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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1990)
.Editorial Ban oil drilling off Oregon coastline Oregon is ;i beautiful slate, it isn't a tourist trap on the scale of a Florida or a California, yet it rioos attract people eager to take in all the state has to offer: acres ol forest land, splendid mountain settings, and espe cially. miles of untouched coastline. Hut the Oregon coast is threatened because oil lies beneath the ocean. The II S. Department of the Interior wants to sell leases for I hose oil deposits, starting in Produc tion could begin as early as 2005. Opponents to oil drilling are already mustering troops for what looks to be a long and bitter fight. By law, the Interior Department has to consult with the state governor before oil leases are put up for sale They have to talk to the governor but they don't have to listen to him The governor has no power to veto the fetleral government's decision Depending on whom you talk to, the amount of oil off the coast of Oregon and Washington has a wide range, Some put it at as little as enough crude oil to take care of America s needs for just two days: others sav there's more. Hut nobody is saying there is any thing resembling a major oil deposit off the coast. Oregon has had a long history ol protecting its coastline. Past politicians have made sure natural habi tats near the ocean were preserved. Now those pre serves are threatened, and there's little the slate's lead ers can do to stop it List year, the Oregon legislature banned oil drill ing within three miles of the coast. However, the de posits are farther out. There is nothing preventing whoever buys the leases in lt)!)2 from going just out side the limit to drill for oil. Attempts to increase the ban to 12 miles have so far been unsuccessful. The miniscule amount of oil just does not justify the risk oil drilling brings to Oregon. Accidents hap pen Prince William Sound showed that. The Alaskan gnlf in which the Exxon tanker dumped 10 million gal lons of crude is sparsely populated, unlike here. A si milar accident in Oregon would destroy the state's $240 million fishing industry and do irreparable dam age to tourism. It is ironic that while discussion of the leases is go ing on, a tanker off the coast of Huntington Beach. Cal if.. lost 400,000 gallons of oil. Pictures from the popu lar California resort show miles of black-tainted sand. And this was a minor tanker accident. It could have been much worse. Oregon doesn’t need the oil drilling. The governor doesn't want it. The Legislature don’t want it. The citi zens don’t want it. The Department of the Interior should reconsider and not sell the leases. It's just not worth the risk. _ /wuwvpocrites IM 7UE fWA&QN ARE FINALLY GOTIMG A 6U0GrTCDT/(r€U NEVER CARED A0OOT TWE DEFICIT- JUST MxK OLOM INTERESTS/ MXl'RE RlGRT. (CONGRESSMAN UJE'LL HAVE TO CLOSE AUJTOF BASES NOT /N My district Mdu umrf T c\ No big loss if Rohr proposal flies away Kugene seems In cnnsistentlv liil road liloi ks with plans to diversity its w.oiuim\ Proposals tor now development often told as soon as blueprints arc unrolled 1 ,.ist Dei cm her plans loi a 10 stor\ office tower were si .rapped, and now. the possible arrival ot an aerospace tirni in town is under tire Kolu Industries last month anuoum ed plans to build a manufacturing plant near Malilon Sweet Airport The plant initially would provide 05 jobs, with employment of up to 2rit) attei live \ears More jobs, diversified economy, pros pet is for the future sounds like something the area needs However, in the long run. this (ialilormn based jet engine parts manu fat turer might he better otf sta\ mg out of Ku gene, and Kugene might he better off tor it Although ~r. percent of Kohl 's business is for t ominert ial jets, the < tmipam also makes parts tor militarv aircraft iut hiding the N’avv's 1 I 4 tighter and living tankers that refuel bombers in the air The I 14 has nuclear capabilities, and the tankers could he used to refuel bombers that carrv nuclear weapons Though Kohr does not manufacture nuclear weapons, it would have an indirei t role in a proi ess In i al voters have repeatedlv opposed This lias raist'd i oik urn that Rohr’s e\is triu c in Kugene rould v iolate the city's mi i lear tree status, whit h would he further strengthened it voters approve .111 yiitiative in May i’liis would mean the compain i.onld lat e .1 number ol future legal chal lenges. Whether Rohr woultl violate am part of lugene’s nut dear-free ortiinant e is not the only reason to be hesitant about their plans federally protet ted wetlands in west fu gene i mild slow Rohr's plans, because the 1 iimpam would be required to create new wetlands elsewhere before .untiling is built on the site finallv. there's considerable concern legarding Rohr's legal \ of carelessness. to\ it dumping and pollution in previous en deavors The company's poor track ret ortl in this regard and possibility tor mishap here offsets the benefit of employing tin Huge mans Perhaps i it\ leaders would be better off encouraging the promotion of small local businesses to diversify the economy Our t itv might not offer anything as breathtaking as an aerospace manufacturer, but our con sciences and our businesses woultl be 1 lean _Letters_ Blessing I half lift'll .1 resident ol tile dorms suin' t.ill of 11 iHt» ! leel I(i<lt Ihn neu telephone s\ stem tor til'' I ' niVfi sit\ Is .1 hlj'ssmg tor thi' dorm residents 1 oi tin- past thri'r i fills I liaie until i-d th.it siinifuli.it muri' th.ni Jit residents nl .i thiol would sh.ii f .i pas pin me .uni .i i ampus phniif u hit h uould lif usfd to pi,n f oil i .mi pus calls I Ins systfltl u .is Veil ini onveiiient hfi .nisi- this if ipiiifd mif to kffp ,i siipph ot pii.iitfIs ,u.nl.ihlf It mif wanted to pi,n f .1 long distant f ( all mif hail to f itlifi list- ,i i ailing i ard or i all i ol Ifil. both ot thcsi' options arf more e\pf nsu e than i a 11 my thf otlifi parti duet tli \noth ft mi i mi f nif in f is that iliif to tin- large number ol residents sharing tin- flout phoiit' there is .duals a i ham e that the line uould he tins! it someone tries to i all a resident ot a i eltain floor With the phones being in stalled in the dorm rooms lim ing spring break, many ot our old problems would hr hail dli'd Ur do mil have to keep a supply o! (|uartris just to make a local (till on (hr pa\ phone, and a irsidrn! dors nol have to v\om too mm h about the phone bring monopolized \v Ill'll hr slit' Is r\pei ling a i all I ike thr mam othri dorm residents I i an not wait to final k have a phone installed in m\ room Kent lion Student Self-ensla vement A comp r eh ensile collection ot linglish author I’m \ Hysslie Shelley’s prose writings in i hiding I.etter to I.ord 1 lien boiough | IH 1.11 I he \el es siK ot Atheism | ltl 1 I; and Refutation ot I teism ' ! 18 1 t| is i ui renlly a\ ailahle in reprint Sht‘llt’\ A /’cose I nun/irt o/ a I'ropIlfi K edited In David l ee t lark with .i pretai e In N ale 1 'Diversity s I larold Mourn In Letter to Lord Kllen buruugh. Shelley i ties the in justii e ot Lllenhorough. child jllStil c of Blit.111! l\ lit) III 18 1 1 sentenced l.oiiiloii publisher I >.l V III lssui I .ill >11 til till’ | > 11 III r\ and 18 months imprison ment toi blasphemv tin 11iit> lishillg I’.llt t ot I hom.ls f’.lllli' s rhr . \ gr I ft AVe.xf>/l Shrllev reasoned individuals should not hr found guilts lor beliels because hi'liids are <n ipiurd involuntarilv through ,i pun ess ot iiidm 111ii.ition ,iinl rxprrii-ni t‘ i oiuiiii'ik mg .it in t.im \ An .<din111'i ot tin- Amoru an Revolution Nhellev drawing Oil I III kr and I hum- at gut’ll that v\ liilr people i annul he blamed tor views thr\ hold. !hr\ have a responsibilitv to periodii alls plai e their most i henshed beliefs to i lltic al ex aniination in the llglit (it oppos ing argument I his assures pro gress in .i di'inoi rai \ and deters violem e prei ipitateil li\ t\ ran in from an ignorant majorits This umieistanding must he disseminated and encouraged throughout mu present Amen i an public educ ational ssstein where refereili es to religion should he ac c ompainrd hv fai tu.il historical exposition trom .in ohjet 11\i• set til.n perspei live espei i.illv VV hell It t ha I lenges .inti exposes irr,ition.il theist claims Nothing is more dangerous ■iu<I harmful to the person .md sin let\ than lor people to he dissuaded trom i onsidering op posing arguments hei ause the\ i onlradii I Hul\ St j ipture Sell enslavement to the will ol religious leaders is .ig.imsl the esseiu e of deinoi i.u \ and presents a serious threat to it Hert Tryba Kugene Not condone I am responding to l»hil /in kerman's letter titled "An gr\ !<>/)/ I eh ti| \ oil speak ol anti i hoii e hypoi ris\ saying that we pseil (in moralists art’ organizing on streets with "witty little signs and th.it it we were reallv rain vim ed lievond a shadow ol a doubt tlial i bildren were being slaughtered, we'd tie wielding weapons to stop the slaughtei Slav 1 point out the In pnrrisy in that statement /an kermutr' I believe that when someone says that they believe in the right to life, they believe in ev eryone's right to Ide That means we will pe.u etui l\ attempt to save the lives ot •I.noil plus i hildren being slaughtered dailv and that we will not condone the slaughter ot anyone, even those who are doing the slaughtering Susanne honlii h Psvi hologv --—Letters Policy__ The Emerald will attempt to print all letters contain ing continents on topics of interest to the University community. Comments must be factually accurate and refrain from personal attacks on the character of others.
