Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Mother of missing boy Kyron Horman: 'It doesn't get easier with time' ... Southwest Oregon's fire season starts Friday ... Craterian Performances announces 2015-16 season ... Mother of missing boy Kyron Horman: 'It doesn't get easier with time' ... Southwest Oregon's fire season starts Friday ... Craterian Performances announces 2015-16 season ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Clean Fuels Program plays key role Comment By Kenneth H. Bergman MailTribune.com By Kenneth H. Bergman Posted May. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Kenneth H. Bergman Posted May. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon are facing a critical water shortage this summer and fall. While total precipitation (rain and snow) is about 90 percent of normal this past winter and spring to date, snow in the mountains is at or near record low levels, with only about 6 percent of the normal snowpack remaining as of May 14. The low snow pack is a result of an unusually mild winter season, with temperatures averaging 4.1 degrees above the 1980-2010 mean at Medford for the warmest winter on record. While this last winter and the one before that, both characterized by unusually low mountain snowfall, can't be directly attributed to climate change, data show that the climate in Southern Oregon has warmed overall by between 2 and 3 degrees since 1895, and future climate projections call for an additional warming of 3.3 to as much as 9.7 degrees unless fossil fuel use is curtailed. Snowpack amount has varied widely from year to year, but the long-term trend has been definitely downward. With so little snowpack, the area is likely to experience serious water shortages in the next several months, which has prompted several Southern Oregon counties, Jackson among them, to request drought disaster status from Gov. Kate Brown. Clearly, though, steps need to be taken to slow and eventually halt the input of carbon dioxide and other trace gases that warm the Earth's climate. One such action that the state has taken is starting, and this year reauthorizing, the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, which is similar to programs in California, Washington and British Columbia. The Clean Fuels Program has the goal of reducing our carbon footprint by 10 percent by 2025 through steps that alter or replace existing fuels with cleaner ones. For automotive vehicles, that might mean encouraging use of more electric and plug-in hybrid cars, greater use of low-carbon biofuels, and replacing corn ethanol with lower-carbon sources of ethanol. Details about the Oregon Clean Fuels Program can be found at  www.deq.state.or.us/aq/cleanFuel/ . Unfortunately, the Clean Fuels Program, even though reauthorized, has now become something of a political football, with a minority of the Oregon Legislature, backed by the fossil fuel industry and some other business interests, saying that they will block funding for a much needed transportation infrastructure bill unless the Clean Fuels Program is watered down or shelved. Southern Oregon residents concerned about our warming climate are encouraged to contact their legislative representatives and object to the Clean Fuels Program being weakened or abandoned. Our federal and state governments are not adept at long-range planning, but tend instead to react to the crisis of the moment. But the looming problem of climate warming is one that requires planning for the future, a future that will bring increasing hardship to agricultural and forestry interests here, and eventually even to our drinking water supplies, if we don't act today. This is a global problem, but one that we all have to take measures to prevent or else suffer the consequences. Oregon's participation in the form of the Clean Fuels Program will play a role in a worldwide effort to prevent future climate change from reaching disastrous levels. Kenneth H. Bergman of Ashland is a retired climate research program manager for NASA.             By Kenneth H. Bergman MailTribune.com By Kenneth H. Bergman Posted May. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501