State
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
A9
ODOT will expand use of salt on roads
By Claire Withycombe
Oregon Capital Bureau
Chance of snow? Expect a sprin-
kling of salt too.
On the first eleven miles of Inter-
state 5 north of the California bor-
der, the average number of winter
crashes dropped from 115 to 54 after
the state’s transportation department
started using solid salt on a trial ba-
sis.
Because of the apparent success
of that pilot program and directives
from the Legislature, the state will
continue to use salt sparingly on
some major roadways this winter.
While it can be difficult to peg the
exact cause of crashes, and the fig-
ures fluctuate from year to year, of-
ficials found that the two areas they
tested as part of a pilot program from
2012 to 2017 saw a decline in crash-
es after they tried salt.
“It was amazing to see,” said
Dave Thompson, a spokesman for
the Oregon Department of Transpor-
tation. “The salt was really effective,
and still we wanted to minimize its
use.”
ODOT will have salt on hand for
the first 100 miles of the freeway
north of California, on 200 miles
of Interstate 84 and in hilly parts of
the Portland metro area, as well as a
121-mile stretch of U.S. 95 in south-
eastern Oregon between Nevada and
Idaho that was tested as part of the
pilot program.
Since the 1990s, the state has
used a liquid chemical deicer, which
isn’t always enough to keep snow
Contributed photo/Oregon Department of Transportation
Results of a test program suggest that using salt can reduce weather-
related crashes. ODOT will have salt on hand for the first 100 miles
of Interstate 5 north of California, on 200 miles of Interstate 84 and in
hilly parts of the Portland metro area, as well as a 121-mile stretch of
U.S. 95 in southeastern Oregon between Nevada and Idaho.
and ice from bonding to pavement,
ODOT says.
The state has largely avoided sol-
id salt, which can have deleterious
environmental effects and is expen-
sive to store. Solid salt has the same
chemical composition — sodium
chloride — as table salt.
Salt, through road runoff, can
make its way into surface water,
groundwater and soil, which can
make it harder for plants to absorb
water. It can also corrode roads,
bridges and vehicles more quickly.
But salt can also be very effec-
tive, especially in certain conditions,
like freezing rain, which the trans-
portation agency says is growing
more common in Oregon. Salt will
be just one component of the state’s
winter maintenance plans.
Through the five years of the pi-
lot program, the department wanted
to see whether a small amount of salt
could improve highway conditions
and cut down on serious and fatal
crashes.
On average, in areas tested near
the California border, state crews
applied about 246 pounds of salt per
lane mile. In the stretch of U.S. 95
in southeastern Oregon, they applied
about 190 pounds per mile.
A November 2017 report on the
pilot project recommended between
150 and 300 pounds of salt should
be applied per lane mile. ODOT was
also required to use the least amount
of salt possible to meet its goals, de-
pending on weather and road condi-
tions.
The winter of 2016-17, which
buried the Portland area and Wil-
lamette Valley in snow and ice,
prompted the department to consider
using salt more widely, Thompson
said.
And last year, lawmakers direct-
ed the state’s Transportation Com-
mission to develop a winter mainte-
nance plan that included the use of
salt or another solid de-icer.
The transportation department
may use salt in Portland, Salem and
Eugene as it sees fit, Thompson said.
The agency will also monitor
high-traffic areas and places that get
a lot of snow.
In Salem, the state maintains
parts of Interstate 5 and sections of
U.S. Highway 22, said Mark Beck-
tel, the city’s public works opera-
tions manager.
But the city of Salem has no plans
to use solid salt this winter, Becktel
said.
The city doesn’t use rock salt but
it does use magnesium chloride, an-
other type of salt suspended in liq-
uid.
Becktel said the city’s forecasters
are expecting more ice than snow.
“The issues we’ve been warned
to be more prepared for are black
ice and ice storms, wind storms, not
so much the occurrence of snow,”
Becktel said.
“We would prepare for a full win-
ter either way.”
Not all snow is created equal. The
Willamette Valley is warmer and
much more humid than areas east of
the Cascades.
Central Oregon, which typically
sees a lot of snow, is much drier and
colder, and powdery snow doesn’t
respond as well to solid salt, Thomp-
son said.
Salt has other drawbacks.
Storing it properly can be pricey.
The transportation department has
requested more money in the up-
coming two-year budget for more
salt storage.
The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife is concerned that using
salt could attract animals to roads,
resulting in more crashes.
But the transportation department
found no correlation between using
salt on the road and accidents involv-
ing animals.
The state’s salt plan may change
in the coming years.
“I expect we’ll keep evolving this
after the next year or two or three as
we gain more experience, learn new
lessons,” Thompson said.
Oregon marijuana tax revenue Freedom Foundation files suit
grows as consumption booms against Oregon labor unions
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregonians are buying
more legal pot than expected.
That means they are also
poised to pay more taxes on it
— about $12.5 million more
in the current budget than
state economists projected
several months ago.
The average price of a
gram of cannabis on the re-
tail market has dropped from
about $10 in late 2016 to just
above $4 in mid-2018, ac-
cording to state figures.
But tax collections contin-
ue to grow.
Altogether, Oregon con-
sumers are projected to pay
$176 million in state mari-
juana taxes during the current
budget cycle, which ends in
mid-2019.
“Since Oregon levies its
recreational marijuana tax
based on the price of the
product, the fact that actual
tax collections have exceeded
expectations is all the more
impressive given the ongoing
drop in prices,” state econo-
mists said in a revenue fore-
cast report last week. “For
every ounce sold, or every
edible purchased, Oregon is
receiving less tax revenue per
item due to the price decline.”
Wholesale prices have also
decreased in that period, but
less dramatically.
Consumers are turning
away from other sources, like
the black market and medical
marijuana, and toward recre-
ational retail, state economists
say.
And more Oregonians are
using cannabis, according to
the forecast.
Nationally, the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration says
the percentage of adults who
report using marijuana in the
past month has grown to 7.9
percent in 2017, compared to
6.5 percent in 2015.
In August, recreational
marijuana consumers bought
more than $52.5 million
worth of cannabis, according
to the Oregon Liquor Control
Commission, which tracks
sales data.
The OLCC says in that
month alone, recreational and
medical consumers in Ore-
gon bought at least 16,000
pounds of usable marijuana,
about 400,000 units of edibles
and tinctures and more than
600,000 units of marijuana
extracts and concentrates.
State economists say that
the spate of local measures
passed in November to allow
cannabis in certain cities and
counties aren’t likely to nudge
EO Media Group/Mateusz Perkowski
Marijuana plants grow in
a high tunnel at a farm
near McMinnville. In
August, recreational and
medical consumers in
Oregon bought at least
16,000 pounds of usable
marijuana, about 400,000
units of edibles and
tinctures and more than
600,000 units of marijuana
extracts and concentrates.
tax collections up further,
though.
Six cities voted to allow
recreational marijuana, four
of them repealing existing
bans. Nearly thirty measures
related to marijuana were on
local ballots this November.
“In terms of recent elec-
tions, the places today voting
on (marijuana) are all small
and won’t have that much of
an impact on statewide sales,”
said state economist Josh
Lehner in an email to the Or-
egon Capital Bureau. “It’s not
like there is another big pop-
ulation jurisdiction out there
that has yet to legalize, I don’t
think.”
Lehner said certain cities
and counties could actual-
ly see declines in marijuana
tax revenues now that more
of them have voted to allow
recreational marijuana within
their boundaries.
“The border effect of
where sales are legal and how
consumers access them is
important,” Lehner said. “So
a neighboring town may see
some losses as more towns
legalize.”
Recreational marijuana re-
tailers must charge a 17 per-
cent state tax on sales.
Cities and counties can
charge local taxes of up to 3
percent on sales, too, but state
economists focus their projec-
tions on state marijuana taxes.
Sales to consumers with
medical marijuana patient
cards aren’t taxed.
The tax money, minus ad-
ministrative costs, goes to
a dedicated state marijuana
account that in turn goes to
K-12 education, mental health
services, police and cities and
counties.
The state Revenue De-
partment couldn’t provide
detailed regional data on mar-
ijuana sales taxes.
“Many areas only have
a few businesses operating
within their limits,” Joy Kraw-
czyk, a spokeswoman for the
tax agency, said in an email.
“Providing information about
how much was collected in
that area — along with the use
of other publicly-available in-
formation or knowledge held
by one of the other taxpayers
in that area — could allow for
the determination of specifics
of individual tax returns.”
Disclosing the particulars
of a return is illegal, Kraw-
czyk said.
In the years to come, col-
lections from recreational
marijuana are likely to grow,
although there are significant
risks attendant with the mar-
ijuana industry, state econo-
mists said.
A significant possible
downside: cannabis remains
illegal under federal law, leav-
ing the industry open to risk in
the event of a federal crack-
down. Oregon U.S. Attorney
Billy Williams has expressed
concerns about the illegal
shipment of Oregon marijua-
na across state lines. Williams
also believes the state is pro-
ducing far more cannabis than
its residents can consume.
In the long run, state
economists say that canna-
bis could continue to have
an economic impact through
high “value-added products
like oils, creams and edibles,
in addition to niche, specialty
strains” — a bit like the state’s
craft beer industry.
By Aubrey Wieber
Oregon Capital Bureau
A conservative think tank is suing two Or-
egon labor unions, saying they are collecting
union dues in violation of a U.S. Supreme
Court decision last June.
The class-action lawsuit, Anderson et al
v. SEIU et al, was filed Wednesday in U.S.
District Court in Portland.
In June, the Supreme ruled in Janus v.
AFSCME that forcing all employees to pay
dues and fees when they aren’t union mem-
bers violated the First Amendment.
The decision was considered by some to
be a strong blow for organized labor. But in
Oregon, where unions have deep roots, the
effect has been minimal. Some union leaders
reported an increase in membership.
In the months since, thousands of workers
in Oregon have asked to withdraw from the
unions, according to Aaron Withe, Oregon
director of Freedom Foundation, which filed
the case this week. About one-fourth was told
they could withdraw from their unions, but
would have to pay dues through an extended
date set by the labor contract. According to
the lawsuit, most have another year to pay.
Freedom Foundation is contesting that ex-
tended assessment.
Withe said that since they signed the
agreement without knowing about the Janus
decision, those agreements aren’t valid.
Freedom Foundation sued on behalf of 10
plaintiffs, but claimed in the filing there are
there are hundreds more.
Plaintiffs who were assessed by Service
Employees International Union Local 503
include Loriann Anderson, an employee of
Western Oregon University; Rene Layton, an
employee of the Wallowa County District At-
torney’s Office; Dennis Richey, an employ-
ee for Jackson County; and Melinda Wiltse,
who works for Marion County.
Plaintiffs represented by American Fed-
eration of State, County and Municipal
Employees Council 75 are Kerrin Fiscus,
employed by the Oregon Board of Parole;
Kenneth Hill, employed by the Oregon Mil-
itary Department; Michael Miller, employed
by the Oregon Department of Corrections;
Bernard Perkins, who works for Lane Coun-
ty; Kathie Simmons, employed by the city
of Portland and Kent Wiles, who works for
NorthWest Senior and Disability Services.
The suit names the two unions, the em-
ployers and Katy Coba, the director of the
Oregon Department of Administrative Ser-
vices, as defendants.
Both unions declined to comment, as did
the Oregon Department of Administrative
Services.
Withe said the Freedom Foundation found
the plaintiffs by helping workers opt out of
their unions, and offering legal services to
those still told they had to pay dues.
“If you need to talk,
you can always reach
a Veteran who gets it.”
Vets4Warriors.com
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By Claire Withycombe