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
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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
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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
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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 $19 mil-
permanent, and Gov. Kate
Brown signed the bill into law
March 12. Brown did not imme-
SALEM — Fuel producers diately respond to a request for
and truckers are suing to stop comment Monday afternoon on
Oregon from implementing the whether the lawsuit might affect
state’s low-carbon fuel standard. the state’s implementation of the
,QGXVWU\ JURXSV ¿OHG D IHG- low-carbon fuel standard.
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eral lawsuit in the U.S. District
Court in Portland on Monday lawyers for the American Fuel
against Gov. Kate Brown, mem- and Petrochemical Manufac-
bers of the Oregon Environmen- turers, American Trucking
tal Quality Commission and Associations, Inc., and Con-
employees of the state Depart- sumer Energy Alliance said the
ment of Environmental Quality. low-carbon fuel standard vio-
The plaintiffs asked the court to lates the commerce clause of the
issue a preliminary injunction to U.S. Constitution because it dis-
stop the state from implement- criminates against fuel imported
ing the program while the case into the state and attempts to
regulate fuel production activi-
proceeds.
A similar federal lawsuit in ties outside Oregon.
For example, the plaintiffs
California slowed the roll-out of
that state’s low-carbon fuel pro- stated the Oregon program was
designed to close the state’s fuel
gram but did not stop it.
The Western States Petro- market to certain types of corn
OHXP$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.
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