A4
THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, JANuARy 1, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
PUBLISHER’S NOTEBOOK
Astorians display resilience in 2021
L
ast Dec. 31, we looked forward
to putting a chaotic 2020 behind
us. Few expected that we were in
for at least another full year of pandemic
disruption.
Throughout 2021, there were business
and employment challenges, events can-
celed or held online, schools, churches
and community organizations meet-
ing haphazardly or by
video. There was a lot
of guessing and uncer-
tainty nearly every day
wondering what vari-
ant or business challenge
would arise next.
It’s no wonder we’re
KARI
all weary. And wary.
BORGEN
Yet, one word con-
tinues to repeat in con-
versations with business and community
leaders.
Resilience.
In 2021, our schools provided in-class
learning, school sports and activities.
Graduations for the Class of 2021 took
place in person.
While hiring workers remained a
challenge, businesses resumed serv-
ing customers. Lots of customers. Tour-
ists flocked to the North Coast for
well-earned vacations from work from
home, school from home, 24-7 at home.
Despite the pandemic, new businesses
have set up shop, expanded and changed
locations.
Councils and commissions moved
plans for community improvement for-
ward, even if it was via Zoom meetings.
American Rescue Plan funds, infrastruc-
ture and cultural grants and local tax-
ing districts have provided millions of
dollars in new project funding to local
governments.
Volunteers staffed vaccine events,
hosted fundraising events for nonprofits
and cleaned up parks and beaches.
Debate swirled in public meetings,
social media and letters to the editor
around land use for hotels, housing, pub-
lic services and parks.
The Astorian has reported on all of it
during the past year.
Reporters shined a light on the issues
and challenges related to homeless-
ness, child care, mental health, afford-
able housing and livability on the North
Coast.
Elected representatives and govern-
ment officials were asked about how
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Astoria High School students and guests sat socially distanced on the field at graduation, following coronavirus restrictions.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARd TO TELLING
STORIES ABOuT LOCAL RESIdENTS SHOWING uS
RESILIENCE ANd PuRPOSE, ANd CONTINuING
TO EXPLORE uNSOLVEd ISSuES IMPACTING
uS ON THE NORTH COAST LIKE AFFORdABLE
HOuSING, CHILd CARE, LIVABILITy ANd
MENTAL HEALTH.
funds were spent, plans were being made
and information was — or was not —
being provided to the public.
What we have learned about resil-
ience is that it’s driven by purpose. A
drive to make something better.
Although the newspaper has had chal-
lenges in 2021 with finding employees
and shifting many of them to work from
home, our readership continues to grow.
Our subscriptions have grown 3% over
last year, and readers picking up print
copies in stores or on racks has remained
constant. Readers care about knowing
what is happening in their communities.
At its heart, The Astorian’s resil-
ience comes from a nearly 150-year his-
tory of making our community better
by connecting readers to their neigh-
bors and communities. Our purpose, the
thing that drives us and makes us resil-
ient, is to help our readers become bet-
ter-informed, smarter and our commu-
nity stronger.
We enter 2022 with plans to cover
upcoming elections and still follow
the pandemic and related restrictions,
of course. But we are looking forward
to telling stories about local residents
showing us resilience and purpose, and
continuing to explore unsolved issues
impacting us on the North Coast like
affordable housing, child care, livability
and mental health.
We strive to continually add more
value to your subscription — in print or
online.
If there are things you’d like to see in
2022, I’d love to hear from you. You can
reach me at kborgen@dailyastorian.com
or 503-325-4955.
Kari Borgen is publisher of The
Astorian.
GUEST COLUMN
A threat
to farm
families
L
ike many of you, I wrote my legisla-
tors, testified and fought against the
cap-and-trade proposals in front of
the Oregon Legislature in 2018, 2019 and
2020.
As a custom farmer in Tillamook and
chair of the Oregon Farm Bureau Ag Pro-
duction Committee, I knew that my opera-
tion and many farms and ranches around the
state could not afford the fuel cost increases
that were inevitable under the program. It
would be one more in a long line of poor
policy decisions coming out
of Salem that make it harder
to stay farming in Oregon.
After it was defeated in
Salem three times, I was
floored when I learned
last year that the gover-
nor had issued an executive
KARL
order directing the Oregon
ZWEIFEL
Department of Environ-
mental Quality to move for-
ward with the program via rule. I watched
over the last several months as the agency
ignored data about the impacts of the pro-
gram, created sweetheart deals for invest-
ment in nongovernmental organizations and
failed to analyze the impact of cost increases
in fuel, natural gas and propane on Orego-
nians under the program.
The agency has now adopted the final
rules for what it is calling the Climate Pro-
tection Program.
While DEQ opted to ignore the cost
impacts of this rule on working families and
the agricultural sector, it is clear that the pro-
gram will increase the price of natural gas,
propane and transportation fuels. For a gov-
ernor who has built her administration on
promises of transparency, concealing the
Statesman Journal
Farmers and other critics of a Climate Protection Program worry about the impact on fuel costs.
THE WORST PART ABOuT THE PROGRAM IS THAT
IT WILL INCREASE THE COST OF FuELS FOR FARM
FAMILIES ANd RuRAL OREGONIANS WHO CAN
LEAST AFFORd IT — BuT IT WILL HAVE NO IMPACT
ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.
impacts of such a significant program to
Oregonians is unacceptable.
Because DEQ failed to consider how the
fuel sector would come into compliance with
the program, it’s highly likely that we will
see fuels rationed in the state after the cred-
its run out. I never thought I would see fuel
rationed again in my lifetime, especially due
to a regulatory burden created by our state.
For propane and natural gas, the goal is
to eliminate those fuels completely. That
approach totally ignores the needs of rural
Oregon and is yet another impractical and
out-of-touch policy pushed on us by a Port-
land-based governor who doesn’t understand
our needs.
In drafting the rules, DEQ totally ignored
the impact the rules will have on the Oregon
economy, particularly those industries that
are trade dependent, like agriculture. Eighty
percent of the goods produced by farmers
and ranchers are exported out of the state,
and the rules will render many farm fami-
lies uncompetitive in the global marketplace
because we will be priced out.
On the investment side, DEQ decided to
only allow investments that would result in
direct carbon reductions, ignoring the poten-
tial for working lands sequestration pro-
grams. The only reason I can think DEQ
would do this is to penalize rural Oregon for
our strong opposition to cap and trade as it
worked through the Legislature.
Further, those community groups and
nongovernmental organizations who get
funding do not have to demonstrate actual
carbon reduction, just give a rough esti-
mate of what they expect to accomplish.
This is unacceptable and just creates a slush
fund for environmental groups with no
accountability.
The worst part about the program is that it
will increase the cost of fuels for farm fam-
ilies and rural Oregonians who can least
afford it — but it will have no impact on
global climate change. It’s simply a “feel
good” piece for progressive Democrats,
once again put largely on the backs of rural
Oregonians.
Rural Oregon is tired of bearing the brunt
of policies that do not accomplish what they
set out to do, but instead have real costs for
our communities.
Karl Zweifel is a custom farmer grow-
ing corn and chop grass silage in Tillamook.
He is vice president of the Tillamook County
Farm Bureau.