Eugene weekly., March 08, 2012, Page 7, Image 7

CHASING THE COAL TRAIN
The name of the anonymous company that wants to
export six to 10 million tons of dirty coal a year from Coos
Bay via trains running through Eugene might be made
known at the beginning of April. Public records requests
for more information on the secretive proposal have been
met with charges of thousands of dollars.
The Sierra Club and local group Beyond Toxics have
filed requests under Oregon’s public records law to find
out what’s up with “Project Mainstay.” The Sierra Club did
a broad request for documents related to the proposal,
while Lisa Arkin of Beyond Toxics says her group focused
on the rail transport issue on the Coos Bay Rail Link.
“Our concern is that numerous coal trains, some as
much as mile and half long, coming into Eugene, stopping
in Eugene, changing tracks in Eugene and leaving would
pose a severe health risk not only to the neighborhoods
closest to the tracks but to all Eugene,” Arkin says.
She says that it’s estimated each coal car releases a
pound of coal dust per mile.
The International Port of Coos Bay assessed the Sierra
Club nearly $20,000 in fees to access 2,500 pages of
information. It assessed Beyond Toxics almost $22,000.
The Sierra Club appealed the decision and the Coos
County district attorney partially granted the fee waiver
appeal, reducing the fee to a bit over $3,000.
A Washington state proposal called “Project Platinum”
said it was going to export five million tons of coal per
year, but documents obtained by a public records requests
by the Sierra Club and other groups showed more than 60
million tons was being considered.
If the International Port of Coos Bay decides to go with
“Project Mainstay,” then the name of the company will be
made known April 1, at the end of exclusivity period. Or if
the deal doesn’t work out, the port could move on to
another project — including another coal proposal — and
make that project secret.
Arkin says if open trainloads of coal go through Eugene
it will be a health concern for everyone, but especially
children. She says the area already has the highest rate of
asthma in the state and nation. “We can’t possibly allow
coal trains to come through Eugene and do this to our
children.”
“Coal dust goes deep into the lungs, and when you
breathe it in, it never comes out,” she says.
Beyond Toxics is considering entering into a formal
appeal along with the Sierra Club, which she says is a big
step for the small, rarely litigious group. But seriousness of
the health issues associated with coal, including cancer,
Arkin says, merits it.
— Camilla Mortensen
biz beat
Thrive! Chiropractic at the Tamarack building at
Donald at Pearl in south Eugene is holding a
donation-based charity clinic on Saturday and
Sunday, March 10-11, open to the public, all ages.
Chiropractic adjustments will be provided by Dr. Lal
Kerr in exchange for tax deductible donations to the
Musicians Emergency Medical Association (MEMA).
Treatments will be on a first-come, first-served basis
from 10:30 am to noon and 2:30 to 5 pm both days.
See facebook.com/thrivechiro or call 913-8300 for
more information.
Pacific Winds Music at 791 W. 8th Ave. in Eugene
is celebrating its 25th year in business this March.
Founder Willy Knaus says flexibility has been his key
to surviving and thriving in a competitive market.
Nine employees work in repair, sales and in the
office. Email willy@pacificwindsmusic.com or call
343-5660.
Sherri Gibson of Eugene has found a successful
niche creating eco-friendly European plasters,
textures and faux finishes for homes and businesses.
See a gallery of her walls, ceilings and doors at www.
faux-chere.com or call her at 521-9503 for a free
consultation.
Cottage Grove businesses should get a boost
from the Oregon Gran Fondo (or “big ride”) bicycling
event the weekend of June 2. The collection of
competitive and recreational rides for everyone is
sponsored by Co-Motion Cycles, Rolf Prima, Oakshire
Brewing and Hutch’s Bicycles. See dark30sports.com
and click on “events.”
UO economist Tim Duy reports in a new study
that UO is a key driver of the Oregon economy with
total impact of spending by the institution, its
students and visitors estimated at $2.12 billion. The
study, “The Economic Impact of the UO: FY2010-11
Update,” says the spending represents a 7.6 percent
increase from last year’s total of $1.97 billion. Direct
spending by the UO, students and visitors totaled
more than $1.14 billion before economic multiplier
calculations. See the full report at http://wkly.ws/17s
OCCUPY VS. CHEMICALS AND ALEC
You might have noticed a chemical spill, a man foaming at the mouth and folks in hazmat suits if you were driving
down Hwy. 99 by the Georgia-Pacific Eugene Resin Plant on the cold snowy morning of Feb. 29.
There wasn’t a real chemical spill that day, but Occupy Eugene, Tango Down and Cascadia Action Lab did a guerilla
street theater enactment of a spill. The action was designed to call attention to the “ever-increasing rate of toxic exposure
to air and water contaminants in west Eugene” and “the dangers of carcinogenic, poisoning chemicals” thanks to industries
such as the resin plants, according to Occupy and the Action Lab.
The resin plant is outside city limits and so does not have to report to Eugene’s Toxics Right-to-Know database. Dusk
Winston of Occupy Eugene says the plant emits formaldehyde, among other chemicals.
“There are children coming out with cancer and health problems” in the area, says Winston. “And most people are just
unaware.”
The radical street theater also highlighted that Georgia-Pacific is a Koch Brothers-owned business that uses its
membership in ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), a “front group that permits corporations to control
politics,” to create and push through model bills, the communiqué says.
The skit emulated a chemical spill with yellow liquid coming out of a tipped over drum, hazmat suits and the “worker”
had a mock seizure and foamed orange liquid from his mouth. Winston says the street theater was performed just long
enough to call attention to the issue, but not so long that an actual hazmat or biohazard team would be called out.
Winston says that the action was part of a national day of action called F29 that protested the role of corporations in
politics. She says F29 was fomented by Occupy Portland and had nationwide actions. Also on Feb. 29 the groups shut
down Eugene’s Bank of America for a period of time, Winston says.
Cascadia Action Lab “believes that it is unacceptable to permit the continued poisoning of our community through
unethical pawns known as legislators, who manipulate political process to support expansion and profit for the 1 percent.”
Watch a video of the action at wkly.ws/17t or blogs.eugeneweekly.com
— Camilla Mortensen
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
ACTIVIST ALERT
• Scholar Irfan Omar, Ph.D. of Marquette University
will speak at LCC Thursday, March 8, as part of the
college’s two-year Visiting Scholars on Islam series.
From 1 to 2:30 pm Omar will present “Conference of
the Birds,” selections of well-known Sufi writings.
From 5 to 6:30 pm he will present “Dialogue of the
Heart: Seeing the ‘Other’ from an Islamic Perspective”
exploring historic interfaith discussions. Both public
presentations will be in the Center for Meeting and
Learning on the main campus, Building 19, room 226.
• Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics:
Money, Gift, and Society in The Age of Transition and
The Ascent of Humanity will speak at 7 pm Thursday,
March 8, at 112 Kearney Hall at OSU, across from
Circle K in Corvallis. Donations at the door, suggested
$5 to $20. Email ssi.partnerships@oregonstate.
edu or cherylgood@gmail.com for more information.
• Charles Eisenstein will also speak from 7 to 10
pm Saturday, March 10, at Columbia 150 on the UO
campus, and from 9 am to 4 pm Sunday, March 11, he
will conduct an all-day “Transition Activist Intensive”
at WOW Hall, 291 West 8th Ave. in Eugene. More
details at www.unifyingcascadia.info
• A Community Circle Meeting is planned for 11 am
Saturday, March 10, at the AFSCME Union Hall, 7th
and Charnelton in Eugene. Purpose is to promote
social, economic, environmental and political justice.
Email local3214or@yahoo.com for more information.
• Springfield Mayor Christine Lundberg will be
giving awards to local student artists and hosting a
meet and greet from 5 to 7 pm Friday, March 9, at the
Springfield Museum, 590 Main St. The event is part of
Springfield’s Second Friday Art Walk.
PHOTO CREDIT DUSK WINSTON
STREET THEATER CHEMICAL SPILL ON HWY 99
Send suggestions for Biz Beat items to editor@eugeneweekly.com
with “Biz Beat” in the subject line.
LIGHTEN UP
The developer of a proposed downtown apartment
complex thinks he can keep the 1,200 students — living
in connected five-story buildings in which alcohol and
partying are allowed — from turning the whole place into
the Mother of all Animal Houses. He must be planning to
lease only to students who are members of AARP.
BY R A FA E L A L DAV E
EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 8, 2012 7