OLCV Talk

Its Election Day!

Today, across the state Oregonians are casting ballots for positions on local school boards, water district boards and even fire district boards.

 

In the City of Milwaukie a mayor will be elected. As Milwaukie faces the challenges of growth and development, OLCV looked for the candidate who could best balance these challenges with the need for a strong local economy, clean air, clean water, transportation choices, parks, and a healthy and safe city. We were thrilled to have endorsed Jeremy Ferguson for the job and now, on Election Day, we are even more certain we made the right choice.

 

Over the last several weeks Jeremy has run a top-notch grassroots campaign. As the candidate, he has knocked or called thousands of voters on his own; at the same time he has mobilized a committed group of volunteers to do the same. These volunteers have also helped design a website, deliver lawn signs, and much more. This was not a top-down campaign, but truly a grassroots effort. We were more than happy to see the candidate Jeremy Ferguson work and we are even more excited to see Jeremy continue his work as Milwaukie's Mayor.

 

Best of luck to all of OLCV's candidates and job well done.

 

House Committee: It's Not the 1970s Anymore

On Tuesday, the House Environment and Water Committee passed Senate Bill 105 to the floor on a partisan 5-3 vote. Chair Ben Cannon is carrying the bill on the House floor, where it is expected to be voted on next week.

The bill is the first adjustment of maximum environmental penalties since the 1970s. Read more about the bill.

Oops, I accidentally dropped a bait fish into an Oregon lake. Now what?

Well, that depends on the fish. If the fish doesn’t previously exist in the lake this could be a bigger concern once Senate Bill 571 passes, but don't fret.

Luckily, nearly all fishermen and fisherwomen in Oregon know you can’t use live baitfish in Oregon’s waterways. Big No-No. But if you fish, you know that. So what’s the big deal?

The Big Deal is Oregon evaporated over $5 million taxpayer dollars removing an inappropriate baitfish, the tui chub, “released” in Diamond Lake. Other fish declined and the water became murky as the little fish grew in numbers and changed the microscopic-balance of the lake, which ultimately produced algae-blooms  (the same “blooms” that spur infamous fish kills by removing all oxygen from the lake and suffocating its' inhabitants).

Local businesses reported a decrease in overall business by upwards of 40% once the tui chub took hold—since the fish dramatically altered the local ecology and thus the desirability of fishing and recreating there.  Diamond Lake presented an ecosystem and a local economy on the brink of failure. This necessitated the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) take dramatic measures to restore Oregon’s “showcase trout fishery” and poison Diamond Lake in order to save it.

Educating the public is key to prevention and, fortunately, statistics show the casual fishing newbie is not who creates imminent ecological disaster—it’s the intentional perpetrator who arrives with climate-controlled tanks distributing their favorite baitfish as a personal biology experiment. And Senate Bill 571 recognizes this: the bill is sensitive to the inadvertent blunders of the casual recreator and simultaneously creates an appropriate disincentive for the most egregious fish-releases.

SB 571 makes introduction of non-native invasive fish a Class C felony if done intentionally or knowingly, and a Class A misdemeanor if done recklessly or with criminal negligence. It would pull the angling licenses of the offender for five years, and would allow the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to sue guilty parties for restitution costs. This bill means business.

But have no fear, even by creating tough penalties and sending a clear message about the seriousness of invasive species, SB 571 targets legitimate offenders and provides a necessary safety-net for everyday casual recreators who will occasionally make a mistake.

SB 571 passed out of House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities this morning with a unanimous vote. The bill is heading to the house floor and will (hopefully) be yet another exciting conclusion to one of the Oregon Conservation Networks' Priorities for a Healthy Oregon.

Oregon House passes clean energy bill

House Bill 2186 tackles the low-hanging fruit of the state’s global warming pollution.

SALEM, OR – The Oregon House of Representatives today passed the first climate change bill of the session with a 32-28 vote. House Bill 2186, introduced as part of the governor’s healthy climate package, authorizes the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission to adopt common-sense, cost-effective strategies that will not only reduce the state’s global warming emissions but also will spur local innovation and business opportunities, and save Oregonians money.

“House Bill 2186 is a no-brainer,” said OLCV Legislative Affairs Director Evan Manvel. “By focusing on the low-hanging fruit, the bill will help pave the way to a green energy economy that will create local jobs and save precious dollars for Oregon’s working families.”

House Bill 2186 is one of several bills that are part of the Oregon Conservation Network’s Priorities for a Healthy Oregon. The OCN is a coalition of more than 40 Oregon environmental groups.

Key components of HB 2186 include:

•    Requirements, with exemptions, for low rolling-resistance tires that will improve gas mileage, saving consumers hundreds of dollars.
•    Restricts unnecessary idling for heavy trucks and ships docked at ports.
•    Heavy-duty, long-haul trucks could be required to improve truck aerodynamics –which would translate into as much as $2 billion annual savings. Rules allow phase-in, as well as exemptions for lack of financing. Upfront costs would be financed with fuel savings.
•    A low-carbon fuel standard, similar to the one in California supported by oil and utility companies. The bill includes a variety of renewable fuels, including a boost to locally produced cellulosic biomass instead of corn-based ethanol.
•    Requires substitutes, when available, for products containing high-potency greenhouse gases, like refrigerants.

These components are proven strategies that have been studied for decades. If signed into law, the rules adopted under this bill won’t take effect in until July 2011.

What Creates Jobs, Reduces Energy Consumption, and Fights Global Warming?

Note: the below was written by Phaedra Booth, our Policy Fellow this session... I was able to attend a press conference last Friday with Sen. Merkley and Rep. Blumenauer, and Reps. Bailey and Read, where they visited a home in Southeast Portland that would benefit from the Act - Evan

What Creates Jobs, Reduces Energy Consumption, and Fights Global Warming?

Answer: the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Technology Act of 2009 (EEAST), otherwise known as House Bill 2626-A.

The idea is simple: energy efficiency is the fastest and cheapest way to create jobs and create energy sovereignty.

Sustainable energy solutions for businesses and homeowners like solar panels, solar hot water, and geothermal heat pumps not only make sense, they save money, and often put clean energy back onto the grid. In addition to immediate tangible benefits resulting from projects like as these, such as making utility bills cheaper, promoting green industry is a cost effective and efficient way to stimulate local economies and create jobs for professionals who are currently out of work.

House Bill 2626-A, spear-headed by Rep. Jules Bailey (D-Portland - at microphone) and Rep. Tobias Read (D-Beaverton - behind) does this by creating new, low-interest loans, structured so monthly payments are lower than the amount of money saved each month from the energy savings from the new energy-efficiency projects. This allows the upfront cost of the project to be spread over the life of the loan and allow building owners to see the immediate financial benefits of making clean energy investments. Because the building owners have lower total energy costs—even with the loan payment—the loan is an amazingly secure investment and will attract keen investors.

The bill was moved out of the Oregon House Revenue Committee today, and heads to the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

This is an idea so bold and forward thinking it is currently being considered in Washington, DC, where Congressman Blumenauer (at top, with Rep. Bailey) and Senator Merkley (at left) plan to introduce similar legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, respectively.  The Oregon duo are working to make this concept materialize in Congress this year.

Oregon once again finds herself a ripe proving ground for innovative ideas and where the rubber of smart leadership hits the road.

Hang your clothes out to dry

A bill launched by a small group of citizens and introduced by Rep. Ben Cannon (D-Portland) that would lift prohibitions on clothes lines and solar panels found in many condominium and planned community documents (ie. ByLaws and CC&Rs) passed in the House today.

Developers just toss in restrictions regarding clotheslines and solar panels because they use boilerplate covenants, and then they sell all the units and move on, not realizing how annoying the prohibition is and what a huge pain in the neck it is to change Homeowners Association Bylaws. House Bill 3090A is a simple no-cost measure that will allow tens of thousands of Oregonians to save money and curb greenhouse gases by using the sun and the breeze to dry clothes, heat water, and generate electricity at their own homes.

State Rep. Phil Barnhart (D-central Lane & Linn counties) was instrumental in getting this out of committee and on to the floor of the House. Give him a call and thank him and then contact your state senator to make sure it passes there.

 Email your legislator, or call. The toll-free number for all legislators is 800-332-2313.

 --Allen Hancock, OLCV Lane County Chapter Steering Committee

Honest Pint of Beer Bill Passes 34-26 . . . Hooray for Clean Rivers!

On Tuesday the House Environment and Water Committee heard a bill on reducing phosphates in dishwashing soap, SB 631. Unfortunately, the bill does not apply to commercial dishwashing soap, only household soap.

What to be done? Reduce the amount of soap businesses need to use.

How? By passing Oregon's Honest Pint legislation, HB 3122, which would allow businesses to pay the state to certify they serve pints of beer that are actually at least a pint of beer: 16 oz. With actual pints, customers need to order fewer pints to receive the same amount of beer as they would when served "cheater pints" of 14 oz. Less glassware, less dish soap, fewer phosphates, healthier rivers.

Rep. Jules Bailey (D-Portland), chief co-sponsor, eloquently explained the bill on the House floor this morning. Rep. Nick Kahl (D-Portland) and Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem) spoke in favor of it. Rep. Kevin Cameron (R-Salem) spoke against the bill. The House passed the bill 34-26.

Good for consumers. Good for the environment.

Join the Facebook effort supporting HB 3122.

For Portlanders Who Give Up a Car: $9,201 a Year

Portlanders who give up one car in their household save $9,201 a year, the 12th-most in the United States, according to a new study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

From the press release:

Taking public transportation is an economical way to travel as individuals seek to “ride out” the recession. Riding public transportation also reduces carbon emissions and mitigates America's dependence on foreign oil.

“In these uncertain economic times, individuals are looking for ways to do more with less,” said APTA President William W. Millar.  “Riding public transportation is one way to immediately save a significant amount of money.  You can save money and save the planet.”

The Transit Savings Report, released monthly by the American Public Transportation Association examines how much individuals can save annually by taking public transportation rather than driving and having one less car in the household.

Read more.

Senate Passes Transit Funding Bill, 20-9 -- Hooray!

The Oregon Senate just passed Senate Bill 34 on a 20-9 vote (Sen. Winters and Sen. Nelson joined all 18 Democrats in support of the bill).

The bill, one of the conservation community's Priorities for a Healthy Oregon, will help Oregon communities to provide more transportation freedom.

Senate Bill 34 allows Oregon’s largest metro areas to enhance transportation choices.

SB 34 allows TriMet (Portland metro) and Lane Transit District (Eugene-Springfield) to increase revenue once the economy improves.

The bill allows a ten year phased-in increase of one-tenth of one percent in payroll fees, from 0.7% to 0.8%, to help ensure everyone has transportation choices.

Reasons to support Senate Bill 34:

• All Oregonians deserve the ability to travel and have transportation choices.
• One quarter of Oregonians – roughly one million people – are too poor, too young, too old, or too infirm to drive.
• About 38% of Oregon’s global warming emissions come from transportation. Single-occupant vehicles are the source of the majority of this pollution.
• Creating affordable choices can save money for struggling Oregonians. About 20% of household budgets go to transportation. In many households, transportation outstrips housing as the single largest expense.
• Federal matching funds require local transit agencies to demonstrate the ability to cover operating costs for the next 20 years.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

IKEA, Fire Fighters, Audubon, Willamette Riverkeeper and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether

I am currently in a hearing on Senate Bill 596. The bill passed the Senate on a 22-8 vote and is under consideration by the House Environment and Water Committee.

SB 596 would phase-in a ban of DecaBDE, a flame retardant commonly found in mattresses and other household products. SB 596 adds Deca-BDE to the list of hazardous substances currently being phased out of the market due to potential public health risks.

"There is a lot that we do not know about the toxins in our everyday life, but the evidence on Deca-BDE suggests that it could pose serious, long-term affects to our health," said Senator Mark Hass (D-Beaverton), chief sponsor of the legislation.

"As long as there are safe alternatives out there to this product, I can think of no reason why we would want to risk exposing our children and ourselves to Deca-BDE," said Deputy Majority Leader Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham), who sponsored the 2005 legislation banning certain BDEs.

Testimony in favor of the concept also came from the International Association of Fire Fighters and Oregon State Fire Fighters Council:

"Unlike other flame retardants, when PBDEs burn they release dense fumes and black smoke that reduce visibility and a highly corrosive gas known as hydrogen bromide. In addition, PBDEs produce highly toxic byproducts... Many studies involving fire fighters exposed to these and other toxic gases during active fire fighting, overhaul, and long term exposure from these chemicals penatrating protective gear, have found that fire fighters have a much greater risk of contracting cancer, hear and lung disease, and other debilitating diseases."

Many noted that IKEA, Dell, Apple, and HP are phasing out the use of decaDBEs. Representatives of Willamette Riverkeeper and Audubon Society of Portland also testified eloquently in favor of the bill.

Despite the diverse support for the bill, opponents -- mainly chemical companies -- flew in people from other states to try to kill to bill.

Debate over field burning echoes the past

Today, the Oregonian published an editorial on Senate Bill 528, which, as amended, would phase out field burning over the next two years. It barely passed out of committee.

The editorial likens this battle to one from decades ago, when wigwam burners were finally put to rest due to enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act.

Don’t want to read the whole editorial? At least check out the last four paragraphs:

Last summer only about 150 of Oregon's 1,500 grass-seed farmers set fire to their fields. The growers now urging the Legislature to allow them to keep burning are indeed the holdouts, the farming equivalent of the last wigwarm burners that churned out smoke until the state forced them to stop.

There are echoes today in the old debates over wigwam burners chronicled in the news clippings and legislative minutes filed away in the Oregon State Library across Center Street from the state Capitol. The rhetoric is the same: A burn ban will kill the industry and cost jobs. There's no evidence that the smoke harms human health. Give us still more time to develop alternatives.

A Senate committee has narrowly approved, by a 3-2 vote, a two-year phase-out of Oregon field burning. The grass-seed lobby has countered with amendments that not only would preserve field burning in Oregon, but also write into law an Orwellian euphemism for the practice: "thermal field sanitation." 

By any name, it is unhealthy smoke that should not be filling the late-summer skies over the Willamette Valley and directed at small, politically powerless "Sacrifice Zone" towns such as Stayton, Lyons and Junction City. The phase-out bill soon will come to a vote in the Senate; the outcome is said to be close. Years from now, when people look back at the deciding votes on this unneeded and unhealthy industrial practice, they will see who was on the right side of history.

WSJ: Peak Oil Happened Last Year; Oregon Legislators Face Vote Soon

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that analysts at the financial institution Raymond James are finding we reached, and passed, peak oil production last year.

"Raymond James’s notes that non-OPEC oil production apparently peaked in the first quarter of 2007, and given precipitous falls in oil output from Russia to Mexico, there’s not much hope for a recovery. OPEC production—and thus global output—peaked a little later, in the first quarter of 2008, Raymond James says.

The contention rests on a simple argument: OPEC oil production actually fell even as oil prices were above $100 a barrel, a sign of the “tyranny of geology” that limits the easy production of ever-more crude."

Sadly, many Oregon legislators are still wringing their hands about whether to support bills that reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels of the past like House Bill 2186. Hopefully they'll act to protect consumers and build Oregon's future economy and vote to support it.

Reconnecting with the Universe: House Passes Greenlick's Dark Sky Bill

Why light the sky?

From an airplane at night, it's easy to see city lights. While showing us the outlines of cities, they also show us wasting energy to light the sky.

Outdoor lights are meant to help people see the ground and things moving near the ground, yet a significant amount of light heads upwards, to be seen by no one and to have no use. We spend energy, burn coal, and create global warming pollution, only to project the light upwards where it's wasted. If only there were a smarter way to build light fixtures, so that we used our energy to project light where we wanted it... Enter Rep. Mitch Greenlick, stage left.
Today the Oregon House passed Greenlick's House Bill 3367, the Shielded Outdoor Lighting Act (SOLA), by a 44-2 vote.

The bill does three things. It requires utilities to give consumers the choice of a shielded/Dark Sky fixture, outlaws inefficient mercury vapor lighting fixtures, and makes Dark Sky lights the preferred alternative for public buildings unless another option would be cheaper over the lifetime of the fixtures.

The bill, which now moves to the Senate, not only helps reduce wasted energy and reduce pollution from mercury lights, it helps us appreciate the beauty of the nighttime skies.

As a kid, I remember seeing the Milky Way. But living in the city means that's a treat reserved for backpacking. Astronomers from around the world are increasingly worried about light pollution interfering with our ability to see and understand the heavens. The dark sky movement has a simple aim: making sure we can connect with the universe. Here's to hoping the Senate helps us do so and moves the bill forward.

Read more

Spotlight: OLCV Volunteers of the Year

At OLCV’s 12^th Annual Dinner for the Environment last Friday, in what was fittingly Volunteer Appreciation Week, OLCV awarded two outstanding volunteers for their tireless commitment to the environment: Lincoln County Chair Rolla Cleaver and Multnomah County Chair Walt Mintkeski.

Rolla Cleaver has been an instrumental member of the OLCV Lincoln County Chapter for more than five years and he has served as chair of the Lincoln County steering committee for more than two years. He has worked tirelessly to help transform the face of Lincoln County politics, working hard to help elect and re-elect pro-environment candidates throughout the county. His leadership has been instrumental in helping voters become more engaged in local government at all levels. Last year, he led the charge to elect a pro-environment majority to the Newport City Council.

Walt Mintkeski has a long history with OLCV, having been one of our original board members back in 1972 and having been involved with OLCV in one way or another throughout the years. He specifically chose to become involved with the Multnomah County Steering Committee, where he has served as chair over the past two years, because he believes in the on-the-ground, grassroots work the chapters do to elect pro-environment candidates. Walt helped the committee raise more than $20,000 over the last two-year cycle.

Read more...

Q: What do Oakridge, Klamath Falls, Burns, Lakeview and Prineville Have in Common?

A: They currently, or are projected to soon, violate federal clean air regulations regarding fine particulate matter.

These five cities in Oregon have at least four days a year with fine particulate levels higher than federal health standards. Oakridge and Klamath Falls are certified "non-attainment areas" and the other three cities violate the standards but do not have three years of data doing so.

I'm sitting in the House Environment and Water Committee, listening to debate on Senate Bill 102, which would require certain dirty wood stoves, more than 20 years old, to be removed from homes when the home is sold. Household wood burning accounts for almost two-thirds of Oregon's particulate pollution.

From DEQ's testimony: "Particulate matter in woodstove smoke can be easily inhaled and reach the deepest part of our lungs. It is known to cause or contribute to respiratory disease, asthma attacks, heart problems, and premature death. Wood smoke also contains toxic organic compounds known to cause cancer."

Approximately 310,000 homes in Oregon use woodstoves and half of them have older uncertified woodstoves, which emit up to 70% more particulate air pollution, 25% more benzene, and 50% more global warming emissions than newer certified woodstoves.

All about wood stoves.

The Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association is now testifying in support of the bill, which passed the Senate on a 19-11 vote. The description of the HPBA, which I love: "Trade association  promoting the welfare of the barbeque industry." Associated Oregon Industries is also supportive of the bill, as industry can have restrictions put on it if they end up being in a non-attainment area.

Ever wonder what thermal field sanitation is?

Evidently, "thermal field sanitation" is what the grass seed industry wants to rewrite Oregon law to replace the current term, open field burning.

For the latest on efforts to phase out field burning, an unnecessary practice that endangers the health of thousands of Oregonians, check out this article.

The Time is NOW for Global Warming Solutions

We all know climate change will affect Oregon in a huge way. Reduced snowpack will mean shallower rivers and fewer salmon, less irrigation water for agriculture, and logically less water for clean hydropower—where 40% of our energy is sourced. I’ve even seen wine-growers come to committee hearings worried about planting new grapes, since the young plants are not likely to survive the next 10 years in a shifting growing region due to the physical changes already seen from global warming. As far as I’m concerned, the impacts of global warming are exponentially endless.

But I’m preaching to the choir.

Right now Oregon has an incredible opportunity to address a few basic global warming solutions this year: it’s called House Bill 2186.

A product of over 6 years of study, HB 2186 arrives in the midst of an exceptionally challenging legislative session. Wedged between massive budget cuts and good bills dying daily because of slight financial implications, this bill is tidy and neatly packaged.

HB 2186 allows Oregon to adopt common-sense strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from a range of sources. Deemed the low-hanging fruit of the climate change reduction world, tire efficiency, idling reduction, low-emission fuels, product composition, and truck aerodynamics have been studied for decades and are proven to be simple measures with big climate bang for consumer buck. HB 2186 addresses exactly these points.

Many of these strategies are already being adopted by other states, and they have the direct benefit of saving the public and businesses money due to the focus on energy efficiency and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. Priorities like these will crystallize Oregon as a global leader in the current transition to a clean energy future. We can’t wait any longer; we need to ensure we’re on the road to climate progress NOW.

The bill will be voted on soon. Tell your neighbor, and then call your representative and tell them to support HB 2186.

A Small Step for Energy Independence?

A group of committed citizens is working to pass House Bill 3090, which would help Oregonians save money on energy. From the bill backer's website:

Even as Oregonians struggle with soaring electricity and gas bills and shrinking household budgets, many families are prohibited from using affordable, effective technology: drying clothes with the sun and breeze on clotheslines. HB 3090 will fix this problem, as well as strengthen current laws allowing solar panel installation.

 

House Bill 3090 will allow Oregonians to:

• Reduce utility bills in the midst of rising energy costs

• Produce clean, quiet electricity and hot water – right at home
• Reduce air pollution and dependence on fossil fuels

The bill has been in the House Environment and Water Committee, and is up for a possible work session next Tuesday, April 28. It is likely to be a close vote, so if you like the bill, speak up today!

An Earth Day Message.

On November 30, 1969, the New York Times published an article about the growing movement behind our nation’s increasing concern over environmental catastrophes. "Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems... is being planned for next spring,” it read. The national day of observance they were referring to was the first Earth Day, organized as a teach in by the office of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson.

And they were correct. On April 22 the next spring, approximately 20 million Americans turned out to rallies from the East Coast to the West for the first time uniting those working on a variety of issues under one banner. This movement of people remains the largest political event in our nation’s history; no other issue has been able to mobilize as many on a single day.

Faced with a fervent concern and a new political movement around the environment, our government acted. In the following years the EPA was created and laws were passed to clean our air and water, and protect our nation’s biodiversity.  In no period of time since then have we seen a similar movement.

Leading up to the first Earth Day a lot of visible things happened to focus our nation’s attention on the environment. In the early 1960’s Rachel Carson had penned her book “Silent Spring” chronicling the devastating effects of DDT on bird populations, the Cuyahoga River erupted into flames, and an oil spill off the coast of Southern California closed beaches throughout the region and devastated local ecosystems.

It is safe to say that the signs today are just as staggering. We can see the impact that Climate Change is having on our ice caps and glaciers in photos. The dead zones in our estuaries and along our coast lines are visible to all through video. We can easily count the dwindling populations of species across the country. Even today we are just starting to see the impacts of the chemicals that go down our drains and into our waterways on plants, animals, and even ourselves. Aerial photos show the slow decay of the places we call natural and rural to ever encroaching development. Everywhere we turn it is easy to see just what we have been doing to our ecosystems and the impacts are just as dramatic as a river setting fire in their scale and depth.

What does this have to do with today, April 22, 2009?

Have we lost momentum?  While we in the environmental movement may not have lost our momentum perhaps our leaders have. Most will argue the need to do something, but it is clear that as our knowledge of these issues grows we are facing even greater challenges than we thought. Telling us we need to do something or that we need to look into doing something is not the same as taking real, meaningful, and significant action enough to reshape our relationship with the environment we live as part of and depend on. So, what does April 22, 2009 have to do with April 22, 1970?

The legislation that passed after the first Earth Day was passed not only because of a belief it was the right thing to do, but also out of a political movement centered on awareness of the importance of environmental issues, a movement that forced it’s elected leaders to take action on the issues important to them and held those same leaders accountable.

While we have many challenges facing us we have too much to do to relent. The forces that don’t want to see change and action on our shared issues are lined up, have been working for decades, and have been pumping money into the political system to make sure only small changes are enacted and the political will to make the needed changes never exists again. They were so good in fact that elected officials  spent the two decades following the 1970’s looking for ways to defund, gut, limit, and ultimately reverse the unprecedented regulations and systems designed to protect us, our environment, and hold those responsible accountable. Only our continued action can make the difference now.  

I plan to use this Earth Day to reconnect with the legacy of the first Earth Day and reconfirm my commitment to the challenges facing our environment and the need to take part in direct political action to make sure the steps we need happen. I hope that you will do the same. Will you contact your legislators, county commissioners, or city leaders when they are voting on issues that impact the environment? Will you be ready to walk and phone voters who share your environmental values when the primaries start in 2010? I hope you will take this opportunity to find ways to engage the political system and connect yourself to the legacy of this important day. More importantly I hope that you will join those already taking part, for more information on how to get involved please visit us at www.olcv.org.

Andy Maggi is an organizer with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters working in Clackamas, Lane, and Washington County. He also holds a degree in Environmental Ethics and Policy from the University of Portland.

OPB Traffic Reports Sponsored by MegaBridge?

On my morning commute to Salem, I noticed the OPB traffic report saying that traffic was slow in Delta Park on I-5 and that, paraphrased "Your commute will be an additional 19 minutes." Which made me wonder: what's the baseline?

What physical length of commute are they expecting (as most people using the I-5 corridor aren't traveling the full distance), and what time? Are they comparing it to an average day's rush hour commute, which they should, or a commute with no other cars on the road, which I bet they are?  (There are side issues about presuming people are driving, and the strange psychology where people communicate about distance in time, i.e. "I live 10 minutes away," that deserve other ponderings.)

If traffic reports were honest, they'd report on days where your commute would be faster than average, but I have yet to hear one say "Your commute will be 7 minutes faster than average."

Setting car-free, congestion-free road speeds as the baseline creates a sort of perverse sense of the world, that drivers believe that they deserve to drive as fast as possible. Which then creates political pressure for overinvestments in hugely expensive projects like the $5000-per-household, $4.2 billion MegaBridge.

OPB, step up and lead on this. Change your traffic reports. You've done it before when people complained about warning lawbreakers about enforcements on the carpool lane. Time to do it again.

OLCV and AFL-CIO Agree: Keep Promoting Green Jobs

Last Sunday, the Eugene Register-Guard ran an opinion piece that I co-authored with Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO, making the case that Oregon should continue to invest in policies that promote green jobs.

"2009 is a year of crisis. We are in an economic crisis that has been described as the worst since the Great Depression. Double digit unemployment, record home foreclosures, tens of millions without health insurance, and a financial system in chaos are just a few symptoms of this crisis.

We are also in a climate crisis. Years of misuse of our air, water and land threaten our children with unimaginable environmental and economic costs. New evidence shows that Antarctic ice sheets are collapsing decades ahead of climate model predictions, threatening an additional several feet of sea level rise this century. The scientific consensus is that we must begin cutting global warming pollution rapidly.

The good news: Policies to encourage green jobs are part of the solution to both of these crises. Of course, there’s been a lot of spin about green jobs. People are properly skeptical of what they believe could just be a marketing gimmick. But green jobs are not a gimmick."

You can read the whole article on the Register-Guard's website.

OCN Priority Bill to Reduce Invasive Fish Passed to Floor

Senate Bill 571, sponsored by Sen. Floyd Prozanski, was passed out of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee this afternoon. It now heads to the Senate floor for a full vote. The bill, an Oregon Conservation Network Priority for a Healthy Oregon, would increase penalties for people intentionally releasing non-native fish into Oregon waters.

Some fishermen stock their favorite fish in lakes where they do not belong, an act known as “bucket biology.” These non-native fish can end up being invasive, causing significant ecological and economic harm. As amended by the committee, the bill makes introduction of non-native invasive fish a Class C felony if done intentionally or knowingly, and a Class A misdemeanor if done recklessly or with criminal negligence. It would pull the angling licenses of the offender for five years, and would allow the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to sue guilty parties for restitution costs.

By creating tough penalties, the bill provides a clear message about the seriousness of invasive species. Three years ago the state spent several million dollars to remove tui chub fish from Diamond Lake in Southern Oregon.

Thanks to Senator Prozanski for taking the lead on this critical issue, and to OCN groups Trout Unlimited and Native Fish Society to working with us to get this issue moving.

Macpherson, Metolious, and Macpherson

Land Conservation and Development Commission Commissioner Greg Macpherson writes a compelling piece in today's Oregonian about the importance of protecting the Metolious Basin from overdevelopment. An excerpt:

The Metolius is one of Oregon's natural treasures. The commission's action would allow development there on a reasonable scale, while preserving the qualities that make it an area of critical state concern. The Legislature should promptly approve the commission's action.

The House Land Use Committee is hearing House Bill 3100 today from 3 to 5 pm. From SalemWatch:

Last week, after numerous public hearings in Central Oregon, the State's Land Conservation and Development Commission voted to recommend that the Oregon State Legislature pass a law designating a Metolius Area of Critical State Concern. HB 3100 would honor that recommendation and ensure that the management plan is strong enough to truly protect the Metolius River, its tributaries, and the area's fish and wildlife from the threats of future development in and near the basin.

And in a side story, a profile of Greg Macpherson's father Hector Macpherson, widely credited as a father of Oregon's land use planning system, appeared in the Albany Democrat-Herald.

KC Golden nails it

Climate Solutions' KC Golden nails the essential question of our time, facing Legislatures throughout the country, and the US Congress.

"There is of course no single policy that will effectuate all the necessary solutions. But there is a policy choice that calls the essential question—a single decision that will signify a genuine commitment to reduce fossil fuel dependence and deliver climate solutions at scale, with real accountability for results: a firm, science-based cap on climate pollution."

Read his compelling argument on Grist.

Reflections on the anti-Columbia River Crossing Rally

I just got back from enjoying the sunny rally to oppose the Columbia River mega-bridge that too many of our elected officials support.  And I'm pumped.

15 months ago I would have told you not to worry about the mega-bridge. It's such a bad idea that even with big-time lobbyists pushing it, it would fall of its own weight.   Too dumb to pass.  Portland's likely new Mayor (Sam Adams) was opposed to it as well and I had confidence in Sam.

Fast forward to a month ago and I was depressed. Adams had flipped his position and along with 3 of his City Council colleagues put Portland on record supporting the mega-bridge, ignoring all sorts of requirements the same city council had set forth less than a year earlier. Sure, they put some lip stick on the pig, but it was still a pig.

So is the bridge inevitable? Today's rally gives me renewed hope that no, the mega-bridge is just as dumb an idea and we can and will do better.  Citizens banded together can force our elected leaders to go back to the drawing board for a smarter set of options.

Kudos to Joe Kurmaskie who organized the rally, proof that an individual citizen can step up and help shape a movement.  He has a way of putting things in simple, stark terms, that anybody can understand.

“This part of the world has made truly sustainable choices in the past, an urban growth boundary, investment in mass transit, bicycle infrastructure and the stoppage of the Mt Hood Freeway and Harbor Highway,” rally organizer Joe Kurmaskie said. ” Innovative decisions that have made us an attractive city to live in or visit. Putting up a four billion dollar, 12 lane mega-bridge will change all that, and not for the better.

“The project is based on models done before peak oil and the arrival of an economic crisis that’s changing every aspect of people’s lives, including their transportation choices. The CRC is 20th century thinking applied to a very different world today.”

Kudos to some of our elected leaders who spoke out against the mega-bridge, including Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Metro Councilor Robert Liberty, and Oregon State Representatives Nick Kahl and Jefferson Smith. Send them your thanks.

I wasn't living in Portland when the Mt. Hood Freeway was declared "inevitable."  In fact, I was in elementary school.  It's nice to hear stories from those who were part of the battle, reminding us that we, the citizens, control our future, if we rise up and claim it.

So let's claim it. 

To get engaged, you can start by checking out.

http://www.smarterbridge.org/

and

this opinion piece outlining why there are better alternatives.

and this great blog posting by Ron Buel, that unmasks some of the hypocrisy we face from some of our elected leaders.

Then start writing and calling your elected leaders and get involved in the many organizations fighting the mega-bridge.

More Lies

Hat tip to Think Progress for pointing out a series of lies being told by Congressional Republican leaders about proposals to limit global warming pollution.

The claim: a 2007 MIT study found that proposals to cap global warming pollution would cost $3,100 per person per year.

The truth: The study's author says the study is being misinterpreted and the actual figure is just $31 per person per year.

Evidently, the staff for the Republican leadership called one of the study authors and told him ahead of time their interpretation of the data and he told them they were misinterpreting it and why.  But that hasn't stopped them from repeating it ad nauseum.

PolitiFact quotes one of the study authors:  "It's just wrong," said John Reilly, an energy, environmental and agricultural economist at M.I.T. and one of the authors of the report. "It's wrong in so many ways it's hard to begin."

Bottom line: do not trust the so-called facts put out by global warming deniers and apologists for the oil and gas industry. They lie. Pure and simple lie.

Invasives Day at the Capitol Well-Received

This morning the House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Communities  Committee heard two Priorities for a Healthy Oregon bills that will significantly address invasive species concerns in Oregon. Invasive species have the potential to cost Oregon, private business, and taxpayers millions of dollars each year if allowed to invade the state.

House Bill 2220 would allow  check stations at borders for invasive species carriers like boats and potentially off-road vehicles. It was received enthusiastically by the committee, which is simply waiting for technical amendments to be delivered from legislative counsel before moving the bill to the floor.  Members are also exploring legal concerns within the state constitution for stopping motorists in addition to funding the creation and maintenance of the border stations.

House Bill 2020, a partner invasive species bill, establishes a specific fund to promptly respond to invasive species outbreaks. Prompt response is the second most efficient way to address invasive species--behind preventing initial introduction in the state. Funding sources were discussed, such as establishing a fee for non-motorized boat users (kayaks, etc) who often use public facilities, or looking to the off-highway vehicle community, which has a budget dedicated to services for riders. Vehicle owners have expressed interest in directing those funds to creating check station. The bill is also waiting for amendments.

Chair Clem joked that we could at least move forward with "Visit, but Don't Invade" signs at the borders with other states.

Oregon Senate Acts to Protect Water Quality

Your dish soap could soon become greener. The Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 631 today on a 26-2 (Kruse, Whitsett) vote. It now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 631 would ban phosphorus from automatic dishwashing soap, except for commercial dishwashers. This bill closes a big loophole that was allowed in the 1991 phosphorus ban that removed phosphorus from laundry soap. Excessive phosphorous seriously impacts the water quality of many water bodies in Oregon causing algae blooms and fish death.

When introduced to surface or ground water, phosphorus increases algae growth which in turn can reduce oxygen levels and kill aquatic life. This has caused major algae blooms on lakes in Oregon, including Woahink and Siltcoos Lake on the south coast. In 2007 the community between those lakes, Dunes City, passed an ordinance designed to reduce phosphorus deposits.  

This ban will help clean up waters and save on the cost of waste water treatment. The bill was amended to bring the implementation date in line with fourteen other states proposing similar bans.

 Thanks go to the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Jackie Dingfelder, and to cosponsors Sen. Suzanne Bonamici and Rep. Jules Bailey.

A special presentation: Why Repower Oregon?

Why Repower Oregon?

Join us for a special presentation on the benefits of taking responsible, immediate action in the fight against global warming vs. the high cost of doing nothing.

WHEN: 6- 8 PM, Thursday, April 16, 2009
WHERE:  United First Methodist Chuch, in the Carrier Room, 600 State Street (down the street from the Capitol in Salem)

Speakers:

Bill Bradbury, Former Secretary of State
Bill served in the Oregon legislature for 14 years representing portions of Oregon's south coast as a State Representative and as a State Senator.  He also held the positions of Senate Majority Leader and Senate President.

Bill sits as a member of Oregon’s Global Warming Advisory Commission, a group tasked with making recommendations to the legislature on how Oregon will meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals and tackle the adaptation challenges created by the impacts of climate change. He was one of the first 50 participants in Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Change training sessions and has given over 110 presentations.

Representative Jules Bailey, Senior Policy Analyst at ECONorthwest
Jules works at the intersection of economics, public policy, the environment, and urban development. As a Senior Policy Analyst at ECONorthwest, one of Oregon's oldest and most respected economics consulting firms, Jules has worked on several economic analysis and development projects, including managing the economic analysis for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project, conducting an economic impact projection for the Portland High Performance Green Building Policy, analyzing a state system of carbon taxes for Oregon, and writing a literature review of smart growth policies.

Bob Stacey, Exective Director at 1000 Friends of Oregon
Bob has a long history with 1000 Friends and with land use and growth management.  He was one of 1000 Friends’ first staff attorneys (1975 - 1986), and served on the board of directors (1996 – 2000).  His professional career includes work as Director of the City of Portland Planning Bureau; Senior Policy Advisor on Urban Growth Management to Governor Barbara Roberts; attorney in private practice; Executive Director of Policy and Planning at TriMet; and Chief of Staff to Congressman Earl Blumenauer.  He is a graduate of Reed College and the University of Oregon, and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2000-2001 academic year.  In 2008, he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.  He is a native Oregonian.

Catherine Thommason, MD, President of Physicians for Social Responsibility
Dr. Catherine Thomasson is a Staff Physician and Resident Educator at Portland State University. She was elected President of National Physicians for Social Responsibility's Board of Directors for 2007 and was PSR Oregon Board President for 5 years.  She has been a national spokesperson educating on issues of health effects of Global Warming and its solutions as well as working to build coalitions to encourage better legislation within Oregon to address greenhouse gas emissions.  In Oregon, she also worked on advisory panels including Portland-Multnomah Climate Plan, Multnomah County West Nile Prevention Task Force and Portland, Oregon Water Treatment Policy decisions. Dr. Thomasson received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and her Medical Degree from Wayne State University. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Please register to attend.

We don't all fit in a van anymore

When I started out as Executive Director of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters in 1997, I was startled to learn that only three other states had staffed organization whose primary focus was electing pro-environment candidates and holding them accountable.  

There were a handful of other all-volunteer State LCVs, and the national league was doing its thing at the Congressional level, but most state environmental communities had no strong electoral effort to promote environmental responsibility.

I attended the first conference of State LCVs that year. We could all fit in one large van to drive from downtown New Orleans to the small retreat center on the edge of a bayou where we met.

What a difference a decade makes.

Today, more than 120 folks from across the country are descending on Portland for the 12th annual conference of the environmental voter league movement. They come from more than 30 states and each has found its own niche using a cycle of political accountability (elections, lobbying, scorecards) to defend their state’s environment.

Last year alone, state leagues together spent more than $18 million on this effort. In the 2008 election, the state leagues endorsed 1,494 candidates for state and local office. 1,263 of them prevailed. In 428 of these races, the respective state LCV invested financial resources into the endorsed candidate, and 320 of those won-- a 73% win rate.

Here’s a great map and graphic charting the growth of the state league movement.

Perhaps most exciting, the national LCV has formed a partnership with the states, taking on the role of building and growing strong state-based and state-focused political organizations who can make a difference locally, while also partnering with LCV on big national issues like global warming.

It didn’t happen by accident. It happened because some generous and far-sighted individuals decided to launch a capacity building effort that used training, mentoring, seed money, matching grants, and direct assistance to grow organizations.

I was pleased to play my role doing a lot of the mentoring and training. It’s been exciting to travel to places like New Mexico, Montana, Alabama, and Wisconsin, among others, to see the challenges they face and help them overcome them.

And it’s been rewarding to watch as you meet somebody at a conference one year who’s at a start-up League and two years later their organization is kicking butt in elections and helping pass environmental legislation.

As much as we like to toast our own success here in Oregon, sometimes hearing success stories from other states – where the voting populace isn’t as friendly to the environment – is both humbling and inspiring.

I know I’ll come out of this weekend’s conference recharged and full of energy to push Oregon’s Legislature to adopt our Priorities for a Healthy Oregon, and to build the groundwork to elect more environmental leaders in the May 2010 primary – which after all, is only about 400 days from now.