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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2004)
Northwest Energy Education Institute • Eugene Water and Electric Board • Oregon Department of Energy present the Third Annual Breaking Three Hearts ENERGY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM SPEAKER SERIES Part I: Democracy “Solar Architecture on the Rise” Steven Strong Solar Design Associates Wednesday, July 14 7:00-9:00 PM E ugene City Councilor Bonny Bettman re- cently told me, “I ran for council four years ago to address environmental is- sues facing my ward. Now, I realize my main work is to retain democracy.” After 22 years in environmental advocacy, I am realizing the same thing. So are millions of other Americans. The heart of democracy is being attacked by the Bush administration. The ultimate source of this problem is an ancient human tendency of those in power in social organizations, whether a community, religion, political organization, or government: The ten- dency to limit alternatives, which are seen as threats to their retention of power. The crucial distinction between a dictatorship and a democracy is the absence or presence of processes that allow alternatives to enter public discourse. Authoritarian regimes don’t like alternatives. Independent courts are avoided, be- cause alternative perspectives on law and evidence will surface. Journalists who report evidence or ideas that contradict the regime’s messages are reined in. Dictatorships dissolve legislatures that are independent or can’t be purchased, be- cause legislators may discuss or enact policies that are alternative to the regime’s. Democracies, on the other hand, acknowledge the importance of alternatives, and install laws, processes, and support systems through which people can bring alternatives to the decisionmaking table. The Bush administration’s major attack on democracy is its systematic elimination of processes by which those whose ideas differ from theirs can bring ideas to the table. One example is the Bush administration’s attack on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which was signed by Richard Nixon on Jan. 1, 1970. NEPA re- quires federal agencies to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for “major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environ- ment.” Such actions might include renewing a dam’s permit, cleaning up a haz- ardous waste site, building a highway in wetlands, or logging a steep watershed. In a move that counters the human tendency to consolidate power and sup- press alternatives, NEPA requires that every EIS include “all reasonable alterna- tives to the proposed action.” This is the heart of an EIS. Equally crucially, NEPA requires that the development of all these alternatives take place in coordination with the public, who can submit complete alternatives for comparison with the agency’s alternatives. NEPA doesn’t sit well with the Bush administration. For example, with the os- tensible goal of restoring natural fire regimes to logged, fire-suppressed forests, and protecting communities adjacent to such forests, President Bush signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. This legislation excuses the Forest Service from considering “all reasonable alternatives.” Free from the constraints of logic or alternatives that would actually help restore forest health, the agency simply announces plans to log large, old, fire-resistant trees in remote, roadless lo- cations, far from communities at risk. In a move to shield agencies from the public and their ideas, the Department of Homeland Security is proposing to prepare certain EISs in secret, for example re- garding cleanup standards following a nuclear power accident. The Bush Forest Service is drafting regulations that would entirely eliminate EISs from the development of national forest plans. No EIS means no considera- tion of alternatives or analysis of environmental impacts. The regulations would also relieve the Forest Service from the responsibility of even trying to retain na- tive species on any of the nation’s 177 national forests and grasslands. In sum, the regulations would prevent citizens from standing up for their national forests and the species that live there. T his pattern of strangling democratic, public consideration of alternatives is endemic throughout the Bush administration. For instance, the adminis- tration has argued that Guantanamo Bay prisoners should not have ac- cess to courts and lawyers. Our nation’s energy policy was decided behind closed doors, by unidentified people who appear to have been less than innovative about alternatives to oil. You can look at instances of eliminating consideration of alternatives one by one, or you can acknowledge their collective significance: the destruction of democracy. Americans depend on democratic processes in order to stand up ef- fectively for the vulnerable, the silenced, the wild. The Bush administration daily works to eliminate those processes. Our main work right now is to restore democracy. Coming in August: The Breaking of Three Hearts, Part 2: The Natural World. Lillis Business Complex, University of Oregon, Room 182 “Social Imperatives of Renewable Energy ” Donald Aitken, PhD Donald Aitken Associates Thursday, July 15 7:00-9:00 PM Lillis Business Complex, University of Oregon, Room 182 Donald Aitken “Oil and War: Fighting to Feed Our Addiction” Richard Heinberg New College of California Wednesday, July 21 7:00-10:00 PM Lillis Business Complex, University of Oregon, Room 182 Followed by a showing of “The End of Suburbia” and group discussion. “Innovations in Facility Management” Jim Lloyd, Facility Manager Oregon State University Thursday, July 22 7:00-9:00 PM EWEB Headquarters Training Center 500 East 4th Street, Eugene OREGON DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY These educational seminars are presented free of charge by the Northwest Energy Education Institute (NEEI) at Lane Community College. Sponsorship includes Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) and the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE). Pre-Registration is not required. For more information go to www.nweei.org THE KIVA GROCERS, WINE MERCHANTS & BOOKSELLERS • Specialty, Gourmet & Organic Foods • Fresh Organic Produce • Bulk Foods, Herbs, Spices, Coffees & Teas • More than 200 Cheeses & Deli Meats, Sliced or Cut To Order • Wine, Champagne & Beer • Vitamins & Body Care Products MON-SAT 9-8 • • SUN SUN 1 10-5 MON -SAT 9-8 0-5 125 W. 11th A ve, DOWNTOWN EUGENE • 342-8666 JULY 8, 2004 7
