Rogue Valley News, Monday 10/23 – Medford Investing Over $1M To Relocate And Upgrade Local Homeless Camp & Other Local and Statewide News…

Scammers Targeting Public Benefits At New Paid Leave Oregon Program

Some Oregonians have reported getting a letter saying they’ve been approved for paid leave benefits that they never applied for, a warning sign of identity theft.

Oregon’s Paid Leave program has sent out more than $28 million in benefits so far — but scammers are among those trying to cash in on the state’s new program.

Public benefits have long been a target of fraudsters who attempt to illegally gain access to personal data in order to file fraudulent applications for things like unemployment insurance or food benefits. Officials with Paid Leave Oregon said it is experiencing the same type of attempted fraud, and are asking Oregonians who receive a letter regarding benefits they didn’t actually apply for to report it on the program’s website.

The program started paying out benefits last month and has approved more than 15,000 applications so far. Eligible Oregon employees can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for family, medical or “safe leave” — the program’s term for people seeking financial support to escape domestic or sexual violence. Workers taking paid time off for pregnancy may be eligible for up to 14 weeks of leave.

Workers seeking benefits must send in certain documentation that corresponds to the type of leave they’re taking, such as a birth certificate for a new child. Once an application is submitted, the employment department reviews all the documents and verifies the identity of the applicant. It also notifies the employer.

But some Oregonians have reported getting a letter saying they’ve been approved for paid leave benefits that they never applied for. That’s a warning sign a person’s identity has been compromised. A spokesperson for the program said Oregonians should keep an eye on their mailboxes and report any letters regarding benefits they didn’t apply for.

OPB has heard from at least one employer who reported feeling suspicious after receiving a letter from Paid Leave Oregon regarding an employee who was not planning to be away from work.

Employment department officials declined to provide a count of potentially fraudulent applications they’ve received. But they believe they are catching the fraud attempts in the screening process, before money goes out.

The Oregon Department of Justice suggests checking personal credit reports frequently for any anomalies, and urges suspected victims of identity theft to report it to local authorities and the Federal Trade Commission. (SOURCE)

FAA Investigating Dangerous Close Call Between 2 Passenger Jets Over Portland Airport

Investigation underway as two passenger jets have a dangerous close call over Oregon, coming within several hundred feet of each other. The FAA is now reviewing the nation’s Aerospace system, raising renewed questions about air safety. Both flights landed safely.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Approves Controversial Pipeline Expansion Project In The Pacific Northwest

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a controversial natural gas pipeline expansion project in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, despite opposition from Democrats who said the project would imperil their states’ climate goals.

The $335 million Gas Transmission Northwest XPress Project from TC Energy was one of several natural gas projects approved by FERC at its monthly meeting. Commissioners also advanced the Plaquemines LNG terminal project in Louisiana, as well as a new rule to protect grid reliability amid an influx of renewable resources.

The gas project known as GTN Xpress would expand an existing pipeline system in parts of Idaho, Washington state and Oregon to export natural gas from British Columbia, increasing the system’s capacity by 150 million cubic feet of gas per day. The developer says the expansion is necessary to meet growing fuel demand, while some elected officials from the region have expressed concerns about greenhouse gas emissions.

The project was approved by all four commissioners.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said in an interview that the GTN Xpress decision showed that FERC was a “completely captured agency” that is “one huge rubber stamp” for fossil fuel projects. Merkley said he intends to hold conversations in Congress about changing FERC, which is an independent commission whose members are appointed by presidents and confirmed by senators.

“I think they need to be scrapped so we can start over with an agency that actually exists in sync with our need to take on climate change,” Merkley said. “If our national policy is that we are going to take on climate change, we have to dump an agency that greenlights fossil fuel project after fossil fuel project.”

FERC has been blasted by Republicans and Democrats over the years over which projects were approved or rejected and whether climate-warming emissions were adequately considered. Currently, the two parties each have two seats on the commission. One spot is vacant.

Merkley — along with Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) — sent a letter this week asking FERC to reject the project, citing the climate impacts, potential safety risks and a lack of consultation with tribes. In previous comments on the pipeline docket, the attorneys general of California, Oregon and Washington said FERC had not done enough to evaluate the pipeline’s climate change impacts by not accounting for emissions associated with natural gas after it is shipped.

“It’s just inconsistent with what the West Coast is doing in trying to develop a clean energy economy,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said in an interview Thursday. “It strikes right at the heart of our West Coast plans.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, FERC acting Chair Willie Phillips said that the commission understood the concerns but had to “act on the record.” There was nothing in the agency’s environmental review, he said, that indicated the project would “significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions” since there were agreements to purchase all gas going through the pipeline.

Idaho, which will purchase at least half of the gas, supported the project, said Phillips, a Democrat. “We considered and balanced all the information on the record, and the commission determined this project was needed and therefore we supported its approval,” he said.

FERC spokesperson Mary O’Driscoll said the agency did not have a response to Merkley’s comments.

Some Republicans from the region applauded the decision, which was delayed after being put on FERC’s agenda in July. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) said in a statement that the pipeline “will support domestic energy production, which boosts our energy security while also helping lower utility bills for Oregon families.”

The current GTN pipeline is 1,377 miles long and transports natural gas from Canada to communities in Washington, Oregon and California. Canada-based TC Energy has said the project will deliver enough gas to serve half a million homes and meet regional demand that has grown more than 26 percent since 2014.

“The GTN XPress project will play a critical role in keeping energy affordable and reliable for consumers in California and the Pacific Northwest,” said TC Energy spokesperson Michael Tadeo in an email. “We appreciate FERC’s bipartisan action today to approve the project and will work diligently to place it into service as soon as possible.”

In a statement Thursday, several environmental groups led by Columbia Riverkeeper said they intended to file a petition for rehearing to challenge FERC’s ruling. Inslee likewise said he is talking with his state’s attorney general about legal options. (SOURCE)

New Funding of $41.4M for Oregon Mass Timber Modular Housing

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition (OMTC) $41.4 million to develop and expand Oregon’s emerging Mass Timber industry.

This grant through the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, is specifically focused on utilizing mass timber products in prefabricated, modular home construction.

The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) is utilizing a portion of the funding through this grant to help cities update and modernize local development codes to encourage the use of mass timber modular housing through the Code-UP project.

Working with a consulting team and the Department of Consumer and Business Services in 2022, DLCD staff and a consulting team audited the development codes of five cities to identify local regulatory barriers to developing mass timber and modular housing. Starting this fall, the Code-UP project team will continue this work by providing additional jurisdictions with code audits, amendment recommendations, and community engagement services.

Ten jurisdictions that have been selected to receive technical assistance this year: Chiloquin, Clatsop County, Creswell, Gates, Lincoln City, Mt. Vernon, Phoenix, Rufus, Sandy, and Talent. Consistent with the federal grant award, staff prioritized assistance to wildfire-affected and rural communities.

DLCD is committed to assisting a total of thirty jurisdictions over the next five years through a model code funded by the grant and encourages communities to reach out with interest.

Next Steps — Project consultants MIG and Cascadia Partners, DLCD’s Mass Timber Coordinator, and DLCD specialists and regional staff will support the Code-UP project team to complete the following tasks for each selected community.

Provide Adoption-Ready Code Amendments: Consultants will audit local code to understand potential barriers and opportunities for modular mass timber housing and prepare draft code amendments based off those findings.

Engage Community Members Equitably: Consultants will gather local data and information to assist in engaging traditionally underserved communities. They and DLCD staff will use a range of methods to engage community members.

Provide Additional Capacity: DLCD regional representatives and the AmeriCorps Resource Assistance for Rural Environments Mass Timber Coordinator will assist in local planning commission and city council work sessions and adoption hearings.

Oregon’s statewide land use planning program — originated in 1973 under Senate Bill 100 — protects farm and forest lands, conserves natural resources, promotes livable communities, facilitates orderly and efficient development, helps coordination among local governments, and enables community engagement.

The program affords all Oregonians predictability and sustainability to the development process by ensuring allocation of urban land for industrial, commercial, and housing development.

The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) administers the program. A seven-member volunteer citizen board known as the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) guides DLCD.

Under the program, all cities and counties have adopted comprehensive plans that meet mandatory state standards. The standards are 19 Statewide Planning Goals that deal with land use, development, housing, transportation, and conservation of natural resources. Technical assistance in the form of grants to local jurisdictions is a key element of the program. (SOURCE)

Police Arrest Rock Climber Who Plotted To Kill People At Popular Mountaineering Event In Oregon

• An Oregon rock climber was arrested and charged on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
• Samson Zebturiah Garner was plotting to kill several climbers at a rock climbing event, police said.
• Police said they found several weapons in the back of Garner’s car. His motives are not known.

A rock climber plotted to kill several people at a popular mountaineering event in Oregon this weekend, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies alleged.

Samson Zebturiah Garner, 39, was arrested on attempted murder and other charges on Thursday, police said, according to local media.

He was planning on shooting attendees of the annual Craggin’ Classic event in Smith Rock, located in central Oregon’s High Desert.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said they were tipped off by two people who had heard Garner speaking about his plan to attack the climbers during another climbing event earlier in the week.

They said they found several weapons in his vehicle, including a Beretta and Sig Sauer 9mm handguns and an AR-15 rifle.

Police recovered journal entries that indicate Garner was “planning a violent attack,” Sergeant Jason Wall told reporters on Friday . Garner was not planning to target specific people, but had a “generalized anger,” Wall added.

Garber’s exact motives are not known, Wall said.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Garner was charged with attempted murder of multiple victims, attempted first-degree assault, attempted second-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon and is scheduled to appear in court on October 27.

The 39-year-old is a Portland resident who has worked in IT and is an avid climber.

He has a membership with the Mazamas, a mountaineering education nonprofit, according to its executive director, Rebekah Phillips. She said while Garner’s membership was current, his involvement with the group had been “limited since 2018,” according to Gripped Magazine.

The Craggin’ Classic event in Smith Rock is organized by The American Alpine Club and held annually. It includes films, presentations, and vendor villages and people climb in the area, according to its website.

Smith Rock is considered the birthplace of American sport climbing.Read the original article on Business Insider

 

Klamath River Dam Removal Project Update

The dam removal project along the Klamath River is running on schedule, according to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation. It marks the largest dam removal project in world history.

Copco 2 was the first of four dams to be removed. The KRRC said the three remaining dams, Copco 1, Iron Gate Dam and the J.C. Boyle Dam will be removed by November of 2024.

“About a year from now, we will have re-established a free flowing condition throughout the hydroelectric reach on the Klamath River for the first time in over 100 years,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the KRRC.

Bransom said there are two main goals for the project: Re-establishing a fish passage that runs both upstream and downstream of the river, and improving overall water quality.

Native tribes along the Klamath River have been advocating for dam removal for generations, hoping to see the salmon population return to the river. Bransom said the relationship between the tribes and the KRRC is an extremely important element of the project.

“We are simply standing on the shoulders of the tribes that have been advocating for and active on this work for two decades in some cases,” he said.

Right now crews are focusing on drawdown preparation. This means crews will lower the water levels of the reservoirs, before they start chipping away at the dams.

“In order to create a safe condition, we need to slowly reduce the level of water in the reservoirs until they’re completely drained out,” Bransom said. “By May or June of 2024, after we return to a low, summer flow condition, then we can begin the removal of the dams.”

Explosives will be used to help break up Copco 1 and the J.C. Boyle Dam. However, that won’t be necessary for the Iron Gate Dam. Iron Gate Dam is made up of organic material that will be taken apart and returned to the area it originally came from.

Aside from removing the dams from the river, the KRRC said environmental restoration work will continue for several years, possibly until 2031.

“Dam removal is the first phase of this overall project, and we expect to be around for at least another seven to eight years,” Bransom said. (SOURCE)

Oregon Wildlife Officials Urge Residents To Be Bear-Aware

Oregon wildlife officials are urging residents to be bear-aware. This is the season when bears fatten up before hibernating for the winter. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding people living in bear country to make sure they aren’t leaving out food that will attract bears.

Garbage cans should be put out just before they’re picked up; chicken feed, pet food and other livestock feed should be secured; remove bird feeders; pickup downed fruit; and store barbecues inside. If you see a bear, give it plenty of space, don’t run, don’t make eye contact, and if you are attacked fight back with rocks, sticks and your hands. MORE INFO: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/black_bears.asp