Spring 2019 Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Friends of the Columbia Gorge Protecting the Gorge Since 1980 Spring 2019 Newsletter Spring Brings Hope for the Gorge Friends of the Columbia Gorge Oil train fire and oil spill in Mosier, Board of Directors Oregon, 2016. Geoff Carr Chair Photo: Paloma Ayala Debbie Asakawa Vice Chair Kari Skedsvold Secretary/Treasurer Pat Campbell Greg Delwiche John Nelson* Gwen Farnham Carrie Nobles Donald Friedman Buck Parker* John Harrison Lisa Berkson Platt David Michalek* Mia Prickett Patty Mizutani Vince Ready* Annie Munch Meredith Savery Land Trust Board of Trustees John Nelson* President David Michalek* Secretary/Treasurer John Baugher Land Trust Advisor Pat Campbell Greg Delwiche Take Action Dustin Klinger Barbara Nelson Buck Parker* Rick Ray* Protect Oregon from Dangerous Oil Trains Staff riends of the Columbia Gorge and proposed bills. Especially in light of Sophia Aepfelbacher Membership Coordinator Frances Ambrose* Land Trust Assistant our allies are supporting legislation the Trump administration’s repeal of a Nathan Baker Senior Staff Attorney in Oregon that would improve 2015 Department of Transportation rule Mika Barrett Stewardship Volunteer Coord. Fprotections against crude oil derailments and requiring oil trains to use newer, safer, Dan Bell* Land Trust Director Elizabeth Brooke-Willbanks Development Manager oil spills. House Bill 2858 and Senate Bill 99 breaking technology, Oregon needs to Peter Cornelison* Field Representative would require: ensure it is doing all it can to reduce the Pam Davee Director of Philanthropy threat from oil trains and hold railroad Burt Edwards Communications Director • updated contingency plans and Kevin Gorman Executive Director training for oil train spills; companies accountable. Stan Hall Digital Content Specialist Five bills addressing this issue have Kate Harbour Grant Writer • railroad companies to pay fees been introduced in this legislative session, Maegan Jossy Outreach Manager that would fund improved oil spill but three are weaker than SB 99 and Michael Lang Conservation Director response protocols and strengthen Kate Lindberg Outdoor Programs Coord. HB 2858, which are bills that Friends Libby Martin Development Assistant emergency preparedness; and our allies are supporting. Steve McCoy Staff Attorney Ryan Rittenhouse Conservation Organizer • railroads to have adequate insurance Contact your state legislators Renee Tkach* Gorge Town to Trails Manager to cover worst-case oil train now and ask them to support HB 2858 Paige Unangst Finance Director derailments and spills; and and SB 99, the strongest possible oil-train Sara Woods* Land Stewardship Coord. • 24-hour notification for oil trains. bills. To find your Oregon legislators, visit *Gorge Area Residents OregonLegislature.gov. Click “Find Your Oregon has the weakest laws on the West District and Legislators,” enter your address, Published February 2019 Coast regarding oil train emergency and view their contact information. Then Publications: response. Both California and Washington call and/or write to them today to protect Newsletter Design: Kathy Fors and already have laws similar to these Oregon from oil derailments and spills. Kathleen Krushas / To the Point Collaborative Editor: Betsy Toll / Lumin Creative PDX STAY CONNECTED WITH FRIENDS Portland Office: 333 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 300, Portland, OR 97204 gorgefriends.org/subscribe @gorgefriends 503-241-3762 Hood River Office: WHO WE ARE Friends of the Columbia Gorge was founded in 1980 by the vision of 205 Oak St., Suite 17, Hood River, OR 97031 541-386-5268 John Yeon and the tenacity of Nancy Russell. Working with legislative champions led by Senator Mark Hatfield, Friends was instrumental in ensuring the passage in 1986 Washougal Office: of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. 887 Main St., Suite 202, Washougal, WA 98671 360-334-3180 We continue working today to ensure that the beautiful and wild Columbia Gorge remains a place apart, an unspoiled treasure for generations to come. 2 Cover: Spring view, looking east from Rowena Crest. Photo: Janice Dunlap Photo: Richard Kolbell Director’s Letter eneath the gamesmanship of the windows of the year to avoid disrupting recent government shutdown salmon spawning, the project timeline may is something anyone who pays now have to be extended, which in turn Battention to Gorge geology should could impact funding. understand: erosion. While nature intended A shutdown like this is equivalent to for Gorge cliffs and stream beds to erode a single thread being pulled out of a rich, over time, the federal government’s complex tapestry. Even when the government commitment to the Columbia Gorge reopens, the unraveling cannot be undone; was meant to stand firm in perpetuity. a lesser version of its old self will be left to their slow pace getting projects back up to Shutdowns have an erosive multiplier effect carry on. speed, and they’ll good-naturedly roll their in places like the Gorge. The National Scenic Area calls for eyes at my unrealistic expectations. Then In December 2018, when the shutdown federal, state, and local governments to work we’ll catch up on stories about our families began, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service together with nonprofits and community and get back to all we were engaged in was working with local governments and organizations. The process at times is messy, together before the shutdown. nonprofits such as Friends of the Columbia controversial, and hard. But the result is But missing from that picture is one Gorge and the Lower Columbia River something no single entity could pull off more thread from the beautiful tapestry Estuary Partnership on a major salmon alone: an incomparable swath of public and we work so hard to protect. The Columbia restoration project at Steigerwald Lake. The private land has indeed been protected and Gorge is too precious, too sacred, for this. $22 million restoration project will be the even enhanced over three decades, even as We can’t allow its wonder to continue largest ever in the Gorge, employing up to population pressures have devastated other unraveling one thread at a time. 400 people and creating new habitat and new scenic locales around the country. trails for people to enjoy. Then government I look forward to catching up with agencies were shut down, putting years of the Gorge federal employees who were momentum in jeopardy. Considering that furloughed, whether it is in meetings or out Kevin Gorman, Executive Director this restoration work can only occur in short in the field. I may gently tease them about [email protected] Hillsides of balsamroot blooming near Memaloose. Photo: Warren Morgan 3 Protecting Oregon from Dangerous Oil Trains Michael Lang, Conservation Director, [email protected] he Columbia River Gorge 2019 could be the year when the preparedness; notification of oil trains continues to be in the crosshairs legislature passes meaningful oil train passing though Oregon; and adequate of crude oil trains and terminals. emergency-response legislation. One of railroad insurance for worst-case oil train TThe dangers were brought home in June the rail industry’s staunchest allies in the derailments and spills. 2016, when an oil train derailed as it legislature resigned, and the 2018 election Senate Bill 99 and House Bill 2858 passed through Mosier, Oregon, spilling produced a more pro-environment legislature. contain significant, common sense thousands of gallons of oil into the The Oregon Department of Environmental steps to address oil train emergency Columbia River, contaminating the city Quality (DEQ) supports legislation that preparation and response. Several other of Mosier’s water plant, and igniting a would give DEQ authority over oil spill bills, including HB 2209, have also been significant fire that threatened homes and response plans. Friends of the Columbia introduced, but they do not include all of the elementary school. Gorge and the environmental community those essential components. Since 2015, several bills have been have made passing strong oil train legislation a introduced in Oregon to mandate priority for the 2019 session. Why Oil Train and Terminal important oil spill response measures Oregon Senate Bill 99 and House Legislation is Needed that would better prepare Oregon first- Bill 2858 would require important responders for the next oil train derailment protections, including contingency plans Unsafe rail cars and spill. To date, however, the railroads and training for oil train-related spills; fees Since 2012, explosive Bakken crude and their political allies have stalled these on railroads transporting crude oil to fund oil has been transported by rail at high common sense proposals. better oil spill response and emergency speeds through the Columbia River Gorge Mosier derailment and fire, June 2016. Photo: Michael McKeag 4 The environmental community has made passing strong oil train legislation a priority for the 2019 session. National Scenic Area, the Deschutes Crude oil export ban lifted Is Oregon ready? River Canyon, and many communities In 2015, Congress lifted the U.S. Oregon has the weakest laws on the throughout Oregon. This oil is transported crude oil export ban, creating a market West Coast related to oil train emergency through Oregon to refineries in California for development of new export terminals response. In fact, in 2016, Oregon had to and Washington and to export facilities on the West Coast. All oil train traffic in rely heavily on Washington’s Department with no direct benefit to Oregon’s the Pacific Northwest passes through the of Ecology for assistance in responding economy. Bakken oil and heavy tar sands Columbia River Gorge. As the price of to the Mosier derailment. California and oil (bitumen) are transported in unsafe rail oil rebounds and domestic consumption Washington have passed strong laws similar cars that puncture in accidents at speeds decreases, the Northwest can expect to see to those proposed for the 2019 session for as low as 14 mph, leading to oil fires and more oil train traffic and more proposals Oregon. Notably, federal railroad laws have explosions.