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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2015)
Friday, August 14, 2015 OFF PAGE ONE CREDITS: Ta[ credits issued Eetween 200 and 2014 could cost tKe state .1M Page 10A East Oregonian Continued from 1A FonÀiFting adYiFe oYer tKe years. Some employees told energy proMeFt oZners tKey Kad to IolloZ state priFe guidelines required in statute. At tKe same time, anotKer employee told project owners tKey could ignore tKat section oI state law. 7Ke 'epartment oI Energy also stopped Yeri- Iying Kow mucK corporations and wealtKy indiYiduals paid to purcKase tKe ta[ credits, despite eYidence tKat EroNers and project owners were looNing Ior loopKoles in state pricing regulations. ,n one case, tKis resulted in tKe 3ortland metropolitan area transit agency TriMet selling ta[ credits witK a Iace Yalue oI . million Ior 2. million, or 5 cents on tKe dollar instead oI tKe cents required under tKe rules. TKe deeper tKe discount, tKe less money went to tKe renewaEle energy and eI¿ciency proj- ects tKe ta[ incentiYes were supposed to reward. %usiness energy ta[ credits issued Eetween 200 and 2014 could cost tKe state up to .1 million in ta[ reYenue, including 0. million Irom ta[ credits tKat were sold Ey recipients to inYestors, according to an analysis oI 'epartment oI Energy data. TKe EO Media *roup 3amplin Media *roup &apital %ureau ¿rst reported in -une tKat tKe Oregon 'epartment oI Energy quietly stopped enIorcing pricing and otKer rules on tKe state ta[ credits. :Ken people questioned tKe policy, tKe 'epartment oI Energy responded witK a temporary rule cKange to retroactiYely eliminate price rules going EacN to mid-2012. TKe temporary rule cKange, wKicK tKe department plans to maNe permanent, would reward people wKo sold ta[ credits at deeper discounts tKan allowed under state rules. It would not Kelp people sucK as Mel 5umwell, wKo was told Ey a state employee tKat Ke Kad to Iollow tKe rules. 5umwell is president oI tKe 5ocN &reeN &ommunity Association, wKicK quali¿ed Ior a Eusiness energy ta[ credit Ey installing an ener- gy-eI¿cient rooI. ³:e were told Ey tKe state tKat we could not discount it,´ 5umwell said oI tKe ta[ credit. 5umwell said tKe association Kas no use Ior tKe credit Eecause it does not owe ta[es to tKe state, and its window to sell tKe ta[ credit closed in 'ecemEer. Energy oI¿cials KaYe said tKey Kad autKority to maNe a Eusiness decision not to enIorce tKe rules, Eut tKe policy appears to contradict tKe intent oI tKe Oregon /egislature, wKicK wanted to set prices to ensure tKe ta[ incentiYes would Eene¿t energy projects. project owners and ta[ credit EroNers Iound a diIIerent section oI state law tKey interpreted as allowing tKe sale oI ta[ credits at any price negotiated Ey tKe Euyers and sellers. AntKony %ucNley, tKe Oregon 'epartment oI Energy¶s cKieI ¿nancial oI¿cer, agreed and since at least Iall 2014, tKe agency allowed tKe priYate sales at negotiated prices under tKat same section oI Oregon law. It simply states one-time transIers oI ta[ credits are allowed, unless e[pressly proKiEited Ey otKer laws. -ody :iser is cKair oI Ta[ Fairness Oregon, a group wKicK adYocates Ior a progressiYe ta[ code and Iull enIorcement oI state ta[ laws. :iser said tKe conÀicting adYice Irom 'epartment oI Energy employees was a sign tKe agency lacNed leadersKip. ³Some oI tKem EelieYe in Iollowing tKe law, and some oI tKem don¶t EelieYe in Iollowing tKe law,´ :iser said. ³And noEody¶s telling tKem, µTKis is tKe way it will Ee in our department.¶´ %roNers and project owners KaYe Ior years sougKt ways around state ta[ credit price guidelines. In OctoEer 201, Salem-.ei]er Transit Finance Manager -ared IsaNsen emailed state Energy IncentiYes 3rogram Manager Maureen %ocN to asN iI tKe district could use a side deal to Eypass tKe price guidelines. TKe transit district Kad Eeen awarded energy ta[ credits wortK . million, wKicK it could sell under state rules Ior no less tKan . cents on tKe dollar or a total oI nearly . million. IsaNsen asNed %ocN iI tKe district could send a reEate oI nearly ,000 to tKe Euyer oI tKe credits. TKat would lower tKe net price oI tKe ta[ credits to cents on tKe dollar. IsaNsen said tKe idea came Irom certi¿ed puElic accountant 5yan -oKnson oI A.T &3As and %usiness &onsultants, wKicK Kas a contract to EroNer tKe sales oI Salem-.ei]er Transit¶s ta[ credits. -oKnson said Ke could not recall wKetKer Ke or IsaNsen came up witK tKe idea. IsaNsen wrote in OctoEer 201 tKat Salem-.ei]er Transit¶s preYious ¿nance manager Kad already presented tKe deal to tKe 'epartment oI Energy and ³you gaYe you¶re sic oNay to proceed.” ³TKe underlying question is can tKe 'istrict discount tKe credits IurtKer to maNe tKem more attractiYe to possiEle pass-tKrougK part- ners"” IsaNsen wrote. ³II tKe answer is no, tKen wKy not"” %ocN initially reIerred tKe question to -oe &olello, wKo Kandled ta[ credits and otKer renewaEle energy and eI¿ciency incentiYes at tKe agency. &olello wrote EacN tKat Salem-.ei]er Transit¶s proposal was not allowed under state rules. IsaNsen disagreed witK &olello¶s response, wKicK prompted %ocN to step in. SKe reIerred to tKe state law tKat requires tKe 'epartment oI Energy to set ta[ credit sales prices, and e[plained Kow tKe agency Yeri¿ed tKat Euyers and sellers were Iollowing tKe rules. TKen, sKe addressed tKe reEate IsaNsen proposed. “We will not issue a legal opinion on tKe legality oI wKat you are contemplating nor will we issue ta[ adYice on wKetKer tKat side trans- action migKt Ee a ta[aEle transaction Ior your partner,” %ocN wrote. “WKateYer side arrangement you are contemplating witK a partner is sometKing oYer wKicK we KaYe no control. I Kope tKat Kelps.” Salem-.ei]er Transit did not proceed witK tKe deal, and Kas not sold tKe ta[ credits. Rules & loopholes TKe 'epartment oI Energy Kistorically controlled ta[ credit prices directly, tKrougK wKat was Nnown as tKe pass-tKrougK program. TKe agency Kelped matcK Euyers and sellers, set rates at wKicK tKe credits could Ee sold and Kandled tKe payments. :Ken people started to negotiate priYate deals outside tKe pass-tKrougK program, tKe /egislature stepped in witK a 200 law tKat required tKe 'epartment oI Energy to deYelop ³a Iormula to Ee employed in tKe determination oI prices oI ta[ credits´ in tKose sales. /awmaNers reiterated tKe mandate in a 2011 law. +oweYer, some energy iPhone 6 on U.S. Cellular. ® Together, you can do more. Now get iPhone 6 with 2GB of data and Unlimited Talk and Text for an exclusive, all-in price of just $ 60 a month. BELL: 9olunteers at Stan¿eld Community Senior Center Continued from 1A 5-year-old eyed terra ¿rma aEout seYen Ieet Eelow. +er seat Eelt Nept Ker in place. “1ow wKat"” sKe tKougKt, As YeKicles approacKed, %ell KonNed Ker Korn and yelled, tKen listened in Irustration as engine sounds receded into tKe distance. “I Kung tKere Ior two Kours until two good Samar- itans came along,” sKe said. TKe men Kad spotted tKe rear end oI %ell¶s car sticNing up. One oI tKem Àagged down anotKer driYer and asNed tKem to driYe aKead to ¿nd cell pKone coYerage and call Ior Kelp. TKe men used a towel as a sling to support Ker Eody until medics arriYed. %ell was Àown to Oregon +ealtK Science 8niYersity in 3ortland. %ell Kad asNed tKe men Ior tKeir names, so sKe could ¿nd tKem later, Eut tKey reIused. “TKey wouldn¶t giYe me tKeir names and pKone numEers Eecause tKey didn¶t want to Ee Keroes,” sKe said. “TKey went out oI tKeir way Ior me.” Surgeries replaced Ker destroyed YerteErae witK plates and screws and repaired Ker sKattered Nneecap. SKe was transported a Iew weeNs ago to tKe Regency Hermiston Nursing ReKaEilitation Center wKere sKe will liNely remain Ior tKree montKs or so. Tuesday Iound %ell cKeerIully worNing out on an Omnicycle, a deYice tKat e[ercises tKe EotK arms and legs — or one leg in Bell’s case. Her rigKt leg, encased in a tKicN aircast, isn’t ready Ior prime time yet. Her tKerapist, Fran] HorYatK, Nept a watcKIul eye as sKe toiled. TogetKer, tKey moYed Irom station to station, pusKing diIIerent muscle groups to tKeir limit. HorYatK marYeled at Kis patient’s transIormation. A Iew weeNs ago, Ke said, Ke Kad to liIt Ker Irom Ker Eed and place Ker into a wKeelcKair. Now, sKe can do tKat KerselI. In tKe tKerapy room, sKe tacNled eacK station witK entKusiasm, testing Ker limits. “SKe Kas a Yery positiYe attitude,” HorYatK said. “SKe’s always willing to worN. TKat’s Yery important.” Soon, Ke said, giYing Ker a lopsided smile, Bell would Ee e[ecuting cartwKeels. Bell rolled Ker eyes. “I couldn’t do a cartwKeel on my Eest day EeIore,” sKe said. TKis is tKe second time Bell Kas Iaced long-term pKysical tKerapy. TKe ¿rst time came aIter a stroNe in 200. WKen sKe couldn’t pKysically continue worNing at a St. Helens credit union call center, sKe moYed to Hermiston to Ee near Ker IatKer and ErotKer. Still unaEle to Kandle a Iull-time joE, Bell instead Yolunteers at tKe Stan¿eld CommunitySenior Center, wKere sKe worNs in tKe NitcKen and serYes on tKe Eoard. WKen sKe ¿rst moYed to tKe area, Ker IatKer would regularly taNe Bell to luncK at tKe center. Fellow Yolunteers and Iriends at tKe center are orga- ni]ing a Eene¿t to replace Bell’s car. TKe spagKetti Ieed and dessert auction is slated Ior 5- p.m., Aug. 21, at tKe community center, 225 W. RooseYelt. Admission is Ey donation. “SKe is mucK loYed,” said CKeryl TucNer, wKo serYes on tKe Eoard witK Bell. “SKe is an upEeat and sweet person and is in need oI tKe commu- nity’s Kelp.” WKen Bell tKinNs oI tKis eIIort in Ker EeKalI, sKe tears up instantly. “I Ieel guilty,” sKe said. “I can’t EelieYe tKey’re doing all tKat.” Her insurance will pay most oI Ker medical Eills, Eut won’t replace Ker 1-year-old car. Bell said sKe loYed tKe YeKicle, despite its age. TKe color, a dusty purple, was odd, Eut sKe liNed it. TKe license plate, wKicK started witK W99, came to stand Ior “my WonderIul 9iolet 9eKicle.” SKe won’t Ee driYing Ior a Iew montKs in any case. Bell seems determined to ¿nd joy despite Ker current state oI aIIairs. On tKe way EacN to Ker room Irom tKerapy in Ker wKeelcKair, sKe cKeerIully greeted a morose-looNing man sitting in a wKeelcKair and cKal- lenged anotKer woman to a wKeelcKair race. WKen asNed iI sKe Kas recommendations Ior otKers wKose liYes suddenly jump tKe tracNs, sKe nodded. “Smile, don’t cry,” Bell said. “It will get Eetter.” ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. iPhone 6 isn’t just bigger — it’s better in every way. Larger, yet thinner. More powerful, yet power-efficient. It’s a new generation of iPhone. Things we want you to know: New service and Retail Installment Contract required. Credit approval also required. A $25 Device Activation Fee applies. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (currently $1.82) applies; this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Additional fees, taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas apply and may vary by plan, service and phone. 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