The Folded Crane Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility | Fall 2017 Building Momentum for Safer Communities and a Healthier Climate Regna Merritt, Healthy Climate Program Director, Power Past Coal Co-Director As I began writing this article in warming oceans are clear signs that September in Shady Cove, I smelled global climate chaos is upon us. smoke. The Chetco Bar fire was burning Have we hit our tipping point? in the Illinois River Valley, Chetco River corridor, and Kalmiopsis It can be difficult to maintain hope in Wilderness. The Milli fire was burning these dark times. But a recent victory in and near the Three Sisters Wilderness. — the denial of a key permit for the At home, the Eagle Creek fire in the largest coal export facility in the nation Columbia Gorge was growing. Friends — renewed my hope. The Millennium August 29th protest of Vancouver oil-by-rail facility recently evacuated from the west side of Bulk Terminals project, which from the Gorge were returning home, while the mines to the power plants would individuals, and frontline communities those to the east prepared to leave. have pumped 55 million tons of join with Tribes stretching from the greenhouse gas pollutants into our mines to the ports to protect our At the same time, communities in atmosphere each year, will not be health, our environment, and tribal Texas and Florida were suffering from built! Washington State found that this treaty rights. Our team of health hurricanes and flooding. Over a thousand project would bring terrible and unavoid- professionals contributes mightily to people had died in floods in south able impacts that couldn’t be mitigated, regional efforts to keep coal and other Asia. Today, Puerto Rico reels from the including an increase in cancer rates. fossil fuels in the ground, protect those impacts of Hurricane Maria. Extreme most vulnerable, and push for a rapid weather and massive storms fueled by Powerful coalitions of organizations, transition to a healthy energy economy. (continued on page 3) Growing Cost and Safety Problems at CGS Nuclear Power Plant Chuck Johnson, Nuclear Power Program Director, and Damon Motz-Storey, Program Assistant On August 20th of this year a valve discovered additional valves that needed in the Columbia Generating Station repair. Then, when attempting to bring (CGS) nuclear power plant’s condenser it back up to full power, they discovered froze shut, stopping its ability to cool that their coolant water contained too the reactor core and forcing plant much iron, which can cause breakdowns operators to rapidly shut down the in the zirconium cladding surrounding nuclear plant. It remained at zero power the nuclear fuel inside the reactor. for nearly two weeks. This loss of power generation gives us an insight into Water chemistry problems and stuck Steam rises from the Columbia Generating Station how the years have taken their toll on valves have been a consistent theme (photo courtesy of KING-5 News) this aging GE Boiling Water Reactor, with the CGS reactor in recent years. This latest unplanned shutdown, the the last remaining commercial nuclear This indicates that the plant, which is third within the last 18 months, comes power facility in the Pacific Northwest. nearing the end of its designed life in on the heels of another failure in the 2023, is showing its age. This reactor Energy Northwest’s low-level waste According to plant operator Energy has design flaws similar to those that shipping program. On August 11th, Northwest officials, the stuck valve caused the meltdown in Fukushima, Susannah Frame of Seattle’s KING-5 problem was fixed within a couple Japan, and should be shut down as News broadcast an exposé on recent of days of initial shutdown, but they soon as possible due to safety concerns. repeated errors in radioactive waste (continued on page 4) Board of Directors Dear Oregon PSR Supporter: Michele Bernal-Graves, MS Treasurer With the threat of climate chaos and David Chatfield nuclear war feeling all the more tangible as Andy Harris, MD fires, floods, and hurricanes wreak havoc Susan Katz, MD and tensions rise with North Korea, I am Vice-President more grateful than ever to be part of an Chris Lowe, PhD organization making progress on tackling Elaine McKenzie, RN, MPH these existential threats. Patricia Murphy, ND, LAc Secretary Oregon and Washington PSR members and staff express their We’ve had some incredible victories opposition to a proposed coal export facility in Longview, WA Joel Nigg, PhD for climate health in recent months. Patrick O’Herron, MD Oregon PSR has been in the leadership Power Program Director, leaving us at the end President John Pearson, MD of winning campaigns including halting of the year is that he’s moving on to become a construction of what would have been the program director at our international affiliate, Advisory Board nation’s largest coal export facility (page International Physicians for the Prevention of 1), convincing Metro to abandon a plan Nuclear War. Damon is working closely with George Austin to ship municipal waste for incineration Chuck to ensure a smooth transition as our work Sonia Buist, MD (page 4), and stopping PGE from building to end nuclear power charges ahead (page 1). Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP two fracked gas plants (page 5). As we hold Ben Duncan the line on these disastrous projects, we Staff, Board, and work group volunteers Yuri Hiranuma, DO also lead in supporting a just transition have begun an incredibly rich and useful Charles Hudson Zeenia Junkeer, ND to a renewable energy economy. There process of examining how our social justice Philip Newman, MD was no better place to be on the day that values can be better expressed throughout the Bonnie Reagan, MD Trump pulled out of the Paris climate organization in the past year. We’ve become Peter Spencer, PhD accord than in Portland and Multnomah more intentional about showing solidarity Karen Steingart, MD, MPH County as we won two of the strongest and standing up with those most affected Frances Storrs, MD and most equitable 100% renewable energy by systemic injustice in a variety of ways: Maye Thompson, RN, PhD resolutions in the country. participating in the One Oregon coalition’s Jan Wyers environmental committee to expose the While the threat of nuclear war looms greenwashing of anti-immigrant hate groups Staff larger than I can ever remember, Oregon (see page 6), raising our banner at events to Program Assistant PSR and our partners celebrated a major counter white nationalism, and supporting KellyAnn Cameron milestone this summer with the negotiation the leadership of communities most impacted [email protected] of the United Nation’s Treaty on the by climate injustice. Executive Director Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which Kelly Campbell makes the production and use of nuclear We’re growing in strength this year, as we’ve [email protected] weapons illegal under international law. had many new members join and long time Program Director In Oregon, we’ll be spreading the word by members re-engage. Whether it’s making Nuclear Power Program Chuck Johnson asking youth for their ideas about how to a larger gift this year-end, joining one of [email protected] eliminate nuclear weapons in their lifetime our work groups, or spreading our message th Program Director through our 10 annual Greenfield Peace through social media, I encourage you to Healthy Climate Program Writing Scholarship (page 5), a project find a way to increase your engagement with Regna Merritt managed by our fantastic new Quaker our vital work to create a healthy, just, and [email protected] Voluntary Service (QVS) fellow, KellyAnn peaceful world for all. Program Assistant Cameron (page 6). Damon Motz-Storey [email protected] In Peace and Health, In other staff changes, I am thrilled that our Associate Director former QVS fellow, Damon Motz-Storey, Sean Tenney [email protected] has agreed to remain on our staff. And the silver lining in Chuck Johnson, our Nuclear Kelly Campbell, Executive Director 2 Building Momentum for Safer Communities and a Healthier Climate (continued from page 1) In the spirit of hope, I want to share Fossil Fuels in Portland PGE Carty in Boardman, OR with you just some of the many • Pushed Portland City Council to set • Halted PGE’s plans to build new accomplishments of Oregon PSR’s a national precedent in adopting fracked gas power plants in Oregon, Healthy Climate Action Team and our zoning code changes that ban the which would have added more than community partners over the past year: construction of new major fossil fuel 2 million tons of carbon pollution terminals and the expansion of annually (see page 5) Power Past Coal in the Pacific NW existing ones • Co-directed coalition efforts to prevent • Defended Portland zoning ordinances Jordan Cove and Pacific Connector the construction of the largest coal from a legal challenge by the Western Pipeline in SW Oregon export facility in the country in States Petroleum Association • Joined efforts to prevent a Canadian Longview, WA, securing the denial company from seizing property to of a key WA Dept. of Ecology permit 100% Renewable by 2050 in Portland build a 235-mile pipeline and a massive • Supported the Health Impact and Multnomah County liquefied natural gas export facility Assessment Steering Committee • Passed sister resolutions, focused on • Worked to prevent coal exports from a just transition away from the use of Renew Oregon British Columbia fossil fuels, nuclear power, incineration • Supported the