BY SARAH ROSS

CORVALLIS- A series of controversial e-mails sent through an Oregon State University climate change list-serve in the past few weeks was recently discovered by The Oregon Politico.

The chain of e-mails was initiated by the Global Environmental Change Organization (GECO) list-serve, which includes a number of professors, students, employees, and other interested parties. The first e-mail was sent by Dr. Philip Mote, Director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, regarding the upcoming Congressional elections.

Mote began the e-mail by acknowledging that Art Robinson was chosen during last week’s Republican primary race to run against incumbent Democrat Congressman Peter DeFazio, who represents the Eugene area. Robinson gained fame with his work on the Oregon Petition Project, a list of scientists worldwide who disagree with the premise that climate change is caused by humans.

“A robinson [sic] victory would put us in the tragic ranks of our climate colleagues at University of Oklahoma (Senator ‘global warming is a hoax’ Inhofe) and Univ of Alaska (Rep. ‘scientists have their opinion, I have mine’ Young),” wrote Mote.

Climate change skeptics wasted no time in pointing out possible problems with this e-mail.

Dr. Gordon Fulks, a local climate change skeptic, issued a congratulatory letter to Robinson and published it on the blog, Ice Cap.

In his letter, Fulks wrote, “Their blatant use of their official positions to promote your opponent clearly demonstrates that they have abandoned any pretext of objective science. Although trained as a scientist, Phil is now a pure advocate who is busy promoting Ocean Acidification as the next scare to replace Global Warming when Global Warming loses its luster as a funding vehicle.”

Once this message was released, Mote sent an apology message to the list-serve, calling the previous message “a mistake.”

“Normally, messages to this group address science topics related to environmental change and involve announcements of seminars, conferences, and other opportunities. The message I sent was a mistake and I apologize,” Mote wrote.

Mote acknowledged that his original e-mail had sounded like a political endorsement, noted that Robinson’s past activities are not part of his current political platform, accused himself of having used “inflammatory language,” and admitted to have made a small factual error with regard to the Congressional district in which OSU is located.

Mote ended his apology by saying, “Scientists in particular have an obligation to conduct and communicate research objectively. My e-mail Thursday failed to meet this standard and for this I apologize.”

The question remains as to whether Dr. Mote’s e-mail presents legal or ethical questions.

Following the release of his apology, a number of students responded to the GECO list-serve, saying that Mote should not have called his original message “a mistake.”

“Surely, it’s a legitimate use of university email to educate the public when fallacy arguments are being used as way of persuading the public and policy makers on the issues of science?” wrote Rachael Mueller, a graduate student and Research Assistant at OSU.

Todd Wynn, Vice President at Cascade Policy Institute, parent company of the Oregon Politico, voiced his opinion, saying, “Mote’s email definitely brings up a question of legality. Not only is he a scientist that is supposed to remain politically unbiased in order to deliver objective science, but he may very well be violating laws regarding the endorsement of political candidates through his OSU email account.”

Spokesman for OSU, Todd Simmons, hopes that Dr. Mote’s follow-up message and consistent apologies will bring the matter to an end.

“[Dr. Mote] understands that this is not the place where he ought to be airing his opinions on matters such as that and it was probably not the right choice that he made,” said Simmons.

Simmons characterized Dr. Mote’s intentions in sending the original message as light-hearted and an attempt to get out information that he felt was being overlooked.

“He has described it as an accidental foray into politics and one that he won’t repeat and I think regrets having done this time.”

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- A workshop to address implementing a low carbon fuel standard for Oregon met at the headquarters for the Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday morning.

The fuel standard implementation, resulting from a bill passed during the 2009 regular legislative session, is an attempt to help reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to meet its emission reduction goals. The bill was passed to allow the DEQ to implement some type of low carbon fuel standard, as well as a number of other standards to reduce emissions.

Thursday’s workshop was used to get input on the development of the numbers for the Greenhouse Gas, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) that will be assumed when calculating the carbon intensity of fuels.

David Collier, Manager for DEQ’s Air Quality Department, called the meeting very “technical in nature.” The workshop was mostly geared towards getting feedback on creating a model for calculating emissions from the life cycle of fuel, including energy used from the time the fuel originated to the time it was put into vehicles’ gas tanks.

The goal, Collier said, is to come up with a model where fuel companies will not have to use a certain type of fuel (i.e., ethanol, oil, etc.), but that the company can use whatever combination of fuels is most cost-effective, as long as it falls within the low carbon fuel standard.

The DEQ estimates that emissions from transportation make up about 33% of all greenhouse gas emissions. According to the DEQ, the goal of the low carbon fuel standard in Oregon is “to reduce the average carbon intensity of the mix of transportation fuels” by 10 percent in 2020.

Once implemented, the low carbon fuel standard will affect all transportation fuels sold in Oregon, whether they are imported into the state or they originate there.

“We think it’s very doable,” said Collier.

After workshops are complete and a proposed low carbon fuel standard is developed, there will be a period for public comment and a series of public hearings to address concerns from citizens and interested parties.

Although there is a required amount of time for public comment, Collier reinforced that there will be time for the proposed rule to be seen by the public well before the official rulemaking process begins.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- In a rare move by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the environmental advocacy group announced Tuesday their endorsements of both Democrat gubernatorial candidates Bill Bradbury and John Kitzhaber.

“A dual endorsement is fairly rare, but this is an exceptional case,” said OLCV Political Action Committee Chair Charlie Burr. “Having two gubernatorial candidates with such especially strong environmental credentials represents a milestone in Oregon’s environmental movement.”

The group announced its support of former Governor John Kitzhaber because of his past actions and policies dealing with the environment and because of his perspective of placing environmental issues in the larger social and economic context.

“As Governor, John Kitzhaber led the way on key environmental policies that still protect Oregon today,” stated OLCV Executive Director Jon Isaacs.

Support for Bradbury comes from his activism on climate change and the policies he developed as a state legislator.

“From the work for salmon he started nearly 30 years ago to his recent mission to help Oregon fight climate change, Bradbury’s actions speak loudly of his commitment, his vision and his leadership,” said Isaacs.

The announcement comes after an environmental debate last week, which was sponsored in part by the OLCV.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- The house was packed Wednesday night at Portland State University for the gubernatorial debate hosted by five of Oregon’s largest environmental organizations.

Three candidates for the office of Governor appeared at the event: Democrats John Kitzhaber and Bill Bradbury and Republican Allen Alley. The sponsoring organizations included the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club, Environment Oregon, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Oregon Environmental Council, and Oregon Wild.

The three candidates were fielded questions by the five hosting organizations on multiple environmental issues including land use, toxics and public health, climate change, forestry, salmon restoration, energy, transportation, and the Columbia River Crossing project.

As the lone Republican, Alley spoke his mind encouraging the use of markets and technology to improve the environment. He said his number one priority if elected will be jobs and the economy, with environmental issues following the needs of the economy. Additionally, Alley promoted the use of personal, as opposed to mass, transportation and said it was time to get going on building the Columbia River Crossing project. He encouraged private-sector energy innovation and market-based environmental solutions.

Bradbury drew large applause when he called for the closing of the coal-powered Boardman plant after its license expires in 2014 and for strong energy regulations to open the market for renewable energy needed to combat climate change. He also stressed the need to stop old-growth logging and to work more aggressively on salmon restoration efforts. He supported a new proposal on the Columbia River Crossing project, advocating for a smaller mass transit plan and a pedestrian bridge, instead of building an entirely new bridge.

Kitzhaber promoted similar ideas regarding improving bike paths and mass transit; but he differed with Bradbury on the Columbia River Crossing, suggesting a plan similar to the current project proposal. He added that an ideal energy policy would be to eliminate subsidies from the equation and let energy sources compete in a free market. While he was not in favor of using natural gas currently, it should not be eliminated as an option if the need arises. He also encouraged further salmon efforts and new leadership on the State Board of Forestry.

Conflict came at the end of the debate when Bradbury accused Kitzhaber of taking money from polluters and Kitzhaber then saying, “Way to lower the bar there, buddy. I guess we take the gloves off from here on out,” quietly to Bradbury after the conclusion of the event.

Republican candidate Chris Dudley declined to attend the event.

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- Governor Ted Kulongoski released a statement this week announcing his signing a proclamation encouraging Oregonians to participate in the “Earth Hour” event to show concern for climate change.

“Earth Hour” is a time when people across the world turn off their lights for an hour to show their concern for climate change.

“Earth Hour symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in the fight against climate change, protecting our future and that of future generations,” said Gov. Kulongoski.

In the proclamation, the Governor called on Oregon to be a leader in the movement against climate change and asked all Oregonians to join him in turning off their lights, as he will be doing in the Governor’s Mansion on March 27 between 8:30pm and 9:30pm.

Todd Wynn, Policy Analyst at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon Politico’s parent organization, had this to say about the Governor’s proclamation: “Oregonians should probably get used to the lights being out for hours on end if we continue to protest any reliable forms of energy in this state.”

SALEM- Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, broke ranks with the House GOP’s series of speeches on job and business loss due to the tax measures last month by bringing up a topic that hasn’t taken center stage this session, climate change and the climatgate scandal.

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BY SARAH ROSS

EUGENE- What could bring over 100 people to the Eugene Water and Electricity Board Building on a Tuesday evening? That would be Eugene’s Climate and Energy Action Plan public forum. This “feel-good” event, focused primarily on land use and transportation, is one in a series of forums designed to gain public input and to help create Eugene’s Climate and Energy Action Plan, said to prepare for and to combat climate change.

The event’s main presenter, Josh Skov, a climate change and energy consultant for Good Company in Eugene, talked the audience through the city’s main energy challenges and potential strategies for a prospective plan.

When it was suggested that this plan would not combat climate change completely, Skov agreed but said that Eugene could have a “legitimate shot” to be a leader in this area among small and medium-sized cities. He pointed out that there could be three different results from this series of forums, including tangible outcomes in households which can be acted upon by the city, possible policy changes in the future, and the beginning of real public discourse on climate change.

Skov encouraged less energy intensive lifestyles through strategies like biking, walking, and electric vehicles. He pointed out that only a few large initiatives from the city likely would be possible. Eugene’s Climate and Energy Action Coordinator, Matt McRae, mentioned that with the difficult challenges for pedestrians and bicyclists in Eugene, addressing those concerns would be necessary to lower the city’s carbon footprint.

Skov also mentioned that a plan would require discovering a funding model for public services and infrastructure. McRae pointed out that if the citizens of Eugene wanted to get together to raise taxes to implement the plan, it would be a good source of funding. However, he didn’t see it as a real strategy for funding any costs of the proposed plan. He said the more likely sources of financing would come from federal and state grant money.

McRae also wanted to make clear that this plan is not just a city operation. “While I am a city employee and it is city staff that is spearheading this effort, it really is intended to be a community climate and energy plan; and we’re looking at those partners including as I mentioned, EWEB, but also LTDR transit service, the City of Springfield, Lane County, and other players in our county to help make this happen, as well as a dozen nonprofits that are sprinkled across our community and already working on these things.”

This series of public meetings will end in March, followed by a draft plan to be released for public review the following month. A plan then will be ready to be presented to the City Council in August to gain their approval and recommendations.