Wednesday, April 6, 2022
A4
OPINION
OTHER VIEWS
Private
enterprise
shines in
climate efforts
N
ot to be critical of government, but
if you want something done, you’re
usually best off looking to private
enterprise.
It’s not that government can’t do it, it’s just
that government too often gets in the way of
itself — and everyone else.
Take, for example, efforts to slow cli-
mate change. At the state and federal levels, a
hodgepodge of climate programs has emerged
over the years. Most are aimed at jacking up
oil and gas prices.
By doing that, they are supercharging infla-
tion, which is now 7.9%, the highest it’s been
since 1982.
The federal government has been particu-
larly inept in its climate efforts. It has subsi-
dized “green” companies such as Tesla, which
in turn has built factories overseas, includ-
ing China, the biggest climate polluter on
the planet. That country produces 30% of the
world’s carbon dioxide and continues to add to
its fleet of 1,110 coal-fired power generation
plants to run all of those Chinese-built Teslas.
By comparison, India operates the sec-
ond-largest number of coal-fired plants, 285.
In the meantime, the federal government
has also discouraged domestic oil and natural
gas production while going to countries such
as Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia looking
for more oil.
In Oregon, the unelected bureaucrats in the
Department of Environment Quality are doing
an end-run around the Legislature with their
“Climate Protection Program.”
In Washington, the Department of Ecology
is aiming at forcing refineries to reduce their
greenhouse gases by 28% in four years.
That means consumers and businesses —
you — will ultimately be saddled with higher
gasoline and diesel prices.
The carbon footprints of Oregon and Wash-
ington are minuscule compared to those of
China, India and Russia, or even California.
What we in the Northwest do to slow climate
change matters, but not very much. Wash-
ington produces about 0.19% of global car-
bon emissions, while Oregon produces about
0.17%. That’s according to each state and the
Our World in Data website.
With that in mind, we were greatly inter-
ested in a new private enterprise effort that
appears to have all of the trappings of success.
Organic Valley, a cooperative of organic dairy
farmers, last month announced its Carbon
Insetting Program as a means of achieving car-
bon neutrality by 2050.
This program is the essence of simplic-
ity. Instead setting up some confusing govern-
ment-style effort that requires a battalion of
new employees, Organic Valley will pay co-op
members for reducing their carbon footprint.
More efficient lighting and coolers, installing
solar panels, planting trees and better manure
management are among the activities that will
reduce or offset carbon dioxide and methane
production.
The efforts will be certified by a third party,
SustainCERT, to determine the impacts.
In return, the farmers will receive the mar-
ket rate, about $15, for every metric ton of car-
bon that is either sequestered or otherwise pre-
vented from entering the atmosphere.
Others in agriculture are developing efforts
that will similarly reduce their impact on the
climate.
They all have several characteristics in
common. They are simple, meaningful and
effective.
Those are three characteristics generally
missing from government climate efforts.
A suggestion: Maybe the government
should stick to encouraging private enterprise
to reduce its carbon footprint instead of push-
ing programs that will cost consumers, busi-
nesses, farmers and ranchers.
Our confidence is in private enterprise. If
government wants to help, that’s fine. It just
shouldn’t get in the way.
— Capital Press
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Not all rural Oregonians
want to be Idahoans
I’d like to tell everyone to go outside
and sing a song. I recommend “What a
Wonderful World.” Oregon has a thriv-
ing economy. The only ones who expe-
rience real hardship here are the poor-
est. Some have been victims of neglect
all their lives. Polluted water, air and
soil are harmful to development. Finan-
cial struggles are accompanied by lower
school attendance. Behavior prob-
lems often become aggravated and
cumulative.
Investing in healthy families isn’t just
a softhearted liberal policy. Even the
most conservative capitalists must be
waking up and saying to themselves: Oh
my, I guess we should have put money
into a clean environment, good schools
and economic support for struggling par-
ents. Then their kids could have grown
up to be smart, trustworthy workers
capable of learning new technologies.
(And getting along well with others.)
Oregon is not perfect but is certainly
capable of turning these concepts into
reality.
Those who are unhappy with our state
should go live in Idaho for a few months.
Just try it out before you push your sep-
aratist ideology. The media is in grave
danger of presenting a distorted picture
Tricky and cheap not apt
descriptions of Nash
Last week a letter accused county
Commissioner Todd Nash of being
“tricky” and “cheap.” If Todd Nash is
“tricky” and “cheap,” I am young, tall,
thin, athletic and incredibly sexy.
Mike Harvey
Joseph
CONTACT your REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
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editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions
of the authors and not necessarily that of the Wallowa County Chieftain.
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Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore.
Phone: 541-398-5502 • Fax: 541-426-3921
Contents copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
• • •
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private
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209 NW 1st St. Enterprise, OR 97828
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SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
USPS No. 665-100
Cliff Bentz
1239 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646
REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884
VOLUME 134
of rural Oregonians. They are failing to
cover anyone here who believes in keep-
ing Oregon whole.
Mary Cooke
Cove
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