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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2020)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 IN BRIEF Ocean Park woman killed in crash east of Astoria An Ocean Park, Washington, woman was killed on Thursday morning in a crash on U.S. Highway 30 about 5 miles east of Astoria. Emilee Mabey, 24, was driving a Buick LeSa- bre westbound at about 11:15 a.m. when her vehicle crossed the centerline into the path of an eastbound semitruck, the Oregon State Police said. The driver of the truck, a Portland man, was not injured. Highway 30 was closed for several hours. Drivers were urged to avoid the area near milepost 92 or expect long delays. The highway reopened to traffi c about 2:30 p.m. Warrenton celebrates 121st birthday Warrenton is hosting a party for the city’s 121st birthday. The city will hold a gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday in the City Commission chambers inside City Hall at 225 S. Main Ave. to celebrate the city’s incorpo- ration Feb. 11, 1899. There will be cupcakes, coffee, historical photos and other information about the past and future of the city. — The Astorian State Route 4 slide stable, despite rain Though continually wet weather raised concerns that a large landslide on State Route 4 would shift again and halt cleanup efforts, state offi cials said Thursday that the slope appeared stable. Washington State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kathryn Garcia-Stackpole said the slope was stable as of Thursday afternoon, and that crews hoped to start installing safety barriers soon. The department’s goal is to reopen a single lane to traffi c to end the closure in place since the Jan. 23 slide occurred. While that may happen as soon as next week, much still depends on the weather, Garcia-Stackpole said. Safety barriers are necessary to protect passing traf- fi c while crews continue to remove the 50,000 cubic yards of soil, rock and trees that slid down the fl ank off KM Mountain. The slide closed the highway about 9 miles west of Cathlamet. In the meantime, travelers can use U.S. Highway 30 as an alternate route by crossing the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview or the Astoria Bridge in Astoria. The Wahkiakum County ferry Oscar B is running free of charge on a 24/7 schedule until a single lane is reopened, according to the state. — The Daily News Gov. Brown backs wildfi re bill SALEM — One of the ambitious new measures put forward during the Oregon Legislature’s short session is Gov. Kate Brown’s wildfi re bill. Brown told the Senate Committee on Wildfi re Reduction and Recovery that lawmakers shouldn’t lose their sense of urgency just because last year’s fi re sea- son was relatively mild. “We got lucky. But it’s not likely to happen again,” she said. “We must be prepared for the more voracious wildfi re seasons to come.” Senate Bill 1536 is a sweeping effort to strengthen wildfi re response, boost fuel reduction work in the woods and help communities become more wildfi re-resilient. The governor said her wildfi re council estimates it will cost $200 million a year for the next 20 years to get wildfi res in Oregon down to a tolerable level. “Doing nothing is not an option,” Brown said. “Stud- ies suggest the comprehensive costs of wildfi re are 11 times greater than the immediate costs of fi refi ghting.” Among other things, the bill would help pay for fuel reduction treatments on as many as 300,000 acres each year. It would toughen building codes to increase fi re resistance and set standards for defensible space around buildings. It would also require utilities to make their electri- cal transmission systems less likely to spark wildfi res. — Oregon Public Broadcasting ON THE RECORD DUII On the Record • Lacey Anne Melo-Santiago, 32, of Seaside, was arrested Friday on 41st Street and Lief Erikson Drive in Astoria for driving under the infl uence of intoxi- cants. Her blood alcohol content was 0.16%. PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Cannon Beach Rural Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., Fire-Rescue Main Station, 188 Sunset Ave. Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway. TUESDAY Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2020 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 Washington state adds fuel to climate change fi re Debate across the Pacifi c Northwest By DON JENKINS Capital Press OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Legislature has mandated renewable electricity, subsidized the purchase of electric vehi- cles and dictated how much energy air compressors, generators and other equip- ment can use. That was last year. This session, Gov. Jay Inslee is urging lawmakers to get even more ambitious. Democratic legislators are advancing, at the governor’s request, several major cli- mate change bills. One would require more renewable fuels in gasoline and diesel, a measure that farm groups say will drive up their production and transportation costs. Another would appar- ently give the state Depart- ment of Ecology the power, if it chose to use it, to reg- ulate anything that gives off measurable amounts of greenhouse gases, includ- ing tractors and other farm equipment. And just last week, state Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Se- attle, re introduced a cap- and-trade bill, the controver- sial policy aimed at reducing the amount of greenhouse gas that goes into the atmo- sphere as a way to slow cli- mate change. The legislative session has fi ve weeks to go. In mid-January, when the session began, Inslee said the need for action on cli- mate change was a foregone conclusion. “There should be no more debate in the state of Washington about this sub- ject, or in the Legislature,” the governor said. ‘Clarion call’ Soon after the Legisla- ture convened, the Washing- ton Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling. In a 5-4 decision, the court said Ecology couldn’t hold oil and natural gas companies responsible for the greenhouse gases emit- ted when their customers used their products. The ruling gutted the Ins- lee administration’s Clean Air Rule. “This ruling will signifi cantly affect our abil- ity to reduce emissions,” the governor said the day the ruling came out. If the rule had stood, nat- ural gas distributors and petroleum producers and importers would have had to reduce their emissions or buy emission-reduction credits to make up for what their customers released by such activities as heating their homes. The Washington Farm Bureau had joined other business groups in the law- suit challenging the rule. The court’s majority agreed that Ecology had author- ity to regulate only actual emissions, not indirect emissions. Although the ruling was a setback for his administra- tion, Inslee quickly turned to the majority opinion’s com- ments on climate change. Chief Justice Debra Ste- phens wrote that the case was not about the “unde- niable crisis of climate Photos by Don Jenkins/Capital Press State Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, speaks to an environmental rally in Olympia in January. Farmers parked tractors at the Capitol in Olympia in January. change.” The problem, according to Stephens, was that Ecology exceeded the powers the Legislature had given it under the state Clean Air Act. “The issue is not whether man-made climate change is real — it is,” she wrote. “Nor is the issue whether dramatic steps are needed to curb the worst effects of cli- mate change — they are.” Said Inslee: “I couldn’t say it with more fervor or accuracy.” “We’ll take this as a clar- ion call for more action, and I’m happy to sally forward,” the governor said. “The venue now for that dramatic action is the Legislature this year.” House and Senate Dem- ocrats have now introduced bills to give Ecology the authority to regulate indirect emissions. At a Senate Environ- ment, Energy and Technol- ogy Committee hearing, Chris Davis, Inslee’s senior policy adviser on climate, described Ecology’s current powers as “incomplete.” Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, asked what qualifi es as an indirect emit- ter. “A lawn mower, leaf blower ... a farmer’s trac- tor?” he asked. Later, he restated the question: “Would indirect include beef cattle or dairy cattle?” The House and Senate bills do not defi ne indirect emissions. At a hearing last year, Supreme Court jus- tices had the same question: If Ecology can regulate indi- rect emissions, what can’t it regulate? The lawyer arguing the case for Ecology, Laura Watson, who has since been promoted to the depart- ment’s director, said Ecol- ogy would be limited by its inability to precisely mea- sure some things. She cited greenhouse gases from livestock as an example — although Ecol- ogy does estimate emissions Please ADOPT A PET! S OLOMAN 10 year old Lab/Golden Retriever Blend Let this gentle, yet Playful dog wrap His charms Around your life. from enteric fermentation, the digestive processes of livestock. Responding to a hypo- thetical question, Watson agreed that Ecology would be able to regulate green- house gases from wood stoves. “The point of regula- tion would be with the wood seller,” she said. In the dissenting opinion, Justice Susan Owens wrote that Ecology’s ability to reg- ulate only the emissions it can measure was a reason- able limiting principle. Stephens’ majority opin- ion, however, issued a warning, and not about cli- mate change. She wrote: “Left unchecked, Ecology’s expansive interpretation of its own authority would sweep many newly branded ‘indirect emitters’ into the regulatory web.” Cleaner fuels Inslee is also urging law- makers to follow Califor- nia and Oregon and adopt a low-carbon fuel standard. The policy seeks to reduce the carbon intensity of gasoline and diesel. Car- bon intensity measures the greenhouse gases given off in producing, distributing and consuming a fuel. Every source of power can be scored for its car- bon intensity. Pure gasoline and diesel have high scores. Electricity, which primarily comes from dams, has a low score. Ethanol and biodiesel are in between. The policy creates a mar- ket: suppliers of high-car- bon fossil fuels must buy credits from suppliers of low-carbon renewable fuels. The market effectively taxes high-carbon fuels and subsidizes low-carbon fuels, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Offi ce. However, the public eventually pays the cost, according to the offi ce’s 2018 assessment of the pro- gram. “These higher costs have real adverse effects on households,” the report stated. To highlight one poten- tial effect on agriculture, three farmers testifi ed to the Senate environment com- mittee that gas mixed with ethanol increases equipment maintenance. They said they already pay a premium for pure gasoline. “This is so important we pay about 40 cents per gal- lon extra to have non etha- nol fuel on the farm,” said Mike Clayton, who grows apples and cherries near Lake Chelan. Reed Schuler, another senior policy adviser on climate in the governor’s offi ce, said a low-carbon fuel standard is a top prior- ity for Inslee. Transporta- tion is the No. 1 source of carbon emissions in Wash- ington. “We do not have any other tools to do as much as cheaply to reduce carbon pollution from transporta- tion,” Schuler said. Under Inslee’s proposal, transportation fuels would have to be 20% less carbon intensive by 2035. The stan- dard would be phased in. As time went on, the policy’s infl uence on pump prices would increase. Although California adopted the policy in 2011 and Oregon in 2015, both states are many years away from fully implementing their standards — a 20% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 for California and a 10% reduction by 2025 for Oregon. Whatever the percent- age, the impact will show up at the pump as higher fuel prices. By 2030, California’s policy could add as much as 36 cents per gallon at the pump for gasoline and 44 cents to a gallon for die- sel, according to a 2018 staff report by the state’s Air Resources Board. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has not made a long-range projection on fuel prices. California’s Air Resources Board report also estimated that state and local governments will col- lect $889 million more in sales taxes between 2019 and 2030 as the cost of con- sumer goods rises because of higher fuel costs. Eastern Washington tree fruit grower Ben Buchholz told the Senate environment committee that after labor, fuel is the biggest expense for his family’s farm. He said a low-carbon fuel stan- dard would cost his farm several thousand dollars a year. “It may not seem like much money to some peo- ple, but my dad and I each took home less than the state’s minimum wage this year from the farm,” said Buchholz, who’s also exec- utive director of the North- west Agricultural Coopera- tive Council. Buchholz said the low-carbon fuel standard would hit drivers like a regressive gas tax. “It will hurt my family and our employees harder than those taking home larger incomes and commuting shorter dis- tances in urban areas,” he said. Inslee dismisses claims that pump prices will rise much, if at all. “I don’t buy that bilge from the Republi- can Party,” he said. 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