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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2020)
CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner ANDREW CUTLER Editor WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Editor FRIDAY, FeBRUARY 21, 2020 A4 Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Brown supports a bad idea, at least part way O regon Gov. Kate Brown last week threw her weight behind the effort to remove the dams on the lower Snake River. We think removing the dams is a bad idea. While we don’t question Brown’s sincerity, we wonder why she’s joined the fight when Oregon has no direct stake. The dams in Southeast Washington generate electricity and allow farmers to move grain by barge down the Colum- bia River’s main tributary. Without the dams, the river would be too shallow to barge wheat and other farm goods the roughly 100 miles between Lewiston, Idaho, and the Tri-Cities. Lake Sacajawea, a reservoir created by Ice Harbor Dam, irrigates 47,000 acres. The loss of electricity gen- erated by the dams would increase the cost of pumping groundwater. Farmers are worried about being “at the mercy of railroads” and skeptical about switching to crops that use less water. Certain environmental groups have been proposing for years that the dams be dismantled. Supporters say breach- ing the dams is necessary to save endangered salmon and other fish spe- cies in the Snake River Basin. They dis- pute the feared impacts on farmers and Capital Press Photo Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has come out in favor of removing four hydroelectric dams on the Snake River in Washington state, saying that is the best way to increase endangered salmon runs. minimize the value of the energy pro- duced by the dams. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Dem- ocrat, has long supported removing the dams. Most recently Inslee has touted removing the dams as a way to bolster the orca population in Puget Sound. Sci- entists blame a declining orca popula- tion on a lack of Chinook salmon for the killer whales to eat. Gov. Brown has come late to the fray. In her letter of support to Inslee, Brown said it is clear the “most cer- tain and robust solution to Snake River salmon and steelhead recovery” is removing the dams. “No other action has the potential to improve overall sur- vival two-to-three fold,” she said. Why now? We can only guess. Brown, a Democrat, took office in 2015 when then-Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned. She won a special election in 2016 to fill Kitzhaber’s unfinished term and was re-elected in 2018. Term limits prevent her from running again in 2022. We have heard she has further ambi- tions, either in Congress or in a cabinet role. What is better than supporting the breaching of dams in someone else’s state? No matter what happens to the four dams in Washington, there’s no direct political blowback on an Oregon politician. But that doesn’t mean Brown can’t burnish her bona fides with envi- ronmental groups that might be useful in future campaigns. Now many of the people who support breaching the Snake River dams also support breaching the big dams on the lower Columbia. That would have big impacts on Oregonians. The governor has been silent on the issue. We are reminded of the old fable about the relative roles chickens and pigs play in producing a ham-and-egg breakfast. The pig gives his life, and thus is committed, while the chicken’s involvement is free of risk. Let’s hope Brown never goes whole hog for dam removal. OTHER VIEWS The inconvenient truths of SB 1530 partnership with renewable energy and fossil fuel replacement efforts seems irresponsible at best and dishonest at worst. Another inconvenient truth rests with the unintended results of an 11th-hour compro- or those of us who are strong advocates mise in SB 1530 that prohibits Oregon’s pri- vate forestland owners from securing forest for climate change reform in our state, carbon offset payments through improved the inconvenient truths surrounding forest management practices, such as grow- the latest climate change legislation — Sen- ate Bill 1530 — before the Oregon Legisla- ing carbon-absorbing trees longer before har- ture causes pause. From the beginning, the vest occurs. Carbon emitters can invest in public has been kept in the dark on what hap- offset projects that equal up to 8% of their pens to Oregon’s statewide annual emissions total carbon footprint. Other states with car- bon taxes encourage forest carbon offset proj- numbers (at 64 million metric tons per year) ects. Eighty-five percent of all car- when including the contribution our bon offset credits offered under forests make to Oregon’s carbon California’s carbon cap-and-trade footprint. program, which Oregon wants to In climate-change strategy, two emulate, come from IFM proj- key approaches exist — keep it in ects on private forestland, result- the ground (reduce the use of fossil ing in over 143 million metric tons fuels) and pull it from the sky (shore of additional forest carbon sinks. up mechanisms that pull out and Since 2016, over 3 million met- store existing greenhouse gases in C atherine ric tons of forest carbon registered the atmosphere). M. M ater with the California program come The state has singularly focused COMMENT from Oregon private forestland. on the former (renewable energy, Almost $40 million in offset pay- electric cars), while ignoring the lat- ter. Both are needed. ments went to Oregon forestland owners and their forest-based communities, helping to Here’s why. sustain and grow carbon stores and long-term In 2017, the Oregon Global Warm- ing Commission and, in 2019, the Oregon wood supply. Yet SB 1530 supporters would Department of Forestry, independently con- muzzle that option for Oregon forestland firmed that Oregon forests produce a net owners. (after harvest) carbon sink of 30 million Finally, while other states crafting carbon metric tons each year through annual tree tax legislation are simultaneously proposing growth. All other sectors in Oregon, includ- other tax-reduction trade-offs for emitters, ing the energy and transportation sectors, Oregon legislators ignored this wise strat- egy by imposing another tax (20% on gross generate approximately 64 million metric receipts) on the same companies targeted tons of emissions each year. for carbon tax payments, creating a Marie This means that when including our for- ests, the total net statewide carbon footprint Antoinette let-them-eat-cake scenario. If any- thing, legislators should provide an exemp- is really at 34 million metric tons per year, tion from the new gross receipts tax for those not the 64 million metric tons quoted, result- ing in an emissions level that is only 3 million in the forestry and forest products sectors in tons per year short of meeting Oregon’s 2035 the state that contribute so much to Oregon’s statewide emission goals. real reduced carbon footprint and to those This good-news story has become an heavy emitters who choose in-state IFM off- set projects as part of their carbon tax offsets. inconvenient truth to those pushing for pas- sage of SB 1530, wishing to muzzle focus As Antoinette discovered too late at the guil- lotine, the price of arrogance is severe and on this latest forest carbon discovery. Yet lasting. the exact opposite is needed. Of the 11 states Like many, I would like to see Oregon in the U.S. that count forest carbon in their state’s carbon footprint, Oregon, Washington, become the next state in the U.S. to pass a California and North Carolina lead the nation carbon tax, but not by masking the truth or at the expense of those who contribute the in net forest carbon sinks. At 50%, Oregon most to Oregon’s unmasked carbon footprint leads the nation in forest carbon sinks that offset all other annual statewide carbon emis- picture. sions. Washington and North Carolina forests ——— Catherine M. Mater is president of Mater each offset 30%, California forests offset 7%. Engineering and a former chair of the Oregon For Oregon not to take a lead in using for- est carbon as a central tool in helping to reach Global Warming Commission Forest Carbon ambitious future emissions reduction goals in Task Force. Editor’s note: Do you have a point you’d like to make or an issue you feel strongly about? Submit a letter to the edi- tor or a guest column. F YOUR VIEWS Legislative bills will boost Oregon’s economy Two bills are being considered in the cur- rent legislative session that are important to Oregon’s economy. These bills deserve our attention and support. First is the Opportu- nity Zone Bill (House Bill 4010). Let’s dis- connect the Oregon tax code from Presi- dent Trump’s federal “Opportunity Zone” tax provisions. Otherwise, if we don’t, Ore- gon tax revenue will be given away to the very wealthy. This is a no-brainer. I don’t want my tax dollars to go the 1%. They have more than enough. Let’s be smart and make federal tax provision serve all Oregonians. It’s time to continue building the green economy in our state. The Climate Bill (Senate Bill 1530) is the next step. Although “cap and trade” has been shown to work in other states to both ratchet down CO2 emis- sions and stimulate the economy, Republi- cans in our Oregon Senate are again saying they will walk off the job to prevent a quo- rum for this bill. Our senators were elected and are paid to do their job. Please, Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, show up, stay put, and do your job. I urge all Oregonians living east of the mountains to learn more about these two bills, and urge our local legislators to make them happen. Mimi Maduro Mosier CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. SENATORS REPRESENTATIVES Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 La Grande office: 541-962-7691 Greg Barreto, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-38 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 Pendleton office: 541-278-1129 Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us U.S. REPRESENTATIVE SENATOR Greg Walden 185 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 La Grande office: 541-624-2400 Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
