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.