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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2020)
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 OREGON LEGISLATURE Carbon bill on hold for now ■ Pause follows complaints issued by Republicans in the House By Dirk VanderHart Oregon Public Broadcasting S. John Collins / Baker City Herald fi le photo-2015 The Cornet-Windy Ridge fi re burns south of Baker City in August 2015. Wildfire bills moving forward, but budget could douse momentum ■ One bill would allocate $25 million to thin forests, but the other bill, which would overhaul the state’s fire mitigation and suppression system, lacks a funding source SALEM — Two bills being considered by Oregon lawmak- ers this session are expected to be the one-two punch the state needs to considerably reduce the impact of wildfi re on its landscape and residents. In recent years, the on- slaught of smoke from major wildfi res has choked many parts of the state through the summer months. Fires threaten homes where forests meet urban sprawl, and timber owners are losing pre- cious resources for renewable building material and wood products. Wildfi re is one of the pre- eminent threats to Oregon’s way of life in a multitude of ways, but the state is hoping this year it can make head- way in minimizing its effects through an approach that takes both the short term and future into account. The fi rst is a bill — Senate Bill 1514 — creating 15 proj- ects to be led by the state For- estry Department that would clear trees, underbrush and other forest material consid- ered to be “fuel” for wildfi re. The projects would take place in locations across the state determined by the depart- ment within the 5.2 million acres identifi ed as high-risk areas by the Governor’s Council on Wildfi re Response. The projects would be funded by a $25 million allocation laid out within the bill. The second bill — Senate “I don’t want something that dies at the end of the session stuck in Ways and Means.” —Sen. Herman Baertschiger, R-Grants Pass Bill 1536 — would overhaul the state’s approach to fi re mitigation and suppression, and help communities adapt to smoke and fi re. It includes a lengthy list of new policies and regulations around: service districts, or expand and adjust current ones, as well as providing fi nancial help. What about the cost? It’s unclear just how much SB 1536 bill would cost or where that money would • Assessing wildfi re risk for come from. A fi scal impact utilities and having them cre- statement found the proposal ate their own mitigation plans. needs further work by the • Bolstering fi re insurance Legislature’s budget com- and setting standards that mittee, but the Governor’s encourage homeowners near Wildfi re Council estimated forests to harden their homes the cost at approximately $4 against fi re. billion over the next 20 years, • Creating new positions or about $200 million a year. within the state Offi ce of It’s a robust approach to Emergency Management to many aspects of the conver- administer new mitigation and sation the Governor’s Council recovery efforts. and legislators continue to • Mitigating the health have around reducing the effects of smoke by helping impact of wildfi re. But a homeowners in smoke-prone party-line vote in the Senate areas retrofi t their homes with Wildfi re Committee last fi ltration systems. week to send both bills into • Establishing minimum the budget committee indi- standards of defensible space cates Republicans might not around homes. have the appetite to tackle the • Setting a goal to annually entire plan now. treat 300,000 acres of forest The bill has a lot of moving and remove fuels to prevent pieces, and the version passed fi res from growing too large. by the committee includes • Developing Oregon’s for- everything but one provision estry workforce. on land use. House Bill 4054, • Requiring the State Fire sponsored by Rep. David Marshall and State Forester Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, to help local jurisdictions, creates an advisory commit- landowners, businesses and tee within the Department individuals create new wildfi re of Land Conservation and Development to review land use policies related to wildfi re. Sen. Herman Baertschiger Jr., R-Grants Pass, commit- tee vice chair and Senate Republican leader, failed in his attempts to amend the bill to drop several sections. Baertschiger said he’s con- cerned the bill does too much at once and needs more dis- cussion on certain policy and funding aspects. He pointed out that he’s not attempting to derail the effort but to be realistic about what’s feasible, especially at the budget com- mittee. “Ways and Means has already told me there’s not a lot of money, so I want some- thing we can get through the process,” he said. “I don’t want something that dies at the end of the session stuck in Ways and Means. That’s my bottom line.” Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ash- land, is more optimistic. “We’re talking about signifi - cant dollars, and of course, the wildfi re council’s even talking about a lot more money over time, but I think all this work we’ve been doing makes for a pretty strategic launch,” he said. “The question is how much agreement is there that this is a tier-one emergency.” Golden said he believes there would be no question of the emergency around wildfi re and support for this bill had 2019 fi re season been as bad as the two previous years. Teen dies from flu complications COOS BAY (AP) — A 16-year-old student at a Coos Bay high school has died due to complications of Infl uenza B, offi cials said. Coos Bay Public Schools Superintendent Bryan Trendell said in a statement that the student at Marshfi eld High School had died early Monday morning, The World reported. Marshfi eld High School Principal Travis e s ou H n e p O Clinic Howard said he’s been in contact with an infectious disease specialist who assured him that the school was not in danger of further infection or contamination. The student was a football and baseball player and was also in band, Howard said. A room has been set up at the school for stu- dents who might need counseling. Bak er Visi on y 28 ar u r b e F , y a Frid 1- 4 p.m. ODOT managers retire after probe SALEM (AP) — Two Oregon Department of Transportation managers at the center of a 2017 whistleblower-retaliation scandal have retired following a six-month internal investi- gation into possible new policy violations. David McKane, 60, and David Fifer, 63, worked for ODOT’s Motor Carrier Trans- portation Division, which regulates trucking and operates weigh stations throughout the BEST OF HAWAII FOUR-ISLAND TOUR After 35 years, Dr. Sheryl Blankenship is retiring from Baker Vision Clinic. As many of you know and appreciate, Dr. Blankenship has spent her career serving patients with dedication, enthusiasm, and care. We wish Dr. Blankenship all the best in her next great adventure; she will be truly missed by patients, staff and all those who she has worked alongside throughout her amazing career. Baker Vision Clinic will be hosting an open house for patients to stop by and show their appreciation for Dr. Sheryl Blankenship’s many years of service. state. Both were put on paid administrative leave on Aug. 27, 2019. Neither returned or will return to work, ODOT spokesman David House said. Fifer retired Feb. 1. McKane’s retirement will be effective April 1, accounting for ac- crued leave. Reached by phone on Monday, McKane declined to comment to the States- man Journal. Fifer didn’t respond to an email. 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Call today to connect with a SENIOR LIVING ADVISOR INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE A Place for Mom has helped over a million families find senior living solutions that meet their unique needs. There’s no cost to you! Call Inogen Today To Request Your FREE Info Kit 1-855-839-0752 SALEM — Democrats are slowing forward momentum of a signature bill to regulate Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, after complaints that the policy is being ramrodded through without adequate discussion. “This is a response House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Port- to House Republican land, told reporters on leaders who are saying, Monday that legisla- ‘We need to understand tive leaders plan to temporarily halt the this bill better on behalf progress of Senate of our constituents.’ ” Bill 1530, which — House Speaker would implement a cap-and-trade system Tina Kotek, D-Portland in the state. A hearing set for Tuesday in the Senate budget committee was canceled so the House can discuss the issue more thoroughly. Bowing to criticisms over a lack of process, Kotek says a bill identical to SB 1530 would be introduced in the House Rules Committee on Tuesday. That will allow House members to consider the proposal in depth — and listen to public testimony — in hearings planned for Tuesday and Thursday. SB 1530, meanwhile, would be on pause, Kotek said. “Our suggestion to the Senate was not to progress the bill until the House has had some opportunity to (get) further information on our side,” she said. “This is a response to House Republican leaders who are saying, ‘We need to understand this bill better on behalf of our constituents.’” Senator Bill Hansell, R-Athena, wasn’t so sure that the cancellation of Tuesday’s work session was meant to satisfy the requests of House Republicans. “I’ve heard they have more amendments to make,” he said. “I think what’s happening is that the bill is being amended to bring more businesses on board to support it. On the other end, they’re losing environ- mental groups that believe too much is being given away.” Tensions over the cap-and-trade proposal have dominated this year’s fi ve-week legislative session. On Feb. 13, for instance, Republicans went so far as to walk out of one House committee in protest of Demo- crats’ maneuvering. Though the fundamental structure of Oregon’s proposed system has been debated and scrutinized for years, GOP members in both chambers have repeat- edly accused Democrats of abusing their authority by forcing SB 1530 through the building. Under the bill, emissions from the transportation, manufacturing and utility sectors would be capped and reduced over time. Companies within those sectors would be required to obtain permits from the state for each metric ton of carbon they emit in a given year. Democrats’ gesture around SB 1530 appears unlikely to move Republicans, who have argued for years that a cap-and-trade system will hike prices in Oregon, hurting families and businesses. While the House Republican Offi ce did not immediately have comment on Kotek’s announcement, its members have shown no signs of supporting the bill unless it is submitted to voters for approval, something Kotek and other Democrats have refused to consider. © 2020 Inogen, Inc. All rights reserved. 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