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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2015)
B10 News & Sports Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 25, 2015 C APITAL B UREAU Fuel producers, truckers sue to block fuel standard Oregon may lose its ZLOG¿UHLQVXUDQFHSROLF\ By Hillary Borrud Capital Bureau SALEM – Lawmakers working on the next two- year budget say that one of the major challenges they face is how to pay for fire- fighting costs. They’re worried a com- pany that has previously sold the state an insurance policy to help cover fire- fighting costs will either refuse to issue such a poli- cy this year, or the deduct- ible will be so high that it no longer makes sense for the state to purchase insur- ance. Oregon usually pur- chases a policy from Lloyd’s, the London in- surance company, to help the +27 cover firefighting costs; the state uses its tax-sup- ported general fund and landowner contributions to cover the remaining firefighting costs not paid for by the federal govern- ment. “The other wild card that hasn’t really come up in discussion much is fire season costs,” said Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee. “It is unlikely we will receive the same sort of fire insurance coverage we have received in the past from Lloyd’s of London,” he said. “They will either want a lot more money up front for the policy, or they will place it in such a corner’s 6+7 EEK OF THE W 6 23+,$ 3 (77,7 Grant County Sheriff’s Department lion in coverage to the state after Oregon put up more than twice that amount in deductibles and payouts — a deal he says would not be worth it. Girod, who is on the budget committee, says ne- gotiations are continuing. This story first ap- peared in the Oregon Cap- ital Insider newsletter. To subscribe, go to oregoncap- italinsider.com /DG\3URVWDNHWRWKH¿HOG School: 0RQXPHQW Grade: 8 Parents: (DUODQG1LWWD\D3HWWLW Sport: 7UDFN)LHOG Events: PHWHUORQJMXPSWULSOHMXPS What I like best about my sport: “I like that it’s an individual Team faces tough Rockets team By Angel Carpenter sport. I also like the variety of events that you can do.” Coach’s Comment: “She has a desire to take risks, and she stays focused in the meets and always does her best. She’s really coachable – she’s always willing to try something new and if I ask her to change a little bit in any of her events, she always accepts advice.” – Coach Treila Osborne Blue Mountain Eagle Proud sponsor of Grant County athletes 100 E. Main¬6WRSOLJKWLQ-RKQ'D\ Capital Bureau The state of Oregon may lose its wildfire insurance coverage as rising premiums and deductibles could make the policy unaffordable. way our deductible is so high that it’s not going to make financial sense for us to continue. So that’s a significant challenge in the tens of millions of dollars we have to be aware of for fire seasons going forward as part of the budget.” Sen. Fred Girod, R-Lyons, said Lloyd’s initial offer would have provided only $19 mil- permanent, and Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill into law March 12. Brown did not imme- SALEM — Fuel producers diately respond to a request for and truckers are suing to stop comment Monday afternoon on Oregon from implementing the whether the lawsuit might affect state’s low-carbon fuel standard. the state’s implementation of the ,QGXVWU\ JURXSV ¿OHG D IHG- low-carbon fuel standard. ,Q D FRXUW ¿OLQJ 0RQGD\ eral lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday lawyers for the American Fuel against Gov. Kate Brown, mem- and Petrochemical Manufac- bers of the Oregon Environmen- turers, American Trucking tal Quality Commission and Associations, Inc., and Con- employees of the state Depart- sumer Energy Alliance said the ment of Environmental Quality. low-carbon fuel standard vio- The plaintiffs asked the court to lates the commerce clause of the issue a preliminary injunction to U.S. Constitution because it dis- stop the state from implement- criminates against fuel imported ing the program while the case into the state and attempts to regulate fuel production activi- proceeds. A similar federal lawsuit in ties outside Oregon. For example, the plaintiffs California slowed the roll-out of that state’s low-carbon fuel pro- stated the Oregon program was designed to close the state’s fuel gram but did not stop it. The Western States Petro- market to certain types of corn OHXP$VVRFLDWLRQDOUHDG\¿OHGD ethanol and other renewable fu- challenge to the low-carbon fuel els and therefore interferes with program at the Oregon Court of “the congressional purpose of ensuring a continued market na- Appeals earlier this month. The state Environmental tionwide for this corn ethanol.” The groups also stated the Quality Commission voted in January to adopt regulations Oregon low-carbon fuel pro- that will require fuel import- gram is pre-empted by federal ers and producers to reduce the laws including the Clean Air carbon content of transportation Act and federal renewable fuel fuels by 10 percent during the standard. The Western States Petro- next decade, starting in January 2016. The rules were based on OHXP $VVRFLDWLRQ ¿OHG D SHWL- a 2009 bill, which was set to tion March 9 asking the Ore- sunset this year before the state gon Court of Appeals to review the low-carbon fuel standard could implement the program. Lawmakers passed the con- regulations the environmental troversial Senate Bill 324 earlier commission adopted in January this year to make the program based on the existing state law. By Hillary Borrud JOHN DAY – The Grant Union softball team expe- rienced ups and downs last weekend. The team had big wins in Culver Friday, toppling the Bulldogs 14-2 and 20-2 in a doubleheader. At home on Saturday the team played well, but fell to the strong Pilot Rock/Nixy- aawii Rockets 2-9 and 1-5. Head coach Deanna Nash said the team had a good day The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Cody Jo Madden winds up for the pitch in Saturday’s game against Pilot Rock/ Nixyaawii. against Culver, hitting the ball well and executing the game. “Our inexperience showed a little today,” she said after the game with the Rockets. “Pilot Rock is a state playoff team, and we hung well with them.” She added that while the WHDP PDGH VRPH GLI¿FXOW plays, the bats didn’t come through as well. One of many highlights for the day came when Cody Jo Madden was at the mound. The Rockets had the bas- es loaded and Mariah Mey- erholz caught a fly ball in center field then threw to catcher Babe Nash for an out at home. That play was followed by Sydney Stearns catching an RXWLQOHIW¿HOG Stearns also shared mound duties for the day. New to the Prospector team are a couple players from other schools, Ravyn Walker from Dayville School and Brianna Zweygardt from Prairie City School. “Both are great kids, and they’ve been accepted by the team,” Nash said. “It’s been a good mix of kids, and they’ve melded well. I’m super excited about where we’re at, and we’re going to have a lot of girls continue to improve in a short period of time.” Grant Union takes this week off for spring break, then travels to Heppner for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Tues- day, March 31, and hosts El- gin at 1 p.m Friday, April 3, for a doubleheader. Nominate Your Educational Hero B OWLING RESULTS Educators play an extremely important role in our community and are often underappreciated. Nugget Lanes This year, Doug’s Motor Vehicle Repair is saying “Thank you, educators” by honoring an “Educator of the Month.” Each month one local educator will be highlighted in the Blue Mountain Eagle and will receive a $50 gift certificate from Doug’s Repair. Educator of the Year will receive $1,000 to be donated to school of their choice. March 18 Nooners Senior League: Men High Game: Doug Kruse 180 Men High Series: Doug Kruse 502 Women High Game: Chris Rowe 163 Women High Series: Chris Rowe 467 March 19 Thursday Mixed 2K15: Men High Game: Grant Benton 237 Men High Series: Grant Benton 630 Women High Game: Jamie Benton & Cheryl Leighton 140 Women High Series: Cheryl Leighton 399 Nominate your Local Hero by picking up a nomination form at the Blue Mountain Eagle or Doug’s Repair, or download a copy from the Blue Mountain Eagle’s website –www.bluemountaineagle.com. s 10 am ’ SILVERADO N yd TRUCK MONTH MOST AWARDED PICKUP OF 2014 2015 SILVERADO 1500 CREW CAB LT ALL STAR 4WD ON SELECT VEHICLES IN STOCK THE LONGEST $3,750 TOTAL CASH ALLOWANCE $3,250 BELOW MSRP + 750 OPTION PACKAGE DISCOUNT $7,750 TOTAL VALUE Buy one, get one free on all gallons of interior and exterior Royal and Clark-Kensington paint Wednesday, March 25, through Sunday, March 29! 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