Cap and trade dominates county discussions in Salem

“The big question I found interesting was some serious discussion about whether the session will materialize at all,” said Murdock, a Umatilla County commissioner.

According to Doherty, who represents Morrow County, lobbyists described the session’s odds as a “coin flip” due to concerns that the divide between the state’s Democrats and Republicans over cap-and-trade legislation may lead to a similar result to last year.

In June, Senate Republicans fled the state to prevent a vote on the bill that would have capped carbon emissions for Oregon businesses and required they obtain credits for each ton that they emit. The bill, known as House Bill 2020 during the 2019 legislative session, eventually died when some Senate Democrats withdrew their support.

Murdock and Doherty were elected as officers in 2019 and will make repeated trips to work alongside the association’s other officers and meet face-to-face with legislators. As officers, both also serve on the association’s board of directors, oversee its interests and provide guidance to staff on how to promote those interests within the Legislature.

But with Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon Democrats aiming to successfully pass a cap-and-trade bill in 2020, Doherty, who is the association’s president, said the divisiveness of the legislation put him in an interesting position this week.

“You can sense there’s a difference of opinion,” he said. “It’s quite interesting trying to keep all those competing opinions balanced and try to navigate that to keep things county-centric.”

As the association’s elected leader, Doherty said he is trying to balance the inherent imbalance that exists between the state’s counties.

Of the 36 counties, Doherty said perhaps up to 30 are “vehemently opposed” to cap-and-trade legislation. However, the population differences between them mean that one county has more than a dozen delegates in the Legislature, opposed to the few representing all of Eastern Oregon.

Among those concerned about how it will impact their own counties was Murdock, who said in general he doesn’t think the 35-day legislative session will be ideal for substantial legislation.

“While I think we need to take care of our environment, and this caps emissions in the state,” he said. “I worry that it may place a cap on the state’s ability to grow our industries.”

Murdock specifically highlighted the rising cost of fuel and risks of Eastern Oregon businesses being negatively impacted by the legislation, though he added that the Association of Oregon Counties won’t take an official position on it because it would bring internal divisiveness.

Instead, the association originally adopted a set of 11 principles in October 2018 that outline the counties’ terms for potential legislation. The principles include a guarantee of all transportation fuel revenue generated going into and being distributed from the Highway Trust Fund, ensuring offsets and incentives to reduce economic impact on businesses, and no emergency clause included in the bill.

Doherty said the principles were reviewed during a Transportation Steering Committee meeting on Monday, and that a cap-and-trade committee co-chaired by Morrow County Commissioner Don Russell will be convening to reassess them.

While cap and trade was the hot topic, both commissioners spent time on more than just the potential environmental legislation this week.

According to Murdock, issues like enterprise zones and community corrections came up during the trip, and Tuesday was also a “legislative day,” which is an opportunity for the commissioners to meet individually with state legislators.

“The preference is to have individual commissioners testify on issues rather than lobbyists,” Murdock said.

Murdock met with newly elected house minority leader Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, on Tuesday, he said, and believes she could be a key connection for the region as a rising leader in the state. Murdock also mentioned Sens. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Northwest Portland and Beaverton, and Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, as important resources.

Doherty, on the other hand, convened a fair committee meeting and spent the rest of his Tuesday in negotiations with Gina Nikkel, who will begin as the Association of Oregon Counties next executive director in March. According to Doherty, Nikkel is the first woman to serve in the role in the association’s 115-year history.

The fair committee is focused on lobbying for funds for fairgrounds struggling to stay open around the state, and Doherty said counties like Union and Baker in Eastern Oregon are among those that could hopefully get some assistance. The committee will first be working on a needs assessment that will prioritize the fairgrounds in most need of the funds.

Murdock and Doherty will head to Salem again on Feb. 6, which will coincide with a Timber Unity protest at the Oregon Capitol. Timber Unity formed in 2019 in retaliation to the cap-and-trade bill and consists primarily of rural workers in Oregon’s timber industry.

According to Murdock, that day will also focus on issues primarily impacting the state’s rural counties.

“Much of what we’re trying to do is bridge the urban-rural divide,” Murdock said. “But it will be interesting and exciting to be there with the spotlight on rural Oregon.”