.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
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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
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