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0 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 » NEWS NOW Haggen adds Ashland store to list of closures ... Attacker's no-show at sentencing leaves victim without closure ... Monical sentenced to 32 years in federal bank robbery case ... Haggen adds Ashland store to list of closures ... Attacker's no-show at sentencing leaves victim without closure ... Monical sentenced to 32 years in federal bank robbery case ... OUR VIEW Our View: Clean fuels debate creates odd bedfellows Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 25, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Sep. 25, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The political wrangling over Oregon's clean fuels law and the need for a transportation package to fix the state's roads and bridges just got even more convoluted. The battle already has delayed essential infrastructure work, which will cost everyone in the state in the long run. The new wrinkle is that the ethanol industry, which benefits from the clean fuel program, is threatening to join the forces trying to repeal it. If that sounds counterintuitive, read on. It actually makes a twisted kind of sense. Majority Democrats in the 2015 Legislature extended the clean fuels program over the fierce objections of Republicans, who said the program's requirement to lower carbon emissions 10 percent over 10 years would raise gas prices 19 cents a gallon at the pump, which they consider the equivalent of a gas tax increase. In return, the Republicans refused to support a major transportation package paid for with an actual gas tax increase, saying the double whammy would be too hard on the economy. Fuel distributors likely will achieve the required carbon reduction by blending ethanol into their gasoline. Ethanol is produced from corn and other crops, requiring many acres of farmland. Here comes the wrinkle. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality last week proposed to change how it calculates the carbon content of various fuels including ethanol. The new method would take into account land-use changes involved in producing a fuel. In other words, if fuel blending increases demand for ethanol, which encourages rainforests in South America to be cut down to grow more biofuel crops, the DEQ would assign a higher carbon content to ethanol as a result. That would make it harder for fuel distributors to hit the carbon-reduction targets in the clean fuel law. The Renewable Fuels Association, an industry group for ethanol producers, says it will help the oil industry fight to repeal the clean fuels law if the DEQ adopts the new formula. All this posturing reveals an inconvenient truth about many efforts to reduce emissions: There are always tradeoffs. Natural gas is cleaner to burn than oil and coal — but getting it out of the ground has environmental consequences. Wind farms produce clean power — but they can kill birds. Electric cars produce zero emissions — but they are recharged with electricity generated by burning coal. Meanwhile, Oregon's roads and bridges need major repair and continuing maintenance to carry vehicles of all types, including trucks that haul the goods that keep the economy healthy. And the state can't fix them because lawmakers are locked in a battle over the price of gasoline. Stay tuned. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 25, 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 + Events 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