Reader comments

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Councilor Hartmann is either delusional or uninformed about the difference between a city
council and the U.S. Congress. The Troutdale City Council has absolutely NO control over federal
policy and cannot pass or change federal law. If Hartmann wants to change federal law, he
should run for Congress. Since he claims to be a Republican, he could run against Oregon Rep.
Blumenauer.

But the best alternative would be for Hartmann to move to the City of Portland and run for the
Portland City Council, which absolutely loves to pass feel-good agenda items that have nothing
to do with running a city.

"Arthur V."

(email verified)

Sat, Feb 13, 2010 at 06:39 PM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Mr. Arthur V.,

I appreciate your thoughtful response; but if I may politely disagree. Cities across American are
recipients of federal programs that target our municipalities, and are designed to flow dollars to
our door steps. Developers come knocking looking those dollars and program to bring jobs to
our local economy. This causes the need for our staff to secure regional, state and federal
program awareness and abide by their guidelines. This structural truth is the very reason why
the representative boarders of elected officials on the City Council of Troutdale (or any other)
don't stop at the city or regional boarders.

Councilors are charged with local engagement from and to our federal government because we
are tied directly to one another. Another reason why local representatives should participate in
federal matters is because we work with them. Please understand, when federal elected officials
ask for the opinion of the people, they often times turn to local leaders to assist in collaborative
thinking, and participate in programs. We are empowered by the people, and in the very nature
and practice of government, to serve them in this capacity.

Every councilor took an oath of office which includes upholding the Constitution and laws of the
United States of America.

These reasons are why I have a duty to serve our community and partner with federal
representatives to make the changes that are being asked for by our fellow American's in
accordance with upholding my oath. I am not asking to write the federal laws, I am asking for
action to be taken by the people we elected to do so for us and thereby assist in our local
concerns.
Today so much political unrest exists because people don’t believe government works. Well the
truth is, if elected officials practiced a belief that prohibited their participation in their
commitment to participate in our democracy – then American’s have forgot what democracy
requires.

I leave you with this quote -

“…and the day came when the risk it took to remain tightly closed in a bud was more painful
than the risk it took to bloom; this is the element of freedom”

A. Keys.

I appreciate your encouragement for federal office.

Respectfully yours,

David Hartmann

"D. Hartmann"

(email verified)

Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 12:53 AM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

David, David, David.....

This is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy.

Could such a basic fundamental error mean you might be wrong on other things too?

"Gotta wonder :-("

(email verified)

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 11:04 AM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Gotta wonder,

Do you agree that those who produce a commodity should be equally taxed?

Or do you support the notion that one (polluting) producer of the item should be taxed less than
another (clean) producer of the **same** item, as the study verified?
(ready and willing to sign my name)

"Marni Zollinger"

(email verified)

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 04:06 PM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Do you agree that truly legitimate business investments don't need government subsidies or the
use of local government bonding authorities?

Or do you support the notion that proposals of any kind from a businessperson who was so
aggressive they received a cease and desist letter from a local government (verified by public
record-city council meeting minutes) shouldn't be considered?

(not ready and willing to sign my city's financial future away)

"Arthur V."

(email verified)

Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 09:16 PM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Arthur,

I absolutely agree that truly legitimate business investments don't need government subsidies
or the use of local government bonding authorities. That is why the ZESC proposal didn't have
either. The proposal did not involve a single dollar from Troutdale, Oregon, or a federal
program. In fact, our interim funding partner is a commercial lender who will be tapping the
nation’s “growth” instruments created to balance new production (energy), exactly as
shadowing the fossil mechanisms, which DOJ finding was presented to Senator Wyden’s office.
We have also offered commercial funding partners as the permanent lender but are leaving the
door open if certain agencies which to have involvement at that point. The proposed use of
CREBs was for Troutdale’s benefit. CREBs are tax credits, not direct subsidies, similar to what we
call "TIF" financing in rural development. Most Cities, including Troutdale, have TIF. TIF are a
"tax forgiveness" for investing based upon the fact that something better will be built and
produce MORE taxes than if it were not built, but no money is ever written from the
government to an entity through a tax credit (unless the government monetizes it, which we
were not asking Troutdale to do) nor (though the fossils pretend this) from the fossil industry
itself. The purpose of using the CREBs was to enable the City of Troutdale to have a revenue
stream, without using City assets, credit or the “full faith and credit” of the City’s bond
authority. If the City had been unable to obtain any CREBs for its portion, the Investors stood by
to underwrite every dime and still assign some proceeds to the City anyway, though not so
much as if the City had be awarded CREBs. No one is Santa Clause, but some are fair.

It appears to me that the actual proposal may have been misrepresented to you.

On the other matter, consider the actual records. On May 26th, the City determined to move
forward upon due diligence and I was specifically requested to work with the City, to answer any
questions or arrange sources for answers to questions that the City had in any order the City
wanted to ask them. The City then failed to ask any questions, indicating in their messages that
they were too busy to look into the proposal or write any questions. They did not call the
investors, who were standing by expecting a contact. I would be happy to give the Gresham
Outlook that contact and allow the reporters to verify all these matters in the spirit of
investigative reporting.

As the Council had requested that I be on-hand and no explorations were occurring that I could
see, I appeared at the City Office building for one hour on two different days. I did not ask
interrupt any work but only notified the secretary that I was directly on-hand on a floor-below if
they wished to give the matter some attention (which the City Council had charged us to do). It
was reasonable that as a $50 - $70 Million dollar investment offer was on the table that if the
City did not have time to make a phone call or write an email they could perhaps verbally
express their needs if they had any concerns, for the economic good of the City. It was also
imperative on my side that I not disobey the direct request of the Council. The City did not opt
to ask any questions. You can hear the investor on Councilor Hartmann's Facebook page say that
he has talked to a few Councilors- but those phone calls were long after the City had issued the
c&d. I can only believe that someone, somewhere, must have brought a strange claim to the
Council that I was pretending to be a City official, which is what the c&d charges me to “cease
and desist” which rumor shouldn’t have made any sense to the City (as they were the ones I was
talking to, asking for their input. If I were pretending to be an official of the city, I wouldn’t seek
their input). I found it …bizarre. What is more strange to me is that apparently sometime
between May 26th and an email written to me on June 26th the City Council reversed its
decision and I cannot find such a record, anywhere. I do not believe it exists. One of the reasons
I believe it doesn’t actually exist, is that the Council then reverses itself again, later, with a Letter
written to the Treasury, asking for the CREB award for the ZESC project, which is also public
record.

I am mystified by many things that Troutdale has done, but prefer to look to the future. Another
city is interested in a clean generator with no smokestack producing many jobs for the people
and they will have the ZESC, but some of the revenues will, fortunately, be routed through to
Troutdale’s schools, which I feel is praiseworthy all by itself. Smoothing over the past seems like
the route to go. Mayor Kight is the Mayor of the City and so I do support him because that is the
way to support Troutdale. He needs to have peace to accomplish anything good there, moving
forward.

The records are what the records are, and the records now suggest that Troutdale has turned
around and is going positively toward assisting other local renewable energy developers,
welcoming investment into the city, and improving infrastructure. That is a good enough place
for us all. I am leaving it there. Correcting that c&d isn’t a concern for me. It doesn’t matter
because ZESC and Troutdale now have an amicable relationship and I think we are all happy with
it.

I meant what I said in my comments on Tuesday. On a journey, where you have been doesn't
matter so much as where you are and what the destination is.

Troutdale is now doing a bang-up job increasing its representation into the energy sector and in
finding an equitable energy platform that can make a difference.

I return us to the question at hand- do you support equal taxation? Or, do you believe that those
who produce a (polluting) megawatt should be taxed less than those who produce a (clean)
megawatt? I am convinced that given Troutdale’s more recent history, we will reach a
unanimous endorsement of the concept of equal taxation and financing of all energy. If local
renewables are ever to obtain fair treatment at the federal level it will be with the partnership
of our representatives because renewables alone will never be able to fight a powerful lobby
that pays both sides in Washington to keep the energy finance “playing field” unbalanced. I am
encouraged that the majority of Troutdale officials agree with that, today. This is all that
matters.

Please contact me if you have any further questions,

"Marni Zollinger"

(email verified)

Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 11:55 AM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Mr. Hartmann,

I read your comments in the Troutdale Trumpet, and was surprised at your progressive position,
right up to the place where you talk about Hiroshi Morihara, Ph.D., who has developed
technology that could turn the trees that fall in Oregon into energy.

This is a terrible idea, and here is why...Basic forest ecology shows forests are nothing without
their soil, which is nourished through the decomposition of dead tree trunks, branches, bark,
leaves,needles and cones. After logging, the tops of trees, branches, and other organic material,
called "slash," is left on the forest floor to fertilize damaged and depleted soils. The waste that
biomass opportunists want to remove from the forest to power the American way of life is
actually the forest's future soil.

In 2003, the so-called Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) was passed into law with a priority
purpose to "reduce wildfire risks to communities."[10] So far, so good, right? But the second
purpose of HFRA was "to authorize grant programs to improve the commercial value of forest
biomass." Forest biomass, not community protection, is the reason the Forest Service's top
priority is opening up 180 million acres of western public forests to the chainsaw. This is a
money maker, and Big Timber interests are behind any attempt to pass this off as good
stewardship of our land and smart alternative energy. It just isn't. There are much better energy
producing methods out there.

Respectfully,

Marie B.

""

(email verified)

Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 10:28 PM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

To Marni,

I don't know what Arthur's problem is with equal taxation, but I support it. It should at the very
least be equal. A tax break makes even more sense. As an owner of a hybrid car, I believe the tax
incentive was a good way to get that new industry off to a solid start. But charging higher taxes
for hybrid cars would make no sense at all, and it doesn't make sense for alternative energy
either.

my two cents...

Marie B.

""

(email verified)

Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 10:35 PM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Alright, I think I am understanding most of this. Here is my question: As the ZESC is no longer on
the table for Troutdale, what does Troutdale benefit by taking the "strong, equitable energy
position" that Councilor Hartmann is advocating?

"Chuck Tawney"

(email verified)

Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 08:31 PM

Re: Energy bill catches Troutdale councilor's attention

Chuck,

The benefits to Troutdale are that...

1) Other renewable developers (there are many in the area) may obtain proactive partnerships
that assist them in surmounting the tax and financing prejudice in Washington (treasury
compromises) and as a result of that assistance, locate more facilities in Troutdale.

2) Students at MHCC who study Sustainability, Health and Safety will find their field supported
and represented and thus may more strongly pursue careers in this needed sector

3) Reynolds School District would obtain greater revenues through the near-by ZESC if the ZESC
is able to obtain equal tax and financing treatment, as the School District is listed as a 3rd party
assignee of revenues.

All good things. Thank you for your question,

"Marni Zollinger"

(email verified)

Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 11:50 AM