Friends of the Columbia Gorge Protecting the Gorge Since 1980 Fall 2014 Newsletter Inside: Coal & Oil Trains Out of the Gorge! Pages 4-6 Protecting the Land Page 8 Fall Hike Brochure Insert Friends of the Columbia Gorge Founder Nancy Russell, 1932-2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Eric Lichtenthaler* CHAIR Rick Ray* VICE CHAIR Keith Brown* SECRETARY/TREASURER Debbie Asakawa Chris Beck Broughton H. Bishop Pat Campbell Ken Denis Maria Hall Robert Matteri Vince Ready* Aubrey Russell Photo: Greg Sotir Meredith Savery Kari Skedsvold Martha Sonato* Take Action! Pat Wall Mark Waller his July, the Columbia River Gorge Commission passed a resolution opposing increased Charlie Webster Polly Wood* rail transport of fossil fuels through the Gorge. Further, the Commission contacted the governors of Washington and Oregon and requested meetings with the governors’ BOARD OF TRUSTEES – LAND TRUST T Rick Ray* PRESIDENT staffs. Friends applauds the Commission for stepping up and taking strong action to block the Aubrey Russell SECRETARY/TREASURER threat of oil and coal transport through the Gorge. Maria Hall There is one more critical step the Commission can take to keep explosive Bakken oil Dustin Klinger Robert Matteri trains out of the Gorge: Intervene in the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) review Barbara Nelson of the Tesoro Savage oil terminal proposed in Vancouver. STAFF Contact the Gorge Commission immediately, and copy your letter to the U.S. Forest Service. Nathan Baker STAFF ATTORNEY Kyle Broeckel DEVELOPMENT AssISTANT • Thank the Commission for taking strong action against coal and oil transport in the Gorge. Peter Cornelison* FIELD REPRESENTATIVE • Urge them to intervene in the EFSEC adjudication process on the Tesoro Savage proposal. Pam Davee DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Kevin Gorman EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Gorge Commission: Stan Hall CONTENT/PR SPECIALIST Kate Harbour MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR Columbia River Gorge Commission Maegan Jossy OUTREACH MANAGER P.O. Box 730, White Salmon, WA 98672 / (509) 493-3323 Michael Lang CONSERVATION DIRECTOR www.gorgecommission.org/contactus.cfm Kate Lindberg OUTREACH AssISTANT Kate McBride* LAND TRUST MANAGER U.S. Forest Service: Ryan Rittenhouse CONSERVATION ORGANIZER Renee Tkach* GORGE TOWNS TO TRAILS MANAGER Lynn Burditt, USFS NSA Rick Till CONSERVATION LEGAL ADVOCATE 902 Wasco Street, #200, Hood River, OR 97031 / (541) 308-1700 Paige Unangst BUSINEss MANAGER www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/contact-us Sandy Wright DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR * Gorge area residents To see the Gorge Commission resolution and letters: www.gorgecommission.org. Published August 2014 For info on EFSEC adjudication: www.efsec.wa.gov/Tesoro-Savage.shtml. Contact Ryan for more pointers for comments: [email protected] / (971) 634-2034. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Newsletter Design: Kathy Fors and Kathleen Krushas / To the Point Publications Editor: Betsy Toll / Lumin Creative Services Citizen Action Makes the Difference! www.senate.gov or www.house.gov PORTLAND OFFICE 522 SW Fifth Avenue, #720, Portland, OR 97204 Oregon Washington (503) 241-3762 Sen. Ron Wyden, (202) 224-5244 Sen. Patty Murray, (202) 224-2621 HOOD RIVER OFFICE www.wyden.senate.gov/contact www.murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm 205 Oak Street, Suite 17, Hood River, OR 97031 Sen. Jeff Merkley, (202) 224-3753 Sen. Maria Cantwell, (202) 224-3441 (541) 386-5268 www.merkley.senate.gov/contact www.cantwell.senate.gov/public WASHOUGAL OFFICE 1887 Main St., Suite. 202, Washougal, WA 98671 Rep. Earl Blumenauer, (202) 225-4811 Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, (202) 225-3536 (360) 334-3180 Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, (202) 225-0855 Rep. Derek Kilmer, (202) 225-5916 Rep. Doc Hastings, (202) 225-5816 Rep. Greg Walden, (202) 225-6730 Rep. Suzan DelBene, (202) 225-6311 Rep. Peter DeFazio, (202) 225-6416 Email your Congressional Representative by Rep. Kurt Schrader, (202) 225-5711 logging on to www.house.gov/writerep Link to us on Twitter and Facebook from our website: www.gorgefriends.org Cover photo: Looking east from the Labyrinth. Photo: Jozsef Urmos / panojoe.urmos.net Kevin and Meghan Gorman. Photo: Jim Gorman Director’s Letter his summer, for the first time in flattering to hear colleagues in the broad my 15 years with Friends of the environmental community express great Columbia Gorge, I took more than admiration for our conservation efforts in Ttwo consecutive weeks off. Our board of the Columbia Gorge. directors approved my request for a five- I visited two land trusts in northern week sabbatical that I used for personal and Michigan who open some of their lands takeaways from the trip was watching professional reasons. Personally, it was a for public hiking, biking, fishing, and Friends run smoothly without me. We have great opportunity to spend a large block of even hunting. Later, I met with a coalition assembled a tremendously talented staff uninterrupted time with my 14-year-old that has put together a biking trail system and a terrific board. The board recently daughter, Meghan. We filled our days with between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and developed a leadership succession plan, and driving and talking, watching World Cup Washington, D.C., that provides a vital although I have no intention of leaving this matches, and visiting family. This time economic benefit to small communities great organization anytime soon, dispersing with her was priceless. along the route. leadership is a crucial and healthy step in our Professionally, the extended trip In Virginia, I reconnected with the organization’s long-term sustainability. allowed me to visit and “look under the director of Piedmont Environmental My sabbatical was once-in-a-lifetime hood” of other nonprofit organizations Council, a conservation organization using journey, including 4,098 driving miles, with missions and methods similar to advocacy, litigation, and land acquisition 31 days, 12 trail systems, 10 states, seven Friends. I was able to visit with staff at to preserve Virginia farmlands and Civil conservation organizations, and one amazing some of the country’s most innovative War battlefields. PEC is an active partner traveling companion. But for this Columbia nonprofits, to learn more about their best in Journey through Hallowed Ground, a land Gorge lover, it is really good to be back home. practices and introduce them to our work. preservation/economic development We are a unique organization, engaging project extending from Gettysburg to in advocacy, litigation, land acquisition, Jefferson’s Monticello. and recreation planning that now includes Aside from picking up great Kevin Gorman, Executive Director trail ownership and management. It was information and ideas, one of my biggest [email protected] Beacon Rock. Friends of the Columbia Gorge works to ensure that the beautiful and wild Columbia Gorge remains a place apart, Washington an unspoiled treasure for Sen. Patty Murray, (202) 224-2621 www.murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm generations to come. Sen. Maria Cantwell, (202) 224-3441 www.cantwell.senate.gov/public Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, (202) 225-3536 Rep. Derek Kilmer, (202) 225-5916 Rep. Doc Hastings, (202) 225-5816 Rep. Suzan DelBene, (202) 225-6311 Email your Congressional Representative by logging on to www.house.gov/writerep Photo: Friends of the Columbia Gorge archives. 3 AOil Union trains upPacific to a mile-and-a-half oil train passing long thunder through through Mosier, the ColumbiaOregon. Gorge. PriorPhoto: John to thisWood photograph, taken on April 18, the rail company denied running oil trains through the Gorge in Oregon. Oil Pipeline-on-Rails Threatens the Columbia Gorge Michael Lang, Conservation Director, [email protected] he production boom in the Bakken to accidents, oil spills, and explosions. Terminal opposition oil fields of North Dakota has Growing citizen concerns and mounting Meanwhile, mounting opposition is resulted in an explosion of oil complaints from Congress convinced the challenging the Tesoro Savage proposal Ttrain traffic throughout the country – an U.S. Department of Transportation to for a 360,000 barrel-per-day terminal explosion affecting communities all along issue an emergency safety order. The DOT on the Columbia River waterfront in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) order requires all railroads carrying loads Vancouver. Tesoro has a documented rail line, which leads directly through the in excess of 1 million gallons – equivalent record of violating pollution laws, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. to 35 tank cars – of Bakken crude to notify disregarding workers’ safety, oil spills, Bakken oil is highly volatile, much state emergency responders of all such and secrecy. Citizens and businesses in moreso than other forms of crude oil, and trains, so communities can better prepare Vancouver opposing the terminal cite it burns or explodes easily when exposed for inevitable accidents. environmental, public safety, and quality of to heat or sparks. A number of fiery train Washington state has released reports life concerns. In response, the Vancouver accidents in the past year included a tragic from BNSF showing that 19 oil trains city council adopted a resolution in June derailment and explosion last July that killed entered the east end of the Gorge in one opposing the massive terminal. In addition, 47 people and flattened several city blocks in week in early June, yet only 18 exited environmental groups including Friends Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. Then this spring, an the west end of the Gorge. The missing are actively working to defeat the proposal. oil train derailed and exploded alongside the oil train probably left the Gorge at the The Washington Energy Facility Site James River in Lynchburg, Virginia. Celilo crossing to head south through Evaluation Council (EFSEC) is reviewing Oregon’s Deschutes River Canyon, bound Tesoro’s application for site certification Significant dangers for refineries in California. In May, and will make a recommendation to Emergency responders in the Friends’ staff photographed an oil train Governor Jay Inslee whether to approve Columbia Gorge lack the training, funding, with Bakken crude traveling beside the the proposal. The application must be and equipment to adequately respond Deschutes Wild and Scenic River.