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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2019)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019 Secretary of State Clarno rejects clean energy proposals By DIRK VANDERHART Oregon Public Broadcasting Secretary of State Bev Clarno has rejected two pro- posed ballot measures that would force Oregon to transi- tion to carbon-free sources of electricity in the next 25 years. Setting up a second poten- tial confl ict with environ- mental groups, Clarno ruled Thursday that the two propos- als violated a constitutional requirement that they stick to a “single subject.” “Both measures speak for themselves, if read carefully, that the issues presented are not limited to a single sub- ject,” Deputy Secretary of State Rich Vial said of Clar- no’s most recent ruling. “The secretary has the responsibil- ity to make that constitutional decision.” That’s the same contro- versial rationale Clarno used earlier this year when she rejected three separate pro- posals aimed at protecting state forests. In that instance, her decision led to an unsuc- cessful court challenge from environmentalists that is cur- rently being appealed. “There is now a pattern of fl agrant abuse of power by this secretary of state, far out- side the norms for any Dem- ocrat or Republican who has held the offi ce,” said Tera Hurst, executive director of the group Renew Oregon, which is backing the rejected clean energy measures. “The secretary of state is siding with the oil industry, corpo- rate polluters and anti-worker special interests to block the ability of the voters to decide Bradley W. Parks/Oregon Public Broadcasting Secretary of State Bev Clarno has used the ‘single subject’ constitutional requirement in her rejection of multiple proposed ballot measures. their clean air future.” The two proposals Clarno rejected Thursday, initiative petitions 48 and 49, are seen as a backstop Renew Ore- gon and its allies can turn to if Oregon lawmakers fail to reg- ulate greenhouse gas emis- sions next year. If passed by voters, the measures would require Ore- gon to source all of its elec- tricity from carbon-free or renewable energy sources by 2045. That’s a standard Hawaii and at least six other states have adopted since 2015. But the petitions also include a number of provi- sions that opponents argue make them too broad. Both IP 48 and 49 require that con- struction projects related to the new standards pay a pre- vailing wage, offer bene- fi ts and meet a number of other benchmarks. IP 49 also requires electric utilities to invest in “benefi cial electri- fi cation programs” that help the state meet its emissions reduction goals. In comments on the pro- posals, opponents Willis Van Dusen and Janet Steele said they “include extensive new labor practice requirements likely appealing to members of the proponents’ voting coa- lition who otherwise might not support the measure.” The provisions violate a constitu- tional requirement that initia- tive petitions deal with “one subject only,” they argued. Clarno evidently agreed, though Vial would not give specifi cs about her decision. The rulings mark the sec- ond time Clarno has tossed initiative petitions based on her reading of Oregon’s “sin- gle subject” requirement. When she rejected the three forest-related propos- als in September, the decision was questioned by both envi- ronmentalists and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who made clear she didn’t agree with Clarno’s strict interpretation of the law. However, when petition- ers challenged the decision, a Marion County judge ruled that Clarno was correct. That ruling is being appealed, and attorneys for the Oregon Leg- islative Assembly say it could have major implications for Oregon’s legislative process if upheld. It’s unclear whether Rosenblum’s offi ce agreed with Clarno’s rationale for tossing the clean energy pro- posals. Vial declined to say Thursday what advice the sec- retary had received from the state Department of Justice, though he said DOJ attorneys “discussed the matter” with her prior to the decision. Renew Oregon and its allies were unsparing in their criticism of Clarno’s ruling Thursday, issuing a lengthy release in response. “Until this election cycle, the single subject rule has rarely, if ever, been used to reject a proposed initiative,” ballot measure attorney Mar- garet Olney said in the release. “By ignoring the analysis of the Attorney General, Leg- islative Counsel, the Oregon Supreme Court and insert- ing an exceptionally partisan review into a previously unbi- ased process, Secretary of State Clarno is undermining our initiative process and crip- pling the power of Orgonians to take their concerns directly to the voters.” Renew Oregon and oth- ers fi led IP 48 and 49 in early October. They also fi led a third petition, IP 50, that would force Oregon to elim- inate greenhouse gas emis- sions from “fossil fuel and industrial sources.” IP 50 is arguably the most potent of the three petitions, and was approved by the secretary of state’s offi ce, Vial said. Feds say no protections needed for red tree vole Found on the North Coast By MONICA SAMAYOA Oregon Public Broadcasting The U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service has determined the red tree vole does not warrant a listing as threat- ened under the Endangered Species Act. The government said the small mammal, found on the Oregon Coast, did not meet the defi nition of an endan- gered or threatened species after reviewing the best and most recent scientifi c data available. In 2011, it determined the population did warrant list- ing based on the information provided then. But after conducing yearly species status assess- ments, known as a candidate notice of review, the agency decided to reverse its deci- sion based on past and pres- ent information. “What we discovered was a lot of that habitat exists on federal lands and it exists in large blocks,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Sue Liv- ingston said. That drove her agency’s analysis that tree voles are able to persist in a couple of larger populations and survive further threats of loss of habitat. The primary stress- ors affecting the population include habitat loss and frag- mentation due to timber har- vest and wildfi res. Center for Biological Diversity endangered spe- cies director Noah Gre- enwald said the species is highly imperiled and needs Endangered Species Act protections. “Scientists that have been doing decades of research on this species found that it was in trouble in the N orth C oast and that that popula- tion needed protection,” he said. “Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice previously determined that it needed protection and now they have just reversed course.” This is the fi rst reversal for the red tree vole. Green- wald said his organization will seek to challenge the decision is federal court. Red tree voles are mouse- sized rodents that live in older conifer trees. They spend most of their time in the forest canopy and typi- cally move quickly between the trees. The red tree voles are found in Clatsop, Colum- bia, Tillamook, Washington, Yamhill, Polk, Lincoln, Ben- ton and Lane counties. The U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service also rejected peti- tions to extend Endangered Species Act protections to four other species: the Ozark chub (fi sh), purple-disk hon- Merry Christmas Courtney Ann My Angel in Heaven Aug. 21, ‘82 - Dec. 22, ‘01 “The grass withers & the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8 Love always forever and ever and ever, Dadio eycombhead (plant), sand verbena moth (insect) and the skiff milkvetch (wildfl ower). Federal spending plan to include money for rural communities By JEFF MAPES Oregon Public Broadcasting U.S. Sen . Ron Wyden and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merk- ley on Friday announced provisions to improve infrastructure and jobs in coastal communities in the 2020 federal spending bill that passed both chambers of Congress and is headed to the president’s desk to become law. “I’m in every county every year, and across rural and coastal Oregon I hear about ways we can create jobs and strengthen communities,” Merkley said. “This bill refl ects a lot of those insights, from strengthening the coastal infrastructure to bolstering salmon recovery efforts to more money for communi- ties to hire police offi cers.” The bill includes money the Oregon Democrats promoted for small ports, research vessels, salmon management, climate change and other coastal issues. Wyden told a Portland business conference Mon- day that the overall 2020 federal spending pack- age includes provisions extending millions of dol- lars in aid provided through a 2000 law designed to help rural counties bat- tered by declining logging on federal lands. Since then, about $3 billion in federal aid has poured into counties around Oregon through the Security Rural Schools and Community Self-De- termination Act. But the level of aid has dropped over the years and funding has even lapsed at times. It expired again earlier this year. But Wyden said the new federal spending leg- islation will keep the pro- gram going for another two years, roughly at cur- rent levels. Wyden aides said that should amount to about $80 million a year to all but fi ve counties in Ore- gon. In 2018, Oregon coun- ties received $76.4 mil- lion, according to Rocky McVay, executive director of the Association of O&C Counties. That group rep- resents more than a dozen w estern Oregon counties with timberlands controlled by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Wyden told reporters at the annual Oregon Lead- ership Summit at the Ore- gon Convention Cen- ter that he’s working with U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican , on leg- islation to create a perma- nent endowment for the counties. That way, coun- ties could reliably plan for how much they expect to receive. “What Sen. Crapo and I want to do,” Wyden said, “is get these rural commu- nities off what I call the rural roller coaster.” McVay said the cur- rent funding uncertainty has made it hard for county governments to give vot- ers a clear picture of local fi nances. The federal pro- gram expired in both 2014 and 2016, and the coun- ties went for more than a year without the money. They eventually received retroactive payments that helped ease the pain. McVay said his group is pushing for the Wyden- Crapo legislation, but he said there’s a lot of skep- ticism about whether it can be done. He said the lawmakers would need to persuade Congress to come up with as much as $8 billion to fund such an endowment. SEASIDE AMERICAN LEGION POST 99 Sunday Dec. 22 WE WOULD LIKE TO BRING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TOGETHER THIS SUNDAY FOR A DAY FULL OF CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAY SEASON! Breakfast with Santa 8:30 am -11 am American Legion 1315 Broadway, Seaside Start the day with Santa & his bag of goodies for all the children! Breakfast Buffet Adults $9 Kids FREE this Sun. Come on back for a FREE Holiday Dinner @ 1:00 p.m. Baked Turkey & Ham with Stuffing, Veggies, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy & more! WE WELCOME EVERYONE TO THIS EVENT TO ENJOY A MEAL AND/OR VOLUNTEER IF YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA TIME & ENERGY! FOR DETAILS CALL 503-738-5111
