How permanent daylight saving time would impact Oregon

[00:00:00]This is Fox 12 Now.

[00:00:04]>> Hello everyone, this is Fox 12 Now.

[00:00:06]Thanks for joining us. I'm Greg Nibler live here in the Fox 12 Oregon newsroom and we appreciate everyone who is live streaming, whatever platform you happen to be on.

[00:00:16]Uh thanks for joining us. So, whether that's our live website or our streaming apps or mobile app, whatever it may be, thanks for doing so. What we're going to talk about right now is the Sunshine Protection Act and that is the potential of making daylight saving time permanent. What would that actually do for us here in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to our daylight hours, how long it's going to be when the sunrise happen, when the sunset happen. We're going to talk about that a little bit more. Joining us from OMSI, we have the one and only Jim Todd. Jim, always great to have you here on the show. Usually we're talking about the stars and I guess in a way we are in this this segment, but really talking about, you know, that sunshine and what that would mean for people who don't know, could you talk to us and maybe give a brief explanation and and just a I think we're all used to turning the clocks forward behind. But maybe an explanation on what exactly that does for us and then how this would change things.

[00:01:12]>> Well, it kind of serves what I what I would describe kind of a curveball to our daily habits or our daily functions. And so we have all grown up with the daylight saving time. There's some convenience and inconvenience of it and the perfect for the ability to to ensure the safety but since we say the farmers and and the and the travelers what have you. Not with the original intent. And so now if it did become a permanent thing that the daylight saving time you can look at it this way that our kids could be going to the bus in the morning in the dark.

[00:01:55]And so that may not be favorable in some in some parts.

[00:02:00]Uh and so, it also could be a burden of travelers if they're making like flights heading eastward or westward. Uh and the daylight saving time I mean, which convenient for international travel and what have you. But it could really complicate things and it change the >> [snorts] >> kind of the pattern that we are so used to having all this time about how we deal with the time. And so, is this convenient?

[00:02:28]Well, I think we will find that it's kind of easy to take some getting used to having to change in the daylight saving time.

[00:02:37]>> So, with what that would do, like say um you know, our winters or whatever it may be, would this be later or earlier sunrises, later or earlier sunsets, that kind of thing?

[00:02:50]>> Uh all the above. And and so, um that means that in winter time, you could really go take take a look say you're going to go home in decent hours at 5:00. And it we we're so used to seeing being dark about 4:30.

[00:03:08]It may be 5:30. I mean, an hour is not going to make that much difference. But it's the morning that will really will make the difference. Kids getting to school, going in dark at a dark bus stop. Um those are the really that that that's the main thing that the highlight that many people will notice is that it's dark in the morning. Now, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

[00:03:31]But then we get into the summer hours, um it it seems like it might not get dark until 11:00 or 10:00.

[00:03:39]Uh it really gets late. And then you wake up and it's still dark. It's going to make it a little bit confusing.

[00:03:46]>> Yeah, because I think we're used to it getting light so early right now. Um so, it would stay light a lot later. What other kinds of an effect effects will this have you know, on on us really in the Northwest other than you know, that for sure you know, getting used to those different daylight hours, but will there other other effects this could have?

[00:04:06]>> Well, it it might I think that it's impacts will be noticeable once we get used to it, but it's going to take a while. I'm going to say that it's going to be more disturbing to the flights airline flights that pattern it would still you to to fly in eastward or westward in daylight and the time zone conversion of time zones, there's conversion of clocks and so on. Uh, that could be really complicated for other nations that still have daylight saving time.

[00:04:38]Um, there are some nations that have been permanent. Uh, so it's really just going to complicate things all the way around.

[00:04:45]>> Yeah, when you're talking about time zones, so there are other nations and other areas I guess that are using this kind of a system as far as having daylight savings time.

[00:04:54]>> Mhm, mhm, yeah, they are and you know, they're they've they've figured it out and now we will have to figure it out. I'm not necessarily [clears throat] surprised. I I've seen this topic come up again and again year after year as uh, people just trying to understand why we have daylight saving time in the first place.

[00:05:13]And does it really make that much of a difference? Well, that depends. If you're a parent, it does. If you're not don't have children, it doesn't make really any difference. Uh, it also can affect uh, so let's say that uh, you're planning for like a public star party for a home day. Yeah, we would have to say, well, okay, well, now we have to wait until it gets dark later.

[00:05:36]Uh, that could be an interesting thing that I'm going to be watching and see how uh, it affect the like our own star parties when we have to start or end and that that could be interesting.

[00:05:49]>> Yeah, so this would start maybe potentially much later in the summer months than [clears throat] than you would normally have. And then >> Yeah, and then a lot of kids going to be past their bedtime, so they're going to miss the opportunity.

[00:06:02]>> Yeah, star parties would be tough. I could definitely see that if it's going that way. And then what how would this, you know, when you look at like farming and things like that to you? I would think this would have a big effect on that.

[00:06:12]>> Well, I don't know. They work long hours anyway.

[00:06:17]And I would say that probably not a whole lot and hours difference going to make a difference to the farmers.

[00:06:24]But I am not a farmer myself. I wouldn't know what really that would mean for them.

[00:06:30]But I would think that a slight change not going to make a huge difference. But it's just the normalcy that it's affected. And I think as a pet owner I would say many pet owners are going to say my cat is bugging me now even more so in the morning because they want the sun is up.

[00:06:51]Or even nap time for the kids. And then the kids say, "Oh, it's still light up.

[00:06:55]I don't need to go to I take a nap."

[00:06:57]It's all those little things going to make a little difference.

[00:07:01]>> Do you know about what the possibility would be or or what the latest time would be for a sunset that we would see if this did go through?

[00:07:10]>> Well, my guess, you know, if you you calculate what we're seeing now is instead of 9:00, we'll go to 10:00. And my I haven't looked into it, but it would probably be in the neighborhood of about 11:00.

[00:07:26]But I would have I haven't even thought about that.

[00:07:30]>> Um I mean this may be the same situation there as far as thinking about it, but when we're talking about these mornings and just how dark it could be until later, what do you think the latest sunrise could be? Just a guess when it's far as around the time.

[00:07:45]>> Yeah, it would be something like 9:00 in the morning 8:30.

[00:07:51]And again, we'd have to even just look at that and take out the the daylight saving part of it out and just carry it through the through the through the whole year. It would be interesting.

[00:08:03]>> [snorts] >> Yeah, and would this have repercussion effects as far as overtime? This would change that or >> Overtime, yeah. Yeah, I think about because yeah, we're getting getting used to it and what have you. I'm really curious to see how it's going to affect the airline industry.

[00:08:22]How they're going to use this into the calculation. I think it's going to be very complicated for them and there's going to be some miscommunication where some devices are automatically changing to daylight saving time. Like my own vehicle that I have, it automatically counts to computer that oh yeah, today is daylight saving time and that can mess some people up thinking oh, I'm late for work or they're going to be showing early for work or I'm late for class. That's going to take some effects and kind of remind me to Y2K that they thought that when Y2K happened, everything was going to change to the calendar. That would affect that a lot of devices out there are permanently on daylight saving time. They're going to have to account for that and they still have to go back and change it to the permanent time.

[00:09:16]>> Yeah, that could definitely that would be interesting to see how that's going to work there with some of the technology and some of the automated things. Well, it'll be fascinating to see where this goes should it fully become enacted. Anything else that you think is important for people to know?

[00:09:32]>> No, it's just taking some getting used to. There's I mean, keep in mind that a lot of people are not in favor of this, but let's just see them work it through and and the state of the reaction and the people the power to be they're going to see the response and what have you. It's going to take some getting used to.

[00:09:52]>> All right, well Jim, thank you as always. Enjoy having you on here just to talk through some of these different things and look at the angle there from your perspective. And Jim, great to talk to you. Thanks for joining us.

[00:10:03]>> Okay, thank you, Greg.

[00:10:05]>> And for everybody watching, this is Fox 12 Now. We are live streaming here at the Fox 12 Morning Newsroom. We're going to take a break. We'll be back here in just a few with Mark Nelson, our chief meteorologist, to talk about well, how hot it is outside right now, but also talking about some of the wildfire smoke and the wildfires that are going on and see where we're at on that. So, he'll be joining us. In the meantime, we're going to take a quick break, so stick right where you're at, whatever platform you're on. We'll we'll talk to you then with more Fox 12 Now.