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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2017)
Thursday, February 16, 2017 OFF PAGE ONE DEPOSIT: Michigan is the only BOND: Projected to create 540 direct other state with a 10-cent deposit construction jobs, 126 indirect jobs Page 10A East Oregonian Continued from 1A Under the proposed law, containers that don’t have the correct deposit amount on the label will be allowed in stores until Sept. 1, 2018. It’s not clear how the bill will pencil out, though. “Can you kind of describe how this will work and why this seems to work OK?” Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, said during the committee hearing Wednesday. “I don’t think we have a bunch of opponents coming in here because they have to come up with a nickel they didn’t collect.” Paul Romain, an attorney and lobbyist for the Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association, acknowledged that money could be lost. He said Barnhart’s inquiry was the “big 64,000-dollar question, except it’s more than $64,000.” “Whenever you start a system, you have a transition period,” Romain said. “It’s a risk, frankly, that the industry has to take to make the tran- sition.” Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-On- tario said the bill was “neces- sary to allow the transition, even though the program has big holes in it.” Romain said the group he represents also initially resisted the deposit increase. Michigan, the only other state with a 10-cent deposit, had a 94.2 percent return rate in 2014, according to the Michigan State Treasury. A lobbyist for the Brewers Guild also testified in support of the bill. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is responsible for administering the bottle deposit program. Although the agency didn’t take an official stance on the legislation, its admin- istrative policy and process director, Jesse Sweet said the bill would create a “grace period” in the transition to the 10-cent deposit and provide “necessary flexibility” for retailers. Starting Jan. 1., 2018, the state is also going to require deposits on additional types of beverage containers — such as kombucha. AGRITOURISM: Whiskey & Rocks is the name of the Pendleton to Milton-Freewater loop Continued from 1A tourism season begins. The idea, she said, is to attract tour- ists by promoting the region’s diverse farming and ranching activities — a concept known as “agritourism.” “This is a huge growth area in tourism across the country,” Dodson said. “It’s a good way to draw attention to the variety of things we have in our area.” Agritourism can include visits to working farms and ranches, U-pick fields, wineries, breweries and farmers markets. Dodson said more people are interested in knowing where their food comes from, which has opened the door for farms to share their stories and poten- tially generate a new source of revenue. “Now is a great time for farms and ranches, orchards, gardens and other producers of all sizes to explore the opportunities for inviting visi- tors to buy products directly and to learn about and experi- ence the rural and agricultural lifestyle,” she said. Dodson began consulting last year with a local committee dedicated to growing agritourism in “Oregon’s Rugged Country.” Kalie Davis, who manages the SAGE Center in Boardman, chairs the working group and said they are still reaching out to businesses that may be interested in joining one of the farm loops. Once the list is finalized, Davis said they will compile maps and brochures for visi- tors, which will be available on the Eastern Oregon Visi- tors Association and Travel Oregon websites. The farm loops will highlight places that people might not know about, Davis added. “There’s these little hidden gems that people don’t even know exist,” she said. Whiskey & Rocks is the name of the loop from Pend- leton to Milton-Freewater, drawing on the popularity of Pendleton Whisky and the emergence of the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater American Viticultural Area. Not surprisingly, the tour is set to feature a number of orchards and vineyards, along with stops unique to Pendleton’s cowboy culture. Clive Kaiser, who works as an extension horticulturist for Oregon State University in Milton-Freewater, said the community had previously been planning its own farm loop — identifying 67 possible attractions — before it was absorbed by the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association as part of a single regional effort. “They asked us if we would put our efforts on hold, because they wanted to have a familiar theme throughout Oregon and they wanted us to be part of it,” Kaiser said. When envisioning an agritourism experience for Milton-Freewater, Kaiser said he was reminded of the Midlands Meander in South Africa, which beckons tour- ists through a range of arts, crafts, outdoor activities and country settings. “That’s what I was effec- tively looking to recreate in this region,” he said. A second farm loop, dubbed River to Hills, is also being developed for western Umatilla County and Morrow County. Davis said Continued from 1A The video, which is on the district’s website, was reviewed by the Secretary of State’s office and deter- mined to be non-biased, according to Superintendent Fred Maiocco. According to Oregon law, districts are not allowed to distribute material that advocates a specific political position, but can distribute informa- tion about a political issue or question that has been approved as impartial. The district introduced the bond in March and has since conducted two surveys assessing community support for the measure. A poll in May showed that 63 percent of those surveyed supported the repairs that could be The SAGE Center in Boardman would be featured in one of the two new farm loops being developed by the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association. the loop will include things like Hermiston watermelons, Echo wine, tours of family farms and a stop at the SAGE Center interactive agricultural museum. Dodson said they hope to have both loops completed by the end of May. “Obviously, agriculture is a huge part of our economy and lifestyle,” Dodson said. “(Agritourism) fits well within Eastern Oregon.” Anyone wanting to learn more about the project can contact Dodson at 541-786- 8006 ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825. million locally,” she said. District officials also discussed the safety improvements that will be made if the bond is passed. During a Hermiston Police Department safety audit of the schools in 2015, Rocky Heights and Highland Hills elementary schools were found to not meet safety standards. In the video, Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the district’s two elementary schools have more external access points per square foot than the new schools, which can be a safety issue. Saul said the district plans to host multiple public forums and outreach events where community members can come and ask questions about the bond in the coming months. FOREST: Oregon is expected to fall short of carbon emissions-cutting goals in coming years Continued from 1A EO file photo made with the bond money. In October, another survey was conducted, which revealed that 46 percent of those asked were for the bond, 48 were against, and about 6 percent were undecided. The initial cost to the taxpayer would be addi- tional 90 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Katie Saul, the district’s director of business services, presented an economic impact study on the bond. She said the bond was projected to create 540 direct construction jobs, 126 indirect jobs and 124 induced jobs. The total construction-related income into the commu- nity is estimated to be $34,429,563. “We hope to spend $62.6 in Oregon forests and how they’re affected by climate change and human inter- ventions such as logging, said Duncan. “We don’t see anybody else who is doing this type of work,” he said. Improving forest health and preventing wildfires may involve removing trees, but these choices involve a “trade-off” in terms of carbon accrual, Duncan said. Wildfires in Oregon have been emitting roughly 1.5 million tons to 4 million tons of carbon dioxide a year since the beginning of the 21st Century, but it’s unclear whether this level is normal or excessive, the commission found. The impact of forest fires on carbon emissions is complicated by the extent and severity of fires — in “If we do our job and nobody else does theirs, we’re toast, and I mean that literally.” — Angus Duncan, Oregon Global Warming Commission chair some cases, fires can affect large acreages but the forest will still store carbon in burned trees, he said. Of the 63.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted in Oregon in 2015, about 37 percent came from the transportation sector, 35 percent came from the residential and commercial sectors and 20 percent came from the industrial sector, according to OGWC. With about 8 percent of the total, the agricultural sector contributed the smallest share of Oregon’s emissions. Oregon is expected to fall short of its carbon emissions-cutting goals in coming years, but Duncan said he expects the output of renewable energy to increase in the state and the nation due to technology improvements and lower costs. In the future, the energy industry will move away from a “command and control” structure, with utilities buying electricity from a variety of sources as needed, similar to the stock market, he said. Oregon’s contribution to reduce global emissions will depend on a “mutual- ly-reinforcing club” of other states and countries taking similar steps, Duncan said. “If we do our job and nobody else does theirs, we’re toast, and I mean that literally,” he said.
