A12
News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Ferrioli demands ODOT
director’s resignation
W HAT ’ S H APPENING
The deadline for What’s
Happening items is 5 p.m.
Friday. Call Cheryl at the
Eagle, 541-575-0710.
THURSDAY, NOV. 26
Leader says
faulty emissions
data foiled
transportation
package
Capital Bureau
EO Media Group
Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, on Nov. 18 called for the
director of the Department of Transportation to resign.
ter the hearing.
“In June, following the im-
plosion of transportation ne-
gotiations, I demanded Gov.
Brown immediately request
the resignation of Director
Garrett due to gross incom-
petency at best and dishonest
manipulation at worst,” Ferri-
oli said in a written statement.
“Whether Director Garrett
knew the numbers ODOT
provided the workgroup were
wrong or he simply failed to
provide the updated numbers
in his possession, his decision
to surprise workgroup mem-
bers with new numbers in a
public hearing without any
advance warning led to the
demise of a critical, bipartisan
transportation infrastructure
package for Oregonians that
would have resulted in real
carbon reduction.”
Records obtained by Ferri-
oli’s of¿ ce showed as early as
June 8, Garrett and Brown’s
sustainable communities and
transportation policy adviser
Karmen Fore received emails
from ODOT staff with lower
carbon reduction estimates.
Amanda Pietz, manager of
ODOT’s transportation plan-
ning unit, wrote in the email
that a computer model had
predicted that $400 million
in technological improve-
ments to improve traf¿ c À ow
could reduce carbon emis-
sions by 2.02 million metric
tons over a decade.
Nonetheless,
transpor-
tation of¿ cials continued to
provide documents to the bi-
partisan group of lawmakers
negotiating the transportation
package — known as the
Gang of Eight — that showed
the state could achieve the
same 2.02 million metric ton
reduction in carbon emissions
at half the price, $200 million
over a decade.
The ODOT estimates con-
tinued to sink lower, with
Garrett passing along an up-
dated prediction of 0.87 mil-
lion metric tons in carbon re-
duction from $200 million in
transportation improvements
in a June 10 email to Fore and
Brown’s energy policy advis-
er Margi Hoffman. However,
ODOT and the governor’s
advisers continued to tell law-
makers in updated brie¿ ng
documents that they could
achieve 2.02 million metric
tons in carbon reductions for
$200 million.
On the eve of the legisla-
tive hearing on the transpor-
tation package, Garrett asked
his staff to double-check
the numbers. Angela Crow-
ley-Koch, legislative di-
rector for the Oregon En-
vironmental Council, also
questioned the calculations in
an email to ODOT assistant
director Travis Brouwer that
evening.
WHAT’S
HAPPENING
Free Thanksgiving
dinners
By Hillary Borrud
SALEM — Oregon Sen-
ate Minority Leader Ted Fer-
rioli, R-John Day, on Nov. 18
called for the state’s top trans-
portation of¿ cial to resign.
Ferrioli accused Oregon
Department of Transportation
director Matthew Garrett and
advisers to Gov. Kate Brown
of withholding key carbon
emissions information from
Democratic and Republican
lawmakers who were nego-
tiating a transportation fund-
ing package earlier this year.
Ferrioli cited public records
released by ODOT and the
Governor’s Of¿ ce.
Lawmakers gave up on
the transportation funding
proposal after Garrett re-
vealed during the ¿ rst public
hearing June 24 that the plan
would result in a smaller car-
bon emissions reduction than
originally projected. ODOT
staff had predicted smaller
carbon reductions more than
two weeks before the hearing,
but did not pass that ¿ gure
to lawmakers, according to
emails released by Ferrioli’s
of¿ ce.
Lawmakers have contin-
ued to question the transpor-
tation agency’s management
in recent months, and Brown
acknowledged last week that
ODOT needs to reassure
lawmakers it is operating ef-
¿ ciently in order to build sup-
port for a possible 2017 trans-
portation funding package.
The emissions calculations
were a critical component of
the 2015 transportation ne-
gotiations. Republicans had
said they would only support
an increase in the gas tax if
Democrats agreed to repeal
the state’s low-carbon fuel
standard, which takes effect
in January and is supposed to
reduce carbon emissions from
transportation by up to 10
percent — 7.7 million metric
tons — over the next decade.
Democrats said they
would only consider replac-
ing the fuel standard with a
plan that would result in at
least an equal reduction in
carbon emissions. ODOT
staff provided estimates that
the state could achieve that
through a package of alter-
native fuel incentives and
spending to improve public
transit and reduce traf¿ c con-
gestion.
One part of the plan in par-
ticular resulted in immediate
skepticism by environmen-
talists: proposed technolog-
ical improvements in traf¿ c
À ows that were supposed to
cut carbon emissions by 2.02
million metric tons over a
decade. Together with other
components of the plan, these
improvements were supposed
to reduce carbon emissions
by as much as 9.1 million to
11.22 million metric tons over
a decade.
Garrett said on June 24
the technological improve-
ments would yield roughly 20
percent of the amount calcu-
lated originally for the bipar-
tisan group, which meant the
transportation package would
no longer achieve the same
amount of carbon reductions
predicted from the low-car-
bon fuel standard.
Ferrioli revealed on
Wednesday that he had also
asked the governor to seek
Garrett’s resignation soon af-
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
1 p.m., Teen Center, Prai-
rie City
Everyone is welcome to a
free, traditional Thanksgiving
meal with all the trimmings.
For more information, or to
arrange for a ride, call Prairie
Baptist Church at 541-820-
3696.
1-4 p.m., John Day Elks
Lodge
A free holiday meal with
ham, turkey and all the trim-
mings will be offered. Contri-
butions of side dishes and des-
serts are welcome. The lounge
will be open for pool, shufÀ e-
board, card games and foot-
ball on big screen TVs. Home
deliveries are available for
seniors, veterans and disabled
people who live in John Day,
Canyon City, Mt. Vernon and
Prairie City. Call the lodge
in advance to make arrange-
ments. Volunteers are also
needed to help cook, set up,
clean up and deliver meals.
For more information, call the
lodge at 541-575-1824.
future date.
TUES.-WED.
DEC. 1-2
Spay and neuter clinic
John Day River Veteri-
nary Center
Dogs will be done on
Tuesday and cats on Wednes-
day. The veterinary center is
at 59989 Highway 26, west of
John Day. Call 541-932-4428
for more information.
FRIDAY, DEC. 4
Carrie Young Memorial
5:30 p.m., John Day Elks
Lodge
The annual by-donation
spaghetti dinner, which in-
cludes silent and live auctions,
supports the elderly in Grant
County. Proceeds go toward
the purchase of gifts and every
day living items for patients in
local assisted living facilities,
plus 150 home-bound elderly
and handicapped people. To
donate or for more informa-
tion, contact Lucie Immoos at
541-620-2098.
SATURDAY, DEC. 5
Two holiday bazaars
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Grant
County Fairgrounds, John
Day
The Blue Mountain Hospi-
tal Auxiliary bazaar will be in
Trowbridge Pavilion, and the
fairgrounds bazaar will be in
Keerins Hall. Together, they
feature dozens of vendors of-
fering an array of crafts and
other goods. There will be
several gift drawings in Keer-
ins Hall, and soup and pie will
be available in the Pavilion.
Santa Claus will be there too,
so bring your camera. Call the
fair of¿ ce, 541-575-1900.
SATURDAY, NOV. 28
Canyon City holiday
bazaar
9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Canyon
City Community Hall
Vendors will be selling a
variety of goodies including
handcrafted items, gifts in a
Mar, Mewelry, ¿ ne art, furniture
and more.
MONDAY, NOV. 30
Fair board planning
meeting
5:30 p.m., Keerins Hall-
north room, Grant County
Fairgrounds, John Day
The Grant County Fair
Board will hold a planning
meeting to discuss the ¿ nan-
cial future of the Grant Coun-
ty Fairgrounds, to be present-
ed to the County Court at a
Open Tuesday - Saturday Call for hours
Now open for breakfast Wed-Sat 6:30am
02980
Christmas Gifts for All
Vintage
Jewelry
Western
Wall Decor
Sunday Only
HOLIDAY
SALE
10%
&
Much
More
OFF
ALL GIFTS
Friday,
Nov. 27th
ALL DAY
Reserve your
HOLIDAY
PARTY
today!
OUTPOST
RESTAURANT
201 West Main • John Day
541.575.0250
03023
03007
st
December
1
, 2013
November 29,
2015
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Our Entire Stock”