NEWS BRIEFS
and does not require actual action.
But the scenario could finally link
global warming with local freeway
planning and focus the attention of the
community, planners and elected
officials on the most controllable source
of climate pollution. People will know
what to do about climate change, but the
question will remain whether local
government will actually do it.
— Alan Pittman
TAR SANDS
FIGHT GOES ON
“We don’t really have any way of
funding this great list of projects,” Zelenka
said. “I encourage the council to look at a
dedicated system of funding.”
Sue Wolling, a member of the GEARs
bike advocacy group, urged the council to
dedicate funding to active transportation to
save money on expensive new roads. “If
you could find a way to build a project that
would reduce the need for road projects by
10 percent, wouldn’t you do it?” she asked,
holding up the draft plan. “You can build
every project in this book for the cost of one
major roadway project.” — Alan Pittman
(A longer version of this story fi rst appeared at Eugene-
Cycles.com)
CLIMATE ACTION
ON FREEWAYS?
A small chink in the dam between
concerns about climate change and the
region’s planning for massive freeway
expansions has opened.
In 2009, the state Legislature passed
House Bill 2001, a law requiring local
planning to reduce greenhouse gases and
the state’s first concrete action to fight
climate change beyond simply stating
aspirational goals. The Eugene City
Council tied 4-4 on whether to oppose
the bill, which was opposed by city staff
and council conservatives. Mayor Kitty
Piercy broke the tie in favor of taking
action on global warming.
Now, the local Metropolitan Planning
Organization for Eugene-Springfield has
begun to comply with the law. The MPO
is beginning to create two or more land
use and transportation scenarios that will
reduce greenhouse gas pollution from
cars. Eugene, Springfield and the county
will then select one of those scenarios
two years from now.
So will the selected scenario force the
area to stop spending hundreds of
millions of dollars on freeways and
finally take on climate change? That’s
still unclear. The bill was watered down
From the Northwest’s megaloads to
last week’s White House protests and
President Obama’s decision to delay a
decision on the Keystone XL pipeline,
the tar sands debate continues. The
Canadian tar sands, also known as the
oil sands, have been criticized for
destroying Canada’s boreal forests,
poisoning nearby populations, including
native tribes, killing wildlife and for the
extraction process’ contribution to
climate change.
On Nov. 6, several thousand
protesters, including participants from
Oregon, rallied against the Keystone
XL oil pipeline. They encircled the
White House and demanded President
Obama say no to the project. The $7
billion project would carry Canadian tar
sands oil to U.S. refineries. The State
Department had already cleared the way
for the pipeline, which would run from
Canada through the plains on the
Midwest to the Gulf Coast.
Fourteen members of Congress,
including Oregon’s Sen. Ron Wyden
and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, asked for an
independent inquiry into the State
Department’s review of the 1,700-mile
slant
• The news all weekend was of Occupy Wall Street camps
getting ousted. Luckily the recent attempts to remove the
entrenched 99 percenters haven’t resulted in the same level of
violence that marked the first try at removing Occupy Oakland.
We followed Occupy Portland’s madcap late-night escapades
with bike brigades and dancing in the streets through
livestreaming and Twitter. Gotta love when the protesters
chanted “You’re sexy; you’re cute. Take off your riot suit!” at
the cops in PDX. We’re pleased that despite breaking out the
riot squad, Portland managed to not turn the protest into
complete shambles, and we’re even more delighted about how
well our own Eugene police and City Council have been dealing
with the local Occupiers. Being a good example of how to deal
with a protest may not make headlines, but it’s better than tear
gas and beanbag rounds.
If the Occupations are coming to an end, what’s the next
step? Maybe we should take a lesson from last February’s
protest of Gov. Scott Walker’s union-busting efforts in
Wisconsin. Folks took over the Capitol and when they had to
leave, they didn’t lose momentum. They’ve started a recall
effort against the governor. Just because an encampment
breaks up doesn’t mean the fight is over. We’re watching to see
what Portland and other gutsy Occupiers do for their next
move.
• Forty-five years ago, Clergy and Laity Concerned was the
primary force in Eugene opposing the Vietnam War. Now called
Community Alliance of Lane County, CALC celebrated all
those years behind and more ahead with a dinner and auction
for nearly 200 guests Nov. 13 at the Hilton. Joan Bayliss was
the emcee. Marion Malcolm, an amazing part of CALC since
1974, spoke. She’s now the consulting organizer of Springfield
Alliance for Equality and Respect. Kari Radley, executive
director, talked about the future. Michael Carrigan, organizer of
the Peace and Justice program, and Silver Mogart, Back to
8 NOVEMBER 17, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
Back program organizer, asked the audience for continuing
support. In 45 years, CALC has never been more important
than it is right now. We congratulate every member and friend.
• The college football scene is ugly in America today and
needs substantial reforms. But some of us at EW admit to
enjoying the Ducks’ Stanford win, and are looking forward to
USC in Eugene at 5 pm Nov. 19, OSU in Eugene Nov. 16, and the
Pac 12 championship game Dec. 3. We do notice that Cliff (“We
Smoked It All”) Harris is not on the field anymore. That’s sad
for him. We also wonder if the Penn State tragedy would have
been taken seriously sooner if a woman had been anywhere in
the athletic and university hierarchy. Your guess?
• Makes us proud to hear that Eugene City Councilor Betty
Taylor has been elected to a two-year seat on the National
League of Cities Board, working on developing policy
recommendations, leadership and lobbying for our nation’s
cities. She was previously serving on the NLC’s Human
Development Committee as a presidential appointment. She
tells us the board post is a step up, and she was helped by the
endorsement of the League of Oregon Cities. Go Betty!
• If you missed our 68-page Best of Eugene issue Nov. 3,
pick up a free copy at EW offices at 1251 Lincoln. A lot of our
red boxes were empty last week but we saved some leftovers.
And while we are touting ourselves, don’t miss our free Next
Big Thing CD release party from 5:30 to 8 pm Friday at
Northwest Community Credit Union, 3660 Gateway St. in
Springfield. Performances by Tyler Fortier and Betty and the
Boy.
• We got word the Eugene Nobel Peace Laureate Project is
making progress on fundraising and is hoping to soon announce
groundbreaking for the Peace Prize Walk at Alton Baker Park.
This visionary and educational project honoring the 24 citizens
of the U.S. who are Nobel laureates should draw thousand of
biz beat
The Smart-Ups Pub Talk this month
will be from 5 to 8 pm Thursday, Nov. 17,
at the new Broadway Commerce Center
in downtown Eugene. Speakers include
Christian Fox, David Bong and Jonathan
Malsin. Register at http://wkly.ws/14v
NextStep Recycling will be celebrating
the grand re-opening of its expanded
Eugene reuse store with a ribbon-
cutting at 11 am Friday, Nov. 18, at 980
McKinley St. in west Eugene. The store
opens for sales of its inventory, which
now includes offi ce furniture, at 10 am
Saturday, Nov. 19. Call 868-0904.
Blac Sheep Coffee Co. has opened a
drive-through shop at the corner of 6th
Avenue and Monroe in the parking lot of
Gray’s Garden Center. Daniel Helfl and
says he and his partner use Cascade
Estates as their local roaster, Mountain
Rose Herbs for tea, and Umpqua Dairy
for milk. Call 485-1052.
Viva!, aka Hummingbird Wholesale, is
the 1940s-era warehouse that was once
used by Down to Earth and has been
renovated by Nir Pearlson Architect with
abundant green features. The two-story
building at 150 Shelton-McMurphey
Blvd. now houses a mix of businesses
including Not Your Mom’s Sandwich
Shop and will be open for a public tour
from noon to 1 pm Tuesday, Nov. 29. Free
for members of Cascadia Green Building
Council, $5 for non-members. RSVP by
phone at 682-5541 or email eugene@
cascadiagbc.org
Holiday Market vendors are setting
up at the Fairgrounds Friday afternoon,
Nov. 18, for the fi rst day open to the
public Saturday, Nov. 19. Call 521-7125.
Joey Jacinto is the new personal
trainer at Snap Fitness at Woodfi eld
Station, 28th and Willamette. Jacinto
has a degree in physical education
from North Arizona University and has
a background in gym management,
personal training and massage therapy.
He recently relocated here from
Phoenix. Call 225-4943.
Send suggestions for Biz Beat items to editor@
eugeneweekly.com and please put “Biz Beat” in
the subject line.
visitors when completed, but it will not be without controversy:
One of the U.S. Nobel winners is the enigmatic Henry Kissinger.
The project will have a display in the lobby of the Hult Center
for the Eugene Symphony Orchestra concert with Tom Brokaw
Nov. 22. Find the project at www.nobelpeacelaureates.org
• Good news for The Oregonian as new Audit Bureau of
Circulations (ABC) numbers for the end of September show
a surprising 1.6 percent growth in weekday subscriptions.
What’s going on? The big daily had steadily lost almost half
its subscribers since 1999 when we first started tracking the
numbers. Well, the paper has some stronger content now
and it looks like it’s trying to become Oregon’s newspaper
again, rebuilding readership down here in the provinces.
Out of curiosity we checked the new ABC numbers for The
Register-Guard and they don’t look so hopeful. The local
daily has slipped from 57,068 weekday subscribers in 2010
to 54,325 in September, continuing the painful decline from
74,800 in 1999.
• David Wagner, the Eugene botanist and sketch artist
who does the ”It’s About Time” illustrated feature for us the
first week of each month, tells us this will be the last year
for his Willamette Valley Nature Calendar, available this
month at Down to Earth and the UO Museum of Natural and
Cultural History. Makes an inexpensive, unique and local
holiday gift.
• Ayn Rand’s lasting impact on conservative politics in
America was discussed on public radio this week. Got us
thinking about our old college days when we discovered Ayn
Rand and became infatuated by those simple, radical ideas
that made so much sense. And then we became sophomores
and were introduced to more sophisticated and nuanced
political thought. Looks like the Tea Party folks never
evolved to even become sophomoric.
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