Rep. Walden seeks key to unlock county funds
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-2nd Dist.)
Finding a key to unlock county payments, and exploring possible effects of global warming on Northwest forests were among issues touched upon by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-2nd Dist.) Thursday, Aug. 16.
Walden spoke during a luncheon meeting of the Rogue Gateway Rotary Club in Grants Pass. He described the county payment problem as “perhaps the most important and vexing issue I’ve been involved with in all my eight-and-a-half years in Washington, D.C.”
Walden noted that Congress managed to get a year extension to county payments in the emergency war supplemental budget.
“It was tucked in,” he said, “like a train leaving the tracks and we could get this car on, and get it signed into law.” But that fiscal year will conclude Sept. 30.
He said that it’s difficult to get the payments reauthorized because of restrictions on what budget items can be eliminated to offset the cost. The payment program is crucial to Oregon counties, which receive $280 million of the $445 million spent nationwide on payments to counties in lieu of timber receipts.
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“We have not found the key that unlocks this puzzle,” Walden concluded.
One of six Republicans to sit on the Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, Walden remarked on several studies on climate change, carbon emissions, and efforts to facilitate clean and renewable energy programs to Oregon.
“The issue that comes up are the issues surrounding global warming, the effect humans have had or not, and what to do about it,” he said.
Citing a report following studies on the effect of temperature increase on federal forests for more than decade, Walden said it’s estimated that the Northwest will see in next 100 years a temperature increase of between 7 and 8 degrees.
“In the 100 years it takes the temperature to change we will see more draught, more bug infestation and greater wildfires,” he predicted. “It will take 10,000 years for the tree types to change to keep up with the temperature increases.
“It seems prudent to look at how we review how we manage our forests, to prepare them -- if indeed temperatures are increasing -- to be healthier, by opening up the stands, reducing the threat of wildfire, helping restock after a fire, so we get a green healthy forest growing that can sequester carbon. All that should help.
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“And, by the way, create jobs and revenues, and be good for the environment,” Walden added.
Walden noted that due to reliance on hydropower, Oregon has a fairly low carbon footprint. He also observed that a healthy, green forest sequesters four to six tons of carbon per acre, in terms of reducing carbon emissions from everything that emits carbon across the economy, but that no proven carbon sequestration technology is available in a large sense.
“Washington is talking about a cap-and-trade or carbon tax based on the vehicles you drive or how much electricity you use,” said Walden. “Some have suggested a $1 per gallon tax on gasoline would be the new carbon tax,
“The long and short of it is, this will have an effect on energy prices ... you’ve got to evaluate all that. If we do that, put a carbon tax in place or put a cap-and-trade system in … if we do that, what effect will that have on manufacturing in America? In Europe it has already had an effect and chased those jobs to other countries.”
Dave Toler, vice chairman of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners, asked if there isn’t a way to create positive economic benefit by linking the carbon credits with the county payment program.
“We need to find a way to pay for county payments,” said Toler. “You mentioned while the technology for sequestering carbon is still lagging, you acknowledged the carbon that our forests are sequestering.
“In terms of credits for that for those who are exceeding carbon emissions in other parts of the country, the economic potential for that in credits that could be applied that could pay for our county payments. Is that a concept that has been cooking in Congress?”
Walden indicated he’d not ruled out such an idea.
“Proper management can do good things,” he said. “I’ve wondered about attaching debits or credits in the way federal lands are managed, to make the federal government a better partner in terms of environmental stewardship.
“I haven’t quite gotten there yet, but I’m tracking with you.”
He stated that due to illegal logging and lack of enforcement, forests around the world, especially those around the equator which are rich carbon sinks, are being eliminated. Walden confessed it’s his view that this is occurring so that industrialized countries can avoid losing their forests while the demand is satisfied for wood for manufacturing in China and products in the United States.
Walden also remarked on wind-generated power development in the northern part of his district. As well, he commented on solar power installation in Lake County, and a plan to heat and power the Oregon Institute of Technology campus at Klamath Falls entirely with geothermal energy.
Walden also fielded a question from Julie Rubenstein, a former aide to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). She noted the “unprecedented aggregation of powers” to the executive branch through excessive use of signing statements.
Said Rubenstein, “One of Congress’ primary duties is to protect the Constitution. (The president) has consistently avoided the will of Congress. If you yield this power, you’ll never get it back with a future president once it’s given up.
“All partisan politics aside,” she asked, “why not impeach the president?”
“First and foremost,” Walden replied, “the speaker of the House has said that it is not going to happen.
“I would not support that at this point. But beyond that, I won’t have that opportunity because the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the speaker of the House have said, ‘We’re not going to go there.’”
