega-
watts) with longer blades and newer
technology that will let us produce
20 percent more energy from infra-
structure already in the ground,
while reducing maintenance costs.
Besides repowering our existing
wind fleet, our recently announced
Energy Vision 2020 plan includes
new investments in renewable
energy resources and energy effi-
ciency measures to meet future cus-
tomer energy needs. We will also
be adding up to 1,100 megawatts of
new wind, primarily in Wyoming,
where the wind really blows, by
the end of 2020 along with a new
transmission segment being built
in Wyoming to facilitate the wind
expansion. This is on top of the
54 megawatts of new solar power
Pacific Power has contracted for in
the last year in Oregon alone.
But don’t start reaching for your
wallets. Energy Vision 2020 pays
for itself and is expected to actu-
ally reduce costs over the life of the
facilities. A combination of existing
federal incentives for new renew-
able energy, increased power pro-
duction and advancing technolo-
gies will hold the line on energy
rates and pay big dividends for the
environment.
These investments, on top of
our legacy hydropower projects,
will greatly increase the amount of
zero emission energy serving cus-
tomers and produce savings at the
same time. This is a win-win and
represents our continued commit-
ment to both diversify our energy
resources and keep your costs low.
Last year, Pacific Power reduced
its greenhouse emissions by 12 per-
cent compared to the previous five-
year average and this trend will
accelerate under Energy Vision
2020 as we continue to reduce our
reliance on fossil fuel, increase
renewable resources and continue
to strive for more energy efficiency.
(Coal remains 56 percent of Pacific
Power’s fuel source.)
Pacific Power is making renew-
able resources happen in multi-
ple ways. Through the North Coast
Blue Sky Challenge, our customers
are voluntarily choosing to support
more renewable energy above and
beyond our already aggressive plan.
That’s amazing. Leadership from
communities like ours here on the
North Coast are showing the path
toward a cleaner energy future.
Alisa Dunlap is the regional
business manager for Pacific
Power.
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