PORTLAND, Ore. — As winter weather began arriving in mountain passes, the Oregon Department of Transportation issued a warning: The state was running out of money to plow roads and could “no longer maintain the state’s transportation system at the same level as we have in the past.” Drivers would need to anticipate delays and prepare to be stranded in poor weather. The outcry was swift, particularly in the snowiest parts of Oregon. Among those skeptical of the agency’s approach was state Sen. Lynn Findley, a Republican who represents a sprawling, sparsely populated district that covers the ent…