BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022 A5
OREGON
State to expand targets under Clean Fuels Program
BY GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
SALEM — Oregon regulators are ac-
celerating targets meant to shrink the
carbon footprint of the state’s transpor-
tation sector.
The governor-appointed Environ-
mental Quality Commission voted
unanimously in September to expand
the Clean Fuels Program.
When the program was first imple-
mented in 2016, it called for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions from trans-
portation fuels 10% below 2015 levels
by 2025. The new targets are 20% be-
low 2015 levels by 2030, and 37% by
2035.
To accomplish this, fuel distributors
may choose to import more lower-car-
bon biofuels such as ethanol or renew-
able diesel — made from vegetable oil
— to replace gasoline or diesel.
Alternatively, companies that pro-
duce biofuels or electric vehicles may
generate credits that can be bought or
sold to comply with the program.
Cory-Ann Wind, Clean Fuels Pro-
gram manager for the Oregon Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality, said
increasing the emissions reductions
targets will ensure the market remains
strong for credits and investments in
low-carbon transportation fuels.
“The policy is flexible. We leave it up
to the industry to decide which fuels
they want to invest in,” Wind said. “It’s
all about the carbon score, and how
much cleaner it is than the fossil fuels,
Don Jenkins/Capital Press File
The governor-appointed Oregon Environmental Quality Commission has voted to expand the Clean Fuels Program, accelerating
targets meant to shrink the carbon footprint of the state’s transportation sector.
gas and diesel it displaces.”
Transportation is the single largest
carbon polluter in Oregon, making up
37% of the state’s total emissions, ac-
cording to DEQ.
Since 2016, DEQ figures show the
Clean Fuels Program has helped re-
duce 7.3 million tons of greenhouse gas
emissions and displaced nearly 1.5 bil-
lion gallons of fossil fuels.
About 60 companies are required
to participate in the program, though
Wind said the total number of regu-
lated entities is closer to 225, which
includes companies that voluntarily
participate and generate credits in the
marketplace.
For the month of September, credits
were trading for $114.74. Each credit
represents 1 ton of greenhouse gas
emissions.
Reducing the emissions targets will
further increase demand for the cred-
its, Wind said, keeping prices stable
and spurring incentives for companies
to invest in cleaner fuels.
“Investors in clean fuels technology
need the higher credit prices to be able
to invest in expanding capacity for fa-
cilities, or to continue to reduce the car-
bon intensity of those fuels,” Wind said.
“On the climate side, too, the more ag-
gressive those standards are, the more
(emissions) you’re reducing as well.”
While agriculture is exempt from the
program, Wind said the state is eyeing
whether to approve credits for makers
of small-scale electric tractors.
A project to test the potential of
these tractors is underway in Oregon,
led by the Wy’East Resource Conserva-
tion and Development Area Council,
with support from Sustainable North-
west, Forth and the Bonneville Envi-
ronmental Foundation.
“As all of these technologies evolve,
we want to make sure they can bene-
fit from the program and incentives,”
Wind said.
Despite the agricultural exemption
written into the Clean Fuels Program,
farmers and ranchers have expressed
concern about how the initiative will
affect fuel prices going forward.
Lauren Poor, government affairs di-
rector for the Oregon Farm Bureau,
said the exemption is essentially mean-
ingless, since producers buy fuel on the
open market and are therefore subject
to increased fuel costs regardless.
“In the broader scheme of things,
the expanding targets ... will not make
a meaningful difference in combating
global climate change, but will have an
immediate impact on Oregon’s rural
communities, driving up the cost of ev-
eryday necessities for Oregon farmers,”
Poor said.
Oregon set to collect contributions for paid leave benefits
BY PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon, after years of preparation,
is set to start collecting contributions
from businesses and employees for a
new state program of paid family and
medical leave.
Contributions are scheduled to start
Jan. 1. Benefits are scheduled to be paid
starting Sept. 3, 2023.
“We want to get the word out about
this vital safety net for working people
in Oregon,” said Karen Madden Hu-
melbaugh, director of Paid Leave Ore-
gon for the Employment Department.
The initial contributions for 2023
are capped at 1% of wages. For employ-
ees, their share is six tenths, or 60%; for
employers of 25 or more, their share is
four tenths, or 40%. Smaller employers
are not required to contribute, though
their employees will have to, and em-
ployees are covered.
Tribes, self-employed workers and
independent contractors also can opt
into the program.
Employers that already offer plans
with equivalent benefits can be excused
from the program. So far, 31 plans have
been submitted, and the Employment
Department has approved six. Humel-
baugh said others are in the process,
and the agency has set 30 days as the
turnaround point for a decision.
Benefits under the Oregon program
are set at a maximum of $1,215 per
week for 12 weeks during a single year.
The contributions go into a trust fund
for benefits, much like employer pay-
roll taxes go into a trust fund for unem-
ployment benefits.
According to the National Confer-
Benefits under the Oregon
program are set at a maximum
of $1,215 per week for 12 weeks
during a single year.
ence of State Legislatures, Oregon is
one of 11 states and Washington, D.C.,
with such programs. Oregon is among
four states that have not yet started
them. California and Washington al-
ready have done so.
Oregon approved a family-leave law
in 1991, two years ahead of the federal
law. But its requirement for 12 weeks of
leave is unpaid.
Humelbaugh said that unlike defi-
nitions in other states, Oregon’s pro-
gram covers survivors of sexual assault,
domestic violence, harassment and
stalking. (Protections for them were
added to the family-leave law starting
in 2014.)
It also allows for medical leave for
workers, care of a family member with
a serious illness or injury, or the ad-
dition of a new child through birth,
adoption or foster placement.
“It has one of the most inclusive defi-
nitions of family in the country,” she
said. “Family could be a neighbor, a
friend or someone in our close circle.”
Workers who choose to take leave
for at least 90 days will have their jobs
protected.
President Joe Biden proposed a
paid leave program under federal law
with an initial benefit of $4,000 per
month over 12 weeks, slightly less
generous than Oregon’s program. But
Congress did not pass it. It is unclear
yet what happens to state programs if
a federal benefit is authorized in the
future.
The Oregon Legislature extended
the deadlines slightly in 2021 legisla-
tion.
Employers will use the Oregon Em-
ployment Department’s new computer
system, Frances Online, to file reports
on employer and employee contribu-
tions to the paid leave fund. It is the
same system that employers starting
using on Sept. 6 to file payroll reports,
the basis for the taxes that employers
pay into the state unemployment bene-
fits trust fund.
“That is part of the same portal. So
we are ready for the contributions,” Hu-
melbaugh said. “We will be using that
modernized system. Everything seems
to be in line to meet that deadline.”
SHANE ALDERSON
FOR
Proud to Welcome
BAKER COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIR
Samuel Capra, MD
to Baker City
My family has called Baker County home since 1935. We are enjoying raising our young daughter in this
beautiful community surrounded by small town values.
I promise to work hard for all citizens, do the work that needs to be done and
to provide the vital services taxpayer deserve.
I want to be your Baker County Commission Chair to mend the relationship
between Baker County and Baker City and other small cities and jurisdictions.
Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Surgeon
If your life has been disrupted by a bone, joint or
muscle problem, Dr. Capra is here to provide the
necessary surgical and non-surgical treatment
you need here locally – compassionately,
collaboratively and with the highest level
of quality care.
Whether you’re a student-athlete
with a torn ACL or an active adult
who wants to return to golf, Dr.
Capra and his team of athletic
trainers and physical therapists
have you covered. They will tailor
a recovery plan that is right
for you, to get you back to
performing at your best.
Treating injuries related to:
Ligament sprains/tears
Shoulder
Tendon or muscle strain
Hand
Elbow
Tendinitis
Hip
Knee
Fractures
Foot
Ankle
Sports/activity injury
Saint Alphonsus
Orthopedics
3325 Pocahontas Rd.
Baker City, OR 97814
Phone: 541-524-8000
I pledge to:
Our calling is you.
• Work hard to to maximize fire and ambulance service throughout Baker County
• Continue to support local law enforcement agencies to reduce crime and hold
offenders accountable for their actions
• Be a strong supporter for water issues and other matters facing our local agricul-
tural producers
• Work to protect jobs at Ashgrove Cement and other mining entities
• Continue to work with all local entities (Chambers, Baker City Downtown,
Interpretive Center, local Museums, Economic Development Committee, etc.) to
provide resources to enhance our local tourism industry.
• Advocate and work with State and Federal agencies to provide affordable work-
force housing in our community.
• Work hard to bring traded sector jobs to our County that provide family wage
jobs for working families.
• Work with local entities to make sure that we have affordable day care for fami-
lies with working parents
I am not beholden to any special interest groups and will bring honest and open
communication to the County Commission. Please vote for Shane Alderson for Baker County
Commission Chair.
Paid for by Committee to elect Shane Alderson