Tobias Read (D-Beaverton) Sides with the LNG Industry

If you live in Beaverton (or if you know anyone who does and who cares about environmental issues), then you can help determine the outcome of a key hurdle in the fight to stop Liquefied Natural Gas in Oregon. Beaverton is the home district of Representative Tobias Read (Dem), who chairs the Sustainability and Economic Development Committee in the Oregon House of Representatives. This is the committee charged with determining the fate of two bills - one anti-LNG, which would protect the public interest from giant energy companies seeking a profit; the other a piece of pro-LNG legislation that would make it even easier for corporations to seize private lands from small farm-owners. Unfortunately, Rep Read is not on our side on this issue. He is actively trying to kill the anti-LNG bill, while pushing the pro-LNG, pro-corporate profit one forward.

Tobias Read needs to hear from his constituents. According to Columbia Riverkeeper, which has been working tirelessly to stop LNG since this issue first arose, Read tried to avoid even holding a hearing on the anti-LNG bill - the LNG Public Protection Act - in his committee. When the hearing finally happened, he kept it as short as possible; he also let the representative from Northwest Natural (the company which wants to build the Bradwood LNG Terminal) speak for 25 minutes, while everyone else testifying was limited to three (yes, three) minutes. I was in Salem watching this hearing unfold when it happened; and I can only report that it was a farce at best, and completely rigged at worst.

And though Read can't seem to find the time to move the LNG Public Protection Act forward, he's had no problem pushing forward House Bill 3058 - a bill that would allow energy companies to begin taking over private land without even resorting to use of eminent domain. Columbia Riverkeeper is working to organize Beaverton residents to let Read know what they think of his actions. If you live in Beaverton, please contact Tobias Read at Rep.TobiasRead@state.or.us Tell him what you think of him using is position as a Committee Chair to favor the interests of the LNG industry.

-Nick Engelfried

Bike-the-Pipe Video: Link Works This Time

Okay, so the slide show link I tried to post recently doesn't seem to have worked. But this should - it's a video/slide show of Bike-the-Pipe in Washington County, which describes what our two-wheeled protest accomplished, and breifly lays out where the wider fight against LNG stands today:

Slide Show Tells the Story of Bike-the-Pipe

Want to know more about Bike-the-Pipe and the fight against Liquefied Natural Gas in Washington County? This short slide show tells the story. You'll also find out how you can help us win this struggle.

-Nick Engelfried

Biking to End Fossil Fuel Dependence!

Liquefied Natural Gas is turning into a truly big issue at Pacific University - and I can tell you, it's not getting a lot of good press. Since the Washington County Sustainability Summit in February, Pacific students have attended a no-LNG rally outside the Portland headquarters of Northwest Natural Gas, written letters-to-the-editor of local papers, and even traveled to Salem to speak with our representatives in the state legislature and let them know what we think of LNG. Pacific also hosted a Columbia Riverkeeper film screening of "Crossroads on the Columbia," which chronicles the struggles of landowners whose livelihoods would be devastated by LNG development. But this past weekend we took the fight against dirty LNG in Washington County to new level with a project that brought together Pacific students, young climate activists from other parts of the state, and local affected landowners. It was an initiative that's been in the works since soon after the Sustainability Summit: Bike-the-Pipe.

On Saturday, approximately 20 young climate activists, more than half of them students at Pacific, toured the proposed route of the Palomar and Oregon LNG pipelines in Washington County by bicycle. Our first stop along the way was at the beautiful Gales Meadow Farm - an all-organic home business owned by Anne and Rene' Berblinger, which is severely threatened by the Palomar LNG pipeline. "LNG would wipe us out," said Anne Berblinger, back at the Sustainability Summit two months ago.

Next, we stopped along the banks of Gales Creek: a salmon-supporting stream which stands to be criss-crossed several by the LNG pipelines. A local activist of unknown identity had drawn out a series of red and white lines across the nearby road, marking where the Palomar and Oregon LNG lines would plow their way through the landscape: both pointed directly at the stream. Oregon's endangered salmon are just one of the rare species in the Northwest which will suffer if the LNG proposals go through.

Luckily, however, local resistance to this massive fossil fuel development project is so strong that the salmon and other threatened species may not have to worry. For our last stop of the bike tour we rested up at the Gales Creek Elementary School, for a potluck and media event attended by local farmers, tree growers, and clean energy advocates who are determined not to see LNG rip through the Washington County countryside. The event was also attended by Representative Chuck Riley, who represents Forest Grove in the Oregon Legislature. Rep Riley is the co-sponsor of the LNG Public Protection Act - a bill that would limit energy giants' ability to develop LNG projects without a proven need for the fuel in Oregon. Reporters from the Hillsboro Argus and the Forest Grove News-Times were present, taking notes as students and landowners alike testified to the dangers of LNG for our community and local economy.

Facing the massive challenges of global warming, fossil fuel dependence, and a collapsing national economy, it's easy to grow despondent, even to give up on doing anything at all. But this weekend 20 dedicated students decorated their bicycles with no-LNG banners and set out to do something about one small part of the problem. Instead of despairing that nothing can be done, we got out there and did something. The energy giants that want to sacrifice our land, air, and water had better watch out, because the Washington County sustainability movement is not going to back down until they do.

Intel to Stick Up for the Climate?

Intel Corporation is the largest private employer in Oregon, with one of their largest campuses in the state located right in Hillsboro - the county seat of Washington County. In the last few years, Intel has also said a lot about their commitment to Oregon's environment, and to combating global warming. But this month, we will have a chance to see just how far Oregon Intel is willing to go to uphold its green promises.

On March 31st, college students from all over Oregon will be converging on the state capitol in Salem to push for bold state-level policy on global warming. And we've challenged representatives from Oregon Intel to support us as a means of demonstrating their environmental commitment. Specifically, a March 31st will also be the day of a committee hearing on SB 80 - the bill that would set a firm cap on Oregon's total greenhouse emissions - and we want Intel to testify in favor of it. If the company is really serious about securing a green future for our state, then what could be more natural than pushing for a cap on greenhouse emissions? The response we've received so far from Intel has been fairly positive, but the company has yet to commit for certain that they will join us in lobbying for SB 80. Will you help make sure they say yes by sending an email here to Intel's head lobbyist?

The support of a big employer like Intel could make all the difference to a bill like SB 80. Please take a minute to send an email to the company and ask them to do the right thing!

-Nick

Will Senator Starr Protect the Public from LNG?

I've already made the point on this blog that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) represents one of the biggest threats to sustainable living in Washington County. So it's great news that one of our county representatives in the Oregon State Legislature - Rep Chuck Riley, is one of the chief sponsors of the LNG Public Protection Act (HB 2015). The Act, if passed into law, would not ban LNG in Oregon; however, it would give state agencies much more authority to say no to LNG if they determine that LNG development is not needed in Oregon, or that it is not consistent with the state's goals for reducing global warming pollutants. For a complete summary of the LNG Public Protection Act, please see here.

Representative Riley is already working to protect his district from irresponsible fossil fuel development. Now, however, we need to get the rest of Washington County's legislative delegation on the same page. In particular, State Senator Bruce Starr, who represents the cities of Forest Grove, Cornelius, and Hillsboro in the state legislature, could be a swing vote on this issue. In 2007, Senator Starr supported passage of Oregon's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard. This year, however, not much has been heard from him on the issue of LNG versus clean, renewable energy. In fact, the preliminary investigations of myself and other suggest that the LNG Public Protection Act is not yet a big issue in Starr's office. When I called up his office to urge Starr to support the Act, I had to explain to the legislative assistant who answered the phone what this bill would even mean for Oregon. This doesn't mean Senator Starr doesn't care about protecting his constituents - it simply means that we need to let him know how important the LNG Public Protection Act will be to the people of Washington County, and to Oregon's clean energy future.

If you live in Senator Starr's district, you can help educate him about the LNG Public Protection Act. Please call his office, and urge Senator Starr to clear the way for clean energy in Oregon by supporting the LNG Public Protection Act.

You can reach Senator Starr's office at 503-986-1715

Then, once you've called Senator Starr, please let me know in a reply to this blog post so I can keep track of the total number of calls to his office!

-Nick Engelfried

Why We're Never, Ever Alone

At times, it's easy to feel isolated in your efforts to create a greener and more sustainable future; especially in a place like Washington County, which has not exactly been a hub of environmental progressivism in the past. This past weekend, however, I was reminded that we are far from alone - indeed, those of us attempting to "sustain Washington County" are just one small part of a green wave that's sweeping across this country.

From Friday evening through this past Monday, I attended Powershift 2009: the largest-ever gathering to oppose global warming in US history. While the event - held in Washington, DC - was organized by young people, and while the vast majority of the more than 12,000 participants were youth, it was heartening to see activists of all ages unite to take on the most pressing problem of our time. Speakers from Congressman Ed Markey, to EPA Director Lisa Jackson, to civil rights leader Van Jones, to writer and activist Bill McKibben reminded us that 2009 is a critical year to pass policies at all levels of government which will signal to the international community that the United States is ready to take on a leadership role in combating the climate crisis. On Monday, we descended on Capitol Hill itself for a giant rally on the West Lawn, and to meet with our elected representatives in Congress and urge them to support bold climate policy.

From the national to the city level, we will push our elected leaders to be real leaders when it comes to environmental issues. Now it's time to build a movement here in Washington County that will harness the energy I saw at Powershift and transform our region into one with a brighter and greener future. More coming soon!

-Posted by Nick Engelfried