September 2015
KLAMATH BASIN
Business
Halloween adventure
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Diamond S Meat Co.
Curing meats naturally serves owner’s, customers’ needs — Page 2 Nominations open for best businesses — Page 3 Chamber director reflects on rural business summit — Page 4 County jobless rate dips slightly; labor force lacking
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A publication of the Herald & News Chamber: www.klamath.org
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Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, Herald and News
Basin Business
Going natural
A cure for meats means a cure for business owner By GERRY O’BRIEN H&N Editor
I
magine owning a storefront business, but never showing up to check on employees or greet your customers. Sounds odd, or even an impossible business plan, but that’s just what Dayle Robnett does, and has been successful at it for several years. Dayle and Steve Robnett run Diamond S Meat Co., a custom livestock butchering and processing business located at 7400 Kings Way in Klamath Falls. (Just off Highway 39 near the 140 bypass intersection). This past August was their 18th year in business. Steve Robnett, 47, has been in the custom butchering business for 30 years. Both grew up in the Klamath Basin and run a small ranch on their own. About 10 years ago, Dayle began suffering from severe allergies to nitrites or preservatives in the meats the shop was preparing and packaging. “I had stroke-like symptoms because the nitrites were depriving me of oxygen to the brain,” she said of the rare condition. “My speech was slurred, my eyes would droop and I had a change in personality; would be angry all the time.” She could not sit outside in the parking lot if the meat smokers were running. Anywhere close to the air-borne nitrites could set off an attack. Dayle, 44, continued to work the meat smokers and front counter for another six years. She couldn’t stand to be away or be idle, she said. About two years ago, she was told by physicians to either leave the business or she could die. During this time, the couple switched to an all-natural way of preserving
H&N photos by Gerry O’Brien
Diamond S Meat Co. employs nine full-time workers. Above left, coowner Steve Robnett is pictured at the store.
meats, using a celery cure for their beef jerkies, salamis, summer sausage, kilbasa, hams and bacons. “We’ve taken a lot of the allergens out of our products. Many are glutenfree, cured naturally, no MSGs. We don’t add any food coloring,” she said. What has become popular now, was not so 10 years ago. But the Robnetts have built a local following and attracted customers online from as far away as Portland. “Taking the preservatives out of our products has made them more consumer friendly,” Dayle said. “It’s great for kids who may suffer from ADHD. We ship a lot of our snack sticks and beef jerky to parents who want that for their kids.” Dayle keeps in touch with the day-to-day operation by phone, emails and texting. She’s started a blog to suggest recipes for people who want meats that are free of preservatives. She has to be careful what she cooks and even avoid some vegetables that may have naturally occurring, airborne nitrites. Yet over the years, the business has won numerous awards for its products. And despite having to work from home, the business is thriving, employing nine people full time. The shop is open Monday-Fridays 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., or call 541-884-8767. The website is diamondsmeatsco.com.
Nominations open for best businesses The Klamath County Chamber of Commerce is seeking business and individual nominations for its annual awards which will be celebrated at the 95th Annual Awards Gala on Feb. 6, 2016, at the Ross Ragland Theater. The chamber’s annual awards represent the highest honor the chamber can bestow upon worthy individuals and businesses. Executive Director Chip Massie said, “The awards are a way for the community and the chamber to recognize the businesses and individuals in the community that make a difference and make Klamath a great place to work, play and live.” This year, the chamber will hand out awards for: Tashia Owen, above right, of Tashi Soap ■ Big IDEA Innovation: Awarded to an organization in Co. received the Spirit of Entrepreneurany industry that employs new ism award last year from the Chamber of ideas or approaches to doing business. Innovation could fill Commerce. an unmet need, create attention, be different or better than existing products, exceed market expectations, achieve financial success, or improve business systems. ■ Environmental Leadership: Awarded to any organization in any industry that demonstrates an alignment with clean energy or clean technology practices. ■ Commitment to Community: Awarded to any organization in any industry that demonstrates a successful approach to corporate social responsibility and can show a positive impact on the community. ■ Best Place to Work: (business with 15 or less employees, business with 16 or more employees). Presented to an organization that, through its innovation and dedication, provides employees with an outstanding positive, healthy and productive workplace. ■ Spirit of Entrepreneurism: Awarded to an individual who exhibits an entrepreneurial spirit, originality, personal integrity, and influence. Awarded to an individual who has taken risks in business (could be started a new venture, expanded into a new area, taken on a difficult project, demonstrates “outside the box” thinking, or demonstrate a vision for the future). ■ Lifetime Achievement: Awarded to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional business achievement and outstanding commitment to Klamath’s business community over their lifetime. Must be a business leader in Klamath County and be a member of the Chamber. Must have participated in the Klamath business community for a minimum of 20 years. ■ The Pathfinder: Awarded to presidents, principals or chief executive officers for devoting time and energy to strengthen and transform the See NOMINATIONS, Page 5
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Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, Herald and News
Basin Business
Chamber director reflects on rural business summit
Committee evaluating proposed bikeway By SAMANTHA TIPLER Herald and News Staff Reporter
Monthly in The Herald and News
Oregon’s State Scenic Bikeway Committee are riding the route today of the propsed Volcanic Legacy Scenic Bikeway — a 47-mile trek between Rocky Point and Crater Lake lodge — as part of its process to determine if it should be listed with the best of the best for cyclists in the state. The committee held a public meeting on Wednesday to get input on the trail proposal, and along the ride today will take more input from the public. The evaluation of the route is based on its natural qualities, humanmade qualities — buildings, structures, heritage sites — and sensory qualities such as pleasant sounds, odors and tactile opportunities. “Community support is very important,” said Alex Phillips, bikeways program coordinator. The proposed Volcanic Legacy Bikeway is one of four finalists being considered by the state. There are only 14 designated bikeways in Oregon.
“The State Scenic Bikeway Committee periodically accepts applications and rates the routes based on a variety of factors including scenic value, strength of the local proponent group, and support of governing bodies for all road jurisdictions,” a press release on the meeting and ride said. “This rating trip and meeting is one of the first steps towards possible designation, which can take up to several years to complete.” To find out more about the scenic bikeways program, visit www. OregonScenicBikeways.org. To find out more about scenic biking, visit rideklamathride.com, or the Discover Klamath biking website.
KLAMATH BASIN
Business
There’s a new attitude about business in Klamath County Last week, the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce presented the inaugural Rural Business and Innovation Summit. More than 100 attendees participated in three days of presentations and workshops highlighting business success tools, entrepreneurism and local investment opportunities that support rural areas. The summit drew presenters and participants from Klamath County, Portland, Salem, Bend, Lakeview and the Rogue Valley. Topics included local workforce development, research tools and data use, “angel investing,” payroll management, entrepreneurial concept pitches, managing the trash (distractions) in your business, and business advocacy and support. The summit was also a celebration of doing business in rural Oregon. I think at times we forget how entrepreneurial and innovative rural communities can be. When I look around Klamath, I see a wide variety of start-ups and niche-oriented businesses that probably stretched the imagination of doubters when first proposed. For example, a few men looking at an old box factory and envisioning a windows and doors company called Jeld-Wen. Or, seeing the algae bloom in Upper Klamath Lake and deciding to harvest the algae and create nutritional supplements and cosmetics now sold worldwide. Or, the creation of a duck decoy manufacturing facility in Klamath Falls with shipping to all corners of the globe. These are just a few companies that saw the potential of building a business in rural Klamath County and pursuing success singlemindedly.
Our community has had its ups and downs but the companies shared here and the dozens more who have found a way to succeed, expand, and reach for markets well beyond our borders, have laid the foundation for Klamath’s economic renaissance. Signs of the renaissance are everywhere; Sky Lakes Medical Center, GroVolution, Klamath Works, Gaucho Collective, Klamath County Economic Development Association, OreMassie gon Health and Science University’s Rural Medicine program, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Community College, Henley Schools, Klamath Union’s upgrade, Klamath IDEA, Steen Sports Park, Crater Lake Zipline, Town & Country Mall, food truck courts, and many more. As a champion for local business, the chamber has been involved with all of these groups and created the Rural Business and Innovation Summit 2015 to showcase the new attitude in Klamath County and the possibilities ahead. It is time for us to shake off the doldrums of the past few years and embrace the potential rural Oregon has — next year’s summit will have a new crop of entrepreneurs, business trainings, motivational speakers and improving data showing the foundation is strong and the future of business in Klamath County is hopeful and visionary. Charles “Chip” Massie Executive Director, Klamath County Chamber of Commerce
Midwife service changes name The former Klamath Women’s Center, LLC, has changed its name to Baby Catchers and Company LLC. The former name, Klamath Women’s Center, was frequently confused with other former and current local businesses, according to a news release. “Originally we chose a name that included the location and a taste of what we do. Now after nearly two years, we decided we needed a name change. The new name Baby Catchers and Company LLC explains what we do — we catch babies,” The release said. Jeanne Stagner is certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board as a certified nurse midwife. She is licensed in the state of Oregon as a nurse practitioner, the release said. Baby Catchers and Company is located inside the Rookstool Moden Realty building, 1900 Main St. The firm is owned by Stagner and Irene Stagner. Inside the Klamath Birth Center there is a birthing suite, a kitchen, and also areas for family, examination appointments and treatments. The group provides maternity care and other women’s health services. For more details, see the website at www.babycatchersandcompany.com Phone: 541-887-8321
Contact the Chamber Klamath County Chamber of Commerce
205 Riverside Drive, Suite A Klamath Falls, OR 97603 Office: 541-884-5193 Fax: 541-884-5195 Charles “Chip” Massie Executive Director
NOMINATIONS, from Page 3
cmassie@klamath.org Heather Tramp: Marketing and Program Coordinator Email: heathert@klamath.org www.klamath.org www.facebook.com/Klamath
organiza tion that they lead. This includes specific situations or initiatives where the recipient’s insight, discernment and ability to lead and inspire have guided their organization to a new level of growth, achievement and recognition. This individual should actively support advancement of their organization, create a vision and inspire others, establish a positive image for his or her business while leading it to higher levels of success, encourage innovation and risk-taking among employees, and give back to the community. Through the awards, the chamber seeks to celebrate the dedication and commitment of the business talent and the entrepreneurial spirit that exists within our community. In 2015, Tashia Owen of Tashi Soap Co. received the Spirit of Entrepreneurism award for her entrepreneurial spirit and her success in her business. Owen said, “It was such an honor to receive such an important special award from our community and to be rewarded for all of our hard work and commitment to serving others. It made us want to continue to do everything we can to stand out in our small town and be there for those in need. Much thanks to the chamber for everything they do for the small businesses here locally.” To make a nomination, visit www.klamath.org and follow the links on the front page. The deadline for nominations is January 1, 2016. For more information on the event, visit www.klamath.org or call (541) 884-5193.
Local couple opening discount party supply store James and Donna Lindsey of Bonanza have announced the upcoming opening of their discount party supply store to be located in one of the newly renovated retail spaces in the Town and Country Shopping Center, across from Big Lots. The store — Parties R Me Inc. — will carry a variety of both latex and foil balloons as well as supplies for themed birthdays, baby showers, patriotic holidays, seasonal and more. The couple plans a soft opening on Oct. 10. “During that time we would greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work out all the bugs and kinks and get prepared for our grand opening, which will be two weeks later on Oct. 24,” a news release said. “We are looking forward to working with the wonderful people of Klamath County and helping you all to put together your special parties and events!” “This has been a dream of mine for quite a while and with a family as large as ours, with 8 kids and 9 grand babies we are always celebrating something,” Donna Lindsey said in the news release. “It was so incredibly frustrating when trying to put together something special for a party, if we wanted to stick with a particular theme we either
Mark Fay, M.D. Scott Stevens, M.D. Physician/ Surgeon of the Eye Physician/ Surgeon of the Eye
had to order it online or travel over the hill. I kept thinking, we really need a party store here locally. Pretty soon I started thinking I’d like to either work in one or maybe even own my own store. I shared my thoughts with my husband and he was very supportive and he could also see a need for it. Together we did our research, talked to several people and decided why not? Let’s go for it. It’s a great opportunity for us to work for ourselves while also providing a much needed service for Klamath County and have fun while doing it. It’s a win-win!” The Lindseys have been longtime residents of Klamath County, both graduating from Bonanza High School. Donna worked in retail in Klamath Falls and then real estate in Bonanza, while James served in the Navy, traveling overseas and taking part in Desert Shield Desert Storm conflict. He recently retired in 2014 as a Chief Petty Officer with 22 years of honorable service. In 2011 the couple reconnected and married in 2013. “We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Klamath County and helping you put together your special parties and events.” The store’s address will be 3810 S. 6th Street, Suite 270. Phone (541)891-0248
Edwin Tuhy, O.D. Optometrist
Jennifer Sparks, O.D. Optometrist
New Patients Welcome
2640 Biehn St. • 541.884.3148 • www.klamatheyecenter.com
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Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, Herald and News
Basin Business
There’s no secrets to investment success Many people look for the “secrets” to investment success. Is it timing the market just right? Is it finding those hot stocks or getting in on the “ground floor” of the next big thing? Actually, these types of moves have little relevance to the vast majority of investors – even the most successful ones. So let’s take a look at some steps you can take that can be effective in helping you work toward your financial goals. ■ It’s time in the market … not market timing. Some investors think they can succeed at “market timing” — buying when the price is low and selling when the price is high. And this would indeed be a good strategy if they could predict highs and lows. No one can accurately forecast these peaks and valleys, though. So, instead of ducking in and out of the market in a vain attempt to catch the highs and lows, simply stay invested. The more time you spend in the market, the lesser the impact you’re likely to feel from short-term price swings. And if you’re always invested, you’ll always be in a position to benefit from the next market rally. ■ It’s “buy and hold” — not “buy and sell.” Even if you aren’t trying to time the market, you may be tempted to buy and sell frequently as you look for new and better opportunities. Yet, this constant buying and selling can be costly. Frequent trading, with all the additions and subtractions from your portfolio, can make it hard for you to follow a consistent, unified investment strategy. You’re better off purchasing quality investments and holding them for long term, until either your needs change or the investments themselves no longer possess the same attributes they did when you purchased them. ■ It’s building a strong foundation — not getting in on the ‘ground floor.” Many people regret not being one of the initial investors of a company that has done spectacularly well. But most new companies don’t achieve anywhere near that level of success. So, instead of looking for the next big thing on the “ground floor,” try to build a strong “foundation” consisting of a mix of quality investments suitable for your risk tolerance, goals and time horizon. This type of investing may not sound glamorous, but a strong foundation is better equipped than a possibly shaky ground floor to withstand the shifting winds of market forces. ■ It’s cool-headed thinking — not chasing “hot stocks” — If you browse the internet or watch one of the investment shows on cable television, you are bound to read or hear about “hot” stocks. But by the time the news reaches you, these stocks may already be cooling off. Even more importantly, they might not be right for your needs in the first place. Instead of chasing after hot stocks, which, by their nature, carry a strong emotional component (namely, the desire for quick, big gains), try to coolly and dispassionately analyze your situation to determine which investments are really most appropriate for your goals. There really aren’t any shortcuts to reaching your desired and financial destination. But by taking the slow and steady path, you can work toward getting there. Submitted by: MEREDITH HOFFMAN Financial Advisor, Edward Jones 1307 S Alameda Avenue, Suite B Klamath Falls, OR 97603-3601 Phone: 541-273-2483 Fax: 877-452-1831
16%
Oregon and South Central Oregon Unemployment Rates Seasonally Adjusted, August 2010 - August 2015
12%
8%
Oregon
4%
0% Aug-10
Feb-11
Aug-11
Feb-12
Aug-12
Klamath
Feb-13
Aug-13
Lake
Feb-14
Aug-14
Feb-15
Aug-15
Jobless levels in counties dip slightly; labor force lacking Employment levels are up from last summer across the Klamath Basin but the region continues to experience sharp declines in the local labor force. The declining labor force is making it difficult for local employers to find qualified workers to fill their job openings. Klamath County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose for a second consecutive month to 8.3 percent from 8.0 percent in July. However, the rate remains down significantly from this time last year when it was 9.7 percent. Klamath County added 100 jobs in August, which is slightly less than the typical gain of 130 jobs. Job growth was concentrated in health care, but general merchandise stores and construction both experienced minor gains. Total nonfarm employment was up by 300 jobs from last August. These gains were nearly split between the private and public sectors. On the private side, tourism, retail, and transportation accounted for the majority of job gains. All levels of government added jobs from last year (federal, state, and local).
Construction was the only industry to post significant job losses, down 100 jobs from last summer. Lake County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was little changed in August at 7.9 percent from 7.7 percent in July. The unemployment rate was down from last August when it was 9.5 percent. There was essentially no change in Lake County employment levels from July (-10 jobs), which is fairly typical this time of year. Total nonfarm employment was up slightly from last year (+20 jobs). Construction and local government both posted moderate job growth from last year. Job losses were concentrated in the trades (retail and wholesale). The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly payroll employment and labor force data for Oregon’s metropolitan areas and counties. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources.
Ha l l oween a dven t u r e
The Klamath & Western Railroad’s Pumpkin Express, above, returns for Halloween in October.
Feeling Brave? Get ready for the ride of your life It’s back by popular demand. The Klamath & Western Railroad’s Sixth Annual Pumpkin Express returns Saturday, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come ride free the 1/8th scale model railroad for a pre-Halloween treat. Visitors will board trains from a dilapidated station platform, travel into the shadowy goblin infested woods, through the eerie clown-faced tunnel, (condemned many years ago) to the Last Chance gold mine, across the creaky bridge into the bewitching town of Fearville, with a stop at the menacing graveyard to look for long lost relatives, and back to the station. For $2 riders can get off at the former Quick Sand
swamp now converted into a pumpkin patch and select a pumpkin to take home. The return trip will have one experiencing eerie sounds, howling winds and gurgling bogs. For those who make it back there will be lots to do at the fearsome haunted Central Station: Guessing the number of pumpkin seeds to win a pumpkin, visiting the sinister gift shop and walking through the haunted caboose which has been known to house ghosts of railroad men from times past. The train rides are free at Klamath and Western RR; located at 36951 S. Chiloquin Road, just a short distance from Highway 97. Phone 541-783-3177 for more information.
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Basin Business
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, Herald and News
Paid Advertisement
September 2015 Newsletter for Oregon State Senator Doug Whitsett, District 28 Senator Doug Whitsett
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-311 Salem, OR 97301 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728
R-Klamath Falls - District 28 I represent the citizens of Senate District 28, which includes Klamath, Lake and Crook, as well as parts of Jackson and Deschutes Counties. As Senator of one of the largest Senate districts in the state, it is extremely important that my constituents remain in contact with me about the issues and concerns that affect their lives. You and I must work together to protect the common interests of rural Oregonians. I encourage you to contact my office by either email or telephone so that I can know how to best serve you. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best Regards, Senator Doug Whitsett
Newsletters: www.leg.state.or.us/whitsett Email Senator Doug Whitsett: sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us
BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BIODIESEL: A RECIPE FOR TRAGEDY Parents throughout Oregon have enrolled their children for the 2015-16 school year. They make certain their kids arrive at the bus stop and expect them to safely return from school. Some seriously flawed public policies are making this process much more complicated and sometimes more dangerous than it needs to be. Oregon’s Willamette Valley lawmakers have rushed to enact laws to implement biofuels mandates in the name of saving the environment. The involvement of government’s heavy hand in these markets has created winners and losers, political cronyism of the worst kind. The winners are the out-of-state purveyors of “clean” renewable biofuels. The losers are the children in many eastern Oregon school districts. My office received multiple complaints during the cold winter of 2014 regarding the unreliability of biofuels from parents, school districts and many business interests in areas east of the Cascade Mountains. The required use of biofuels caused severe fuel problems for school buses, as well as other diesel-powered vehicles and machinery, when wintertime temperatures plunge below zero. Conventional diesel fuels often gel during extremely cold weather, causing fuel lines and fuel filters to plug. Eastern Oregonians have used diesel additives to successfully prevent and deal with plugged lines and filters for decades. Diesel blended with biofuels creates an entirely different problem. At around 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, the bio-lipids in the blended fuels coagulate, essentially returning to their original form as vegetable or animal fats. This process results in fuel coagulation that renders engines virtually useless until the fuel system is disassembled and cleaned. Significant costs for vehicle towing and replacement of damaged parts are often required. Of course, all this occurs during frigid, unforgiving sub-zero winter weather. I asked Legislative Counsel to draft Senate Bill 164 in response to our constituents’ valid and documented concerns. The bill was very narrow in scope, and sought merely to create an exemption to the biofuels requirement for people east of the Cascades during the cold winter months. SB 164 would have amended current law to allow biodieselfree fuel to be distributed east of the Cascade summit during the four coldest months. I calculated the maximum reduction in the mandated use of biodiesel in Oregon would have been less than 3 percent, because only about 13 percent of Oregonians reside east of the Cascade summit and the exemption would only apply during four low-activity winter months. It was submitted for consideration in the 2015 regular legislative session. Our efforts to amend those one-size-fits-all laws were met with politically motivated resistance that could very well endanger schoolchildren in rural parts of the state.
A public hearing was held on the bill last April in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. During that hearing, well-paid lobbyists for environmental interests and the national biofuels industry claimed to know nothing about any problems associated with the use of these biofuels in extreme weather conditions. They simply denied the veracity of our incontrovertible evidence. This testimony was in direct conflict with written testimony received by my office from school district officials expressing concern for the safety of schoolchildren. They reported buses failing to start, and much worse, buses whose diesel engines quit running in mid-route, leaving students stranded in sub-zero weather with no source of heat. School district mechanics, as well as fuel suppliers, blame the entire fuel problems on biofuel additives. Diesel-powered buses fueled with biofuel blends did not operate properly under extreme conditions, if at all. Towards the end of each legislative session, all of the policy committees shut down by a date certain. Bills that are still being considered by legislative leadership to continue through the process are referred to a handful of committees that remain open, including Rules, Revenue and Finance, and the budget-writing Ways and Means committee. Bills that are subsequently referred to those committees are often used as bargaining chips in the session’s final days. SB 164 was passed out of the policy committee, without recommendation as to passage, and referred to the Senate Rules Committee. By that point in the session, negotiations had begun on a statewide comprehensive transportation package to provide the Department of Transportation (ODOT) a lifeline out of its pending budget fiasco. The agency is sailing toward an enormous selfdescribed fiscal cliff beginning as early as 2017. The discussions included replacement of the recently enacted Low Carbon Fuel Standard, significant ODOT cost reductions, as well as increases in fuel and transit taxes and vehicle registration fees. I was among the “gang of eight” legislators involved in those marathon talks. The conceptual framework of SB 164 was included in the transportation bill negotiated by our group. Unfortunately, the bill was essentially sabotaged by the ODOT director during its only public hearing. He testified that his worldclass agency modelers had made a grievous 80 percent error in their calculations. Those modeled estimates were heavily relied on during the committee deliberations. Following that hearing, Governor Brown “pulled the plug” on the negotiations and the bill died. Although SB 164 continued to reside in the Senate Rules Committee, lobbyists for the biofuels companies and environmental activists continued their active and vocal opposition.
My office received a letter and e-mail from a Californiabased ethanol company in strong opposition to SB 164. It claimed the company’s profits apparently depend on the continued forceduse of their product during eastern Oregon winter conditions. A similar letter was received from the DuPont corporation, expressing concern over how modification of government-mandated use of its product could hurt its bottom line. Neither letter mentioned concern regarding the safety of Eastern Oregon school children. It would have been difficult to picture “Earth First-like” activists carrying water for companies like DuPont when the environmental movement first began. The chemical giant has been alleged to be responsible for its fair share of the kinds of actions that led to the environmental movement in the first place. But politics often makes for strange bedfellows. The environmental activists fought hard against SB 164 to help ensure the continued profiteering by the biofuels giants. The session adjourned on July 6, with neither the transportation package nor SB 164 being signed into law. The coordinated effort among the biofuels industry and environmental activists ensured the biofuel mandates still stand. We will endure at least one more winter wondering whether school buses will make it to their intended destinations without breaking down on the side of the road due to biodiesel coagulation. Ideal political policies and laws are crafted to balance different interests. They are intended to benefit the daily lives of most members of the public, without causing undo harm to others. I believe the biofuel mandates are among the laws that significantly benefit chosen winners, while ignoring the significant travails of the losers. Large companies like DuPont continue to profit due to Oregon legislative action. Meanwhile, people in rural Eastern Oregon struggle needlessly during harsh weather conditions. It is my hope that the progressive liberal legislative leadership will allow the next Legislative Assembly to elevate school safety above crony capitalism by allowing amendments to the biofuel mandates before tragedy strikes. Please remember—if we do not stand up for rural Oregon, no one will. Best regards, Doug Follow the link below to subscribe to an electronic version of my weekly legislative newsletter updates: https://public.govdelivery. com/accounts/ORLEG/subscriber/new?topic_id=ORLEG_30.