Healthy Climate rally Tomorrow at Noon

There's not much in the way of Salem news today, but there is some Legislative news of Statewide significance.

Tomorrow there will be a rally at noon for House Bill 4068 and Senate Bill 1574, the so-called "Healthy Climate Bill" (I believe the bills are identical, one for each chamber).

A couple of highlights from the Legislative summary of the bill:

• Requires Environmental Quality Commission to adopt carbon pollution market by rule
• Establishes Climate Investments Account within State Highway Fund. Requires that certain auction proceeds be deposited in account for purpose of funding programs consistent with legislative purposes of carbon pollution market

A "Climate Investments Account" in the State Highway Fund might be a good source for investing in better biking on our roads!

And carbon markets are almost certainly better at tapping the "wisdom of the crowd" and allocating resources efficiently than State bureaucracies trying to pick winners and losers via things like the BETC program. Adam Smith for the win here: market discipline + carbon reduction. What's not to like?

(The Oregonian has more on a comparison with a competing bill that was hammered out with the power companies. But it's more of a regulatory approach than a market-based approach, and that is probably less flexible and less powerful. The Oregon Environmental Council also has an explainer on the markets bill. Even if you quibble on the details, there's no harm in rallying for "yay carbon reduction" in general. It's urgent that we intensify our efforts. But if you're reading here, you know that.)

Check it out and consider moseying over on your lunch break.

Legislative Update - Presession Murmurs

You'll probably have seen the story about the Governor's agenda for the short session of the Legislature this year, which kicks off on February 1st.

It's the E's I guess: Economy, Education, Ethics, Environment. And then a P for Preparedness thrown in.

But no T for Transportation.

Senate President Courtney and Speaker Kotek had already dismissed notions about a transportation package this year and pushed it off to the 2017 session, though Rep. Davis from Wilsonville has said he would introduce a smaller transportation bill that includes a four cent gas tax. But there hasn't been much talk or enthusiasm for this since.

There may be a few related odd-and-ends, though.

You may recall the transit bill the Chamber looks to nudge here and there, though how much passion they'll have for it remains a question. On Friday the paper had more on the concept, co-sponsored it turns out by Rep. Post (R-Keizer) and Rep Buckley (D-Ashland):

Post's bill would establish a way for transit authorities, like Salem-Keizer Area Public Transit, also known as Cherriots, to request funding grants. To qualify for a grant, a transit authority would have to serve an area with a population less than 200,000, or refrain from levying employer taxes. It also would need to specify how the grant would be used and what benefits it would create to receive and keep grant money.

Something that jumps out here - and didn't earlier - is a matter of tone: It seems like the concept approaches transit agencies from a baseline position of distrust, like they are engaged in misbehaving and have to be monitored closely. There's something patronizing about this bill perhaps. (The paper also declined to point out that there was no money attached to the bill.)

The other concept is from Senator Courtney, but it doesn't seem to apply to Cherriots at all. "Courtney's bill would allow transit districts funded by employer payroll taxes to add an employee tax." In excluding them, he doesn't seem to be rooting for the home team. This is hard to understand. Hopefully more will come out about it.

Our whole approach to transit just seems strange and even dysfunctional.

Salem Weekly came out with a strong endorsement of the carbon cap-and-trade concept Senator Edwards talked about late last year. (But the Governor under her E-for-Environment heading doesn't seem also to share enthusiasm for cap-and-trade.)

There also seems to be some interest in a deal to make inclusionary zoning legal.

Maybe there's a few other things, but I just haven't seen that much chatter about things of direct interest here, and there may not be much here to follow in the session.

Draft bills don't seem to be in the database yet, so more things might emerge when keyword searches are possible, however.

Do you know of any other transportation and urban land-use issues that have realistic prospects this session?

Fred Meyer Gas Station, Lord and Schryver Parking, Cherriots Funding at Legislature

At the Hearings Officer on Wednesday the 13th is the appeal on the gas station near Madrona and Commercial. (See previous discussion here and here.)

On the matters of the appeal itself, I suspect the Neighborhood Association making the appeal will have a difficult time. I don't see errors by City Staff - do you?

Within the framework of the existing regulations and process, the proposal seems licit and the outcome likely to affirm the Planning Administrator's decision.

But the framework itself has serious shortcomings.

At the highest level, the proposal amounts to demolishing existing mid-century cottage housing and a somewhat later office building and replacing them with a gas station.

That seems like it's a clear downgrade in land use, the kind of thing the regulatory environment should inhibit rather than allow or encourage.

The office building to be demolished in grey at arrow,
Clark Creek running underneath.
(Color juiced from City stream map for clarity)

It's also over a culverted creek that immediately runs through a City Park, and fuel and creeks seem like a very bad mix. Even with a "Stormwater Pollution Control Plan," which Public Works could require of the gas station, the baseline is an assumed level of pollution - which still might be unwise. It seems like we already have plenty of pollution from surface run-off with the parking lots and Commercial Street, and that risk of the concentrated kind of pollution from a fuel spill nearly directly into the creek and park is a classic "bad idea." Additionally, as we seek to transition the whole consumer and residential fleet to electric cars, why invest in gas now? Petroleum fuel just seems all wrong in this context.

Proposed Fred Meyer Gas Station Site, Possible Median, and
Commercial Vista Corridor Study proposals (June 8th Memo)

Finally, it's in an area slated for improved crosswalks and medians, and all the turning movements for entry and exit for a gas station seems like a move in the wrong direction for Commercial Street safety and attractiveness.

So just at the summary, policy level, this project seems like it is a failure on multiple grounds.

But it probably meets the letter of the law.

New Push for Carbon Cap? Also More on Fred Meyer Gas Station - Bits

Some interesting news coming out of this weeks Interim Committee meetings.

Sen. Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, says broadly he and Sen. Lee Beyer are drafting bill for 2016 that would set carbon cap. #orpol #orleg

— Taylor W Anderson (@TaylorWAnderson) November 18, 2015

Money generated by Edwards' bill would be dedicated for further carbon-cutting and other clean energy measures. #orleg

— Taylor W Anderson (@TaylorWAnderson) November 18, 2015

"I will be spending probably 90 percent of my time between now and session working on this bill," Edwards says.

— Taylor W Anderson (@TaylorWAnderson) November 18, 2015

New Director of Urban Development

Kristin Retherford will be the new Urban Development Director! She has over 10 years of experience in Willsonville. pic.twitter.com/mkyn7KO8KF

— Salem Planning (@Salem_Planning) November 17, 2015

Is Wilsonville really what we should be trumpeting about her? Will she live in Salem or will she, like some other significant folks at the City, commute from Wilsonville? Wilsonville does some things better than Salem, but it doesn't have a downtown, and it bailed on Trimet. Not sure Wilsonville should be our model for an imaginary shift to a Department of Suburban Development! Urban, think urban!

Anyway, with the new City Manager, Steve Powers, there's some meaningful change at upper City management, and maybe some new directions to take. Fresh eyes aren't always a bad thing.

Presumably Mark Becktel, who had been Interim Director, will revert to his regular post at Public Works.

Just something to register and watch.

Fred Meyer Gas Station

So back in February this year, the Planning Commission heard "a consolidated Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment and Zone Change" on four contiguous lots very near the corner of Madrona and South Commercial.