WOLF
COUNT
DELAYED
50/34
CROSSLEY
COMPETES
IN AMERICAN
SEMI-FINALS 1B
REGION/3A
Puzder withdraws
nomination to be
labor secretary
NATION/7A
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017
141st Year, No. 88
WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
One dollar
Oregonians could see bottle
deposit windfall under bill
Would refund 10 cents even if Wednesday to advance a bill that Customers in turn then can return
would, starting April 1, refund 10 bottles and cans for a full deposit
purchasers paid 5-cent deposit cents on all containers covered refund.
By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Under a bill proposed
in the House, Oregonians who
redeem bottle and cans could get an
unexpected windfall when the deposit
jumps from 5 cents to a dime April 1.
The House Committee on Energy
and Environment voted unanimously
by Oregon’s bottle bill — even if
purchasers paid only the 5-cent
deposit.
Oregon has had a 5-cent deposit
on certain beverage containers since
1972, fi rst introduced to deal with the
state’s litter problem.
Retailers
pay
distributors
the deposit when they purchase
beverages; that deposit is passed
to customers at the cash register.
In 2011, the Legislature passed a
law requiring the deposit increase to
10 cents should the rate of return dip
below 80 percent for two consecutive
years. Unredeemed deposits are kept
by distributors.
In both 2014 and 2015, the return
rate was below 80 percent, and so the
deposit will double April 1.
See DEPOSIT/10A
Courtesy of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission
Bottle deposits in Oregon will double to 10 cents on April 1.
Under a bill proposed in the Legislature, even cans for which
only a 5-cent deposit was paid can be redeemed for the full 10
cents until Sept. 1, 2018.
PENDLETON
SEEING GREEN
Police
looking for
answers in
shooting
The East Oregonian
EO fi le photo
Hermiston watermelons are one of the many agriculture products that would be featured in one of two new farm loops in
Umatilla and Morrow counties. The loops are being developed by the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association in an effort to boost
agritourism in the region.
New farm loops aim to
lure ‘agritourism’ dollars
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Two new farm loops are in the
works for Umatilla and Morrow
counties, featuring everything
from local wine and cheese to
handmade saddles and antique
tractors.
Designed as self-guided driving
tours, one loop will run between
Pendleton and Milton-Freewater
while the other will encompass
Hermiston, Boardman, Irrigon,
Echo and Heppner.
Janet Dodson, project leader
and consultant with the Eastern
“Obviously, agriculture
is a huge part of our
economy and lifestyle.
“(Agritourism) fi ts well
within Eastern Oregon.”
— Janet Dodson, project
leader, consultant with the Eastern
Oregon Visitors Association
Oregon Visitors Association, said
a full list of businesses should
be fi nalized before the summer
See AGRITOURISM/10A
EO fi le photo
The Echo Ridge Cellars vineyard grows a variety of grapes
used to make wine.
Pendleton police are trying to
piece together who shot a man in the
leg Wednesday, but the victim is not
helping.
Police Chief Stuart Roberts in
an email said he had all available
resource working on the investiga-
tion.
“I know people will want assur-
ances about safety and/or the identity
of the suspect(s),” Roberts wrote.
“But I just cannot give either right
now, because we are still not sure
what happened.”
A Pendleton offi cer at 10:31 a.m.
Wednesday saw a man lying near
a driveway on the 500 block of
Southwest 19th Street, according to
Roberts.
“Upon contact, the aforementioned
male asserted he merely fell down,
was okay and not in need of assis-
tance,” Roberts reported. However,
the offi cer asked Pendleton emer-
gency medical services to respond to
evaluate the male.
The crew arrived and loaded the
man into an ambulance, then told
police at the scene the male had what
appeared to be a small caliber bullet
wound just above his left knee.
Roberts said detectives tried to
interview the man at St. Anthony
Hospital, Pendleton, but he was not
cooperative. The hospital stabilized
the victim before sending him to a
hospital in the Tri-Cities, Washington.
Roberts said detectives were able to
gather suffi cient information to obtain
a search warrant for a residence where
police think the male was shot by an
acquaintance, but no one was found.
“The investigation is in the early
stages,” Roberts stated.
HERMISTON
Climate change panel
School district refi nes
urges delay in Oregon
pitch for $104M bond
forest policy decisions
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
The Hermiston School District
anticipates major growth in the
next few years. In preparation, it is
refi ning its pitch for a $104 million
bond question that will be brought to
voters May 16.
If passed, the bond will allow for
major upgrades and construction
projects at some of the district’s
schools. The school board reviewed
an economic impact study and
watched a district-created video
about the merits of passing the bond
at Monday’s meeting.
The district anticipates a growth
of 800 students by the year 2023.
According to the video, if the
district doesn’t make adjustments
and expansions, they may see up
to 56 portable classrooms housing
about 1,100 students. With the funds
from the bond, the district would
construct a new elementary school
on property on Theater Lane. They
would also expand Hermiston High
School, replace Rocky Heights and
Highland Hills elementary schools
on their current sites, make repairs
to Sandstone Middle School, and
develop the fairgrounds property,
which the district recently purchased.
See BOND/10A
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Activists often urge
a speedier government response
to climate change, but the Oregon
Global Warming Commission
doesn’t want to rush any decisions
involving forest policy.
Angus Duncan, the commis-
sion’s chair, recently told Oregon
lawmakers it’s better to wait until
it’s better understood how forest
management can offset carbon
emissions, which are blamed for
climate change.
Up until now, the OFWC has
focused on quantifying the amount
of carbon absorbed by forests across
different regions in the state.
Altogether, Oregon’s forest store
the equivalent of about 9.7 billion
tons of carbon dioxide — roughly
150 times as much as the state emits
per year, according to the commis-
sion.
Before making forest manage-
ment
recommendations,
the
commission plans to determine
the historical carbon fl uctuations
See FOREST/10A