August 2016 NEWS SELLWOOD BRIDGE (Continued from Page 6) treat stormwater from the west half of the bridge and the interchange is still in progress. The swale has been excavated and a liner installed. The trail takes an abrupt right turn and wanders up a slight incline to the new bridge. It will eventually continue south on an underpass below the bridge. Piers are in place. On this particular day, the bridge was only open to pedestrians and bicyclists. A concrete pour and cure for the deck was needed without bus or auto traffic. The auto underpass is now open for those heading to or from Lake Oswego without getting tangled in the old cloverleaf interchange. B r i d g e s i d e w a l k s a re a l m o s t complete. Pedestrians should be alert to bicyclists as they share the sidewalk on the north side of the bridge. Viewing parapets have nice new displays outlining the history of the area, the river, and of all the bridges in Portland. Peering over the bridge, two trusses of the old bridge were sitting on a barge. “The truss pieces will be recycled after they float down the river,” said Dave Austin, Multnomah County spokesperson. “Each large segment weighs about 400,000 pounds. We did offer the bridge for re-use, but there were no takers.” Heading back, grading is underway for the historic trolley track lines w h e re t h e y e v e n t u a l l y w i l l b e reinstalled. Trolley crossing signs are awaiting placement. The entire walk is about three miles from Willamette Park to the east end of the bridge and back. To learn how contractors safely removed the old bridge, check out the story and photos online at www. sellwoodbridge.org. A new trail along the Willamette River will eventually continue south beneath the new Sellwood Bridge. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand) The Southwest Portland Post • 7 A large taro field sits at the bottom of a mountain in Kauai, Hawaii. (Photo by Rod Ramsey / FlickrCC) EarthTalk (Continued from Page 2) term effects is still inconclusive. Consumers want to know what’s in their purchases. Chemical companies are denying them this right by refusing to label those products containing genetically modified ingredients. Unfortunately, the state of Hawaii has hesitated to enact any legislation banning some of their most lucrative business ventures. Responsibility has fallen to the counties. Three Hawaiian counties initiated ordinances and moratoriums against additional GE crops and pesticide use in 2014. However, large companies like Monsanto and Syngenta sued to prevent these measures from being implemented, temporarily postponing these bans. While the companies did win their initial suit in late 2014, the counties have appealed the decision through the federal 9th circuit court of appeals in a trial which started this past June. The cases hinge on the concept of preemption, i.e. does the county legislation conflict with state rulings? The counties believe that the state’s acceptance of genetically engineered products does not mean that the counties cannot implement their own harsher regulations. Whichever way the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decides will set an important precedent. If the court decides the federal law allowing GE products preempts the rights of the Hawaiian counties, any future GE bans would likely experience a similar ruling. However, the converse is also true. The judge allowing the counties to construct their own regulations regarding genetic engineering would pave the way for other counties and states to do the same. The cases will hopefully be resolved before the end of 2016. Safe to say, Hawaiians, chemical and agricultural companies and the rest of the nation will be watching. Contacts: Dow Chemical, www. dow.com; Monsanto, www.monsanto. com; Syngenta, www.syngenta.com. EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of the nonprofit Earth Action N e t w o r k . To d o n a t e , v i s i t w w w. earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org. POST A-Z BUSINESS CARD DIRECTORY 503-244-6933 9715 SW Barbur Blvd. Portland, OR 97219-6097 Family & Cosmetic Dentistry 503-246-2564 www.mvdentalcare.com 7717SW34thAvenue•Portland,OR97219 (MultnomahVillage•SWCapitolHighway&34thAve.) Phone: (503) 246-3373 Fax: (503) 246-2767 Rx Hotline: (503) 246-0861 Open 7 days a week www.pacif icveterinaryhospital.com Email: clientcare@pacvh.com PRECISION HOME REPAIR & DRYWALL JON A. GOSCH Phone: 503-643-3517 E-mail: precision17@frontier.com Quality work at affordable rates! Mention this ad and receive 10% off your next job! Licensed•Bonded•Insured•CCB#77073 The IDEA Today … The SIGN Tomorrow! •SIGNS •BANNERS •GRAPHICS •MAGNETICS •LETTERING •LOGOS&MORE 503.244.0980 9220 SW Barbur Blvd. #111 - Portland - OR - 97219