COAL BATTLE HEATING UP
IN EUGENE
Coos Bay is one of six Northwest ports vying to export
coal to Asia. Thanks to its position on the railroad system,
Eugene is one of the many cities in Oregon and Washington
facing mile-and-a-half-long coal trains chugging through
town, leaving coal dust and diesel fumes in their wake. The
coal train issue has been the topic of a recent Eugene City
Club debate, will be the subject of a City Council vote and
will be the center of a “Coal Hard Truth” forum on July 16,
as well as a peaceful protest July 12.
Uncovered coal trains, which can shed 500 pounds of
coal dust per car over the course of a haul, are an
environmental, health and even a safety issue. On July 9, the
Eugene City Council postponed a vote on opposing the
trains until July 16.
At a City Club forum on July 6, Lisa Arkin of Beyond
Toxics and Ivan Maluski of the Sierra Club discussed the
threats these coal trains pose to clean water and clean air in
Eugene. Arkin’s warnings ranged from the diseases caused
by coal dust in the lungs to the sheen of dust that could
spread from the tracks, covering cars, farms and even seep
into your cold pitcher of Ninkasi.
The health dangers are not limited to the coal dust.
Diesel particulates from the engines that haul the trains
— sometimes as many as five, Arkin said — can get into the
lungs of people living and working near the tracks. Arkin
said there are 27 schools and 14 daycare facilities within 2
miles of the tracks that would be affected by the dust and
particulates. She pointed out that on a bad air day, when
wood fires and other burning would be stopped, the trains
would continue to release air toxics.
The Port of Coos Bay and other parties interested in
pursuing the port as a coal export center were invited to the
City Club forum but declined to attend, citing a public
records case the Sierra Club is involved in with the port.
Last week a train bearing coal from Wyoming derailed
while crossing a suburban bridge in Chicago, crushing a
car below the bridge and killing a couple heading out to
celebrate on July 4. On July 2 a 125-car coal train also
carrying Powder River Basin coal derailed in Washington
State. The wreck spilled about 900 tons of coal. Studies by
the BNSF railroad show that coal dust building up under
tracks can lead to derailment
For those who missed the City Club discussion, the Coal
Hard Truth forum will take place at 6:30 pm July 16 at the
Eugene Public Library. Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky of Columbia
Riverkeeper says this forum is one of almost 30 that have
taken place across the Northwest. The forums “attempt to
bring as many stakeholders to the table as possible,” she
says. The Eugene forum hopes to call attention to the
upcoming vote on Councilor Alan Zelenka’s proposed City
Council resolution against coal trains, which says: “Allowing
coal trains to pass through our city is not compatible with the
city’s efforts to improve air quality, enhance public health
and promote local food production.”
Zimmer-Stucky says she will facilitate the forum, which
will include Arkin, Jordan Chestnut of No Coal Eugene,
Bethany Cotton of Greenpeace’s Quit Coal campaign and a
local farmer.
If the resolution gets approved, the city would look into
whether it could use state or federal laws to block the coal
trains from coming through town.
The council vote is also currently scheduled for July
16. There will be a 5:30 pm council work session, and no
public comment on the resolution is scheduled for that
meeting. Check EW’s blog for updates.
On Thursday, July 12, Beyond Toxics and No Coal Eugene
will have a peaceful demonstration at the Eugene Train Yard,
1035 Bethel Drive starting at 10 am. — Camilla Mortensen
CHAUN BENJAMIN OF THE GSA
GIVES OCCUPY EUGENE NOTICE
Administration delivered a letter to Occupy Eugene on July
10 denying the group’s permit application to remain at the
old Federal Courthouse on 7th Avenue. The group was
given until 3 pm July 11 to leave the site. In response, the
Occupiers handed the feds an eviction notice of their own.
“They don’t want people there 24 hours a day,” Lauren
Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center said of the
GSA. “We’ve lost our right to free speech between the hours
of 10 pm and 7 am.” The CLDC represents Occupy Eugene
as well as other free speech and environmental protesters.
Occupy Eugene has had an outpost at the old Federal
Courthouse since May 1. The site has hosted sign-making
parties and a medical tent. At the time, Eugene’s Homeland
Security offered OE a 60-day permit, which has now
expired.
The group applied for a 30-day permit for the month of
July on a 24-hour basis for a “never-ending protest
involving event organization, sign-making and outreach.”
The GSA turned the permit down, citing the request for
a 24-hour presence. The GSA also writes in its letter to OE
that it has an interest in maintaining an “aesthetically
pleasing area.”
“Our taxes paid for the federal government, so we have
a right to use the property responsibly, and I don’t feel that
this is an irresponsible use of the property,” Occupier
Christopher Albaugh says. “We’ve maintained thoroughfare,
we’ve maintained that people can still get into business, but
we are active and present.”
8 JULY 12, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
PHOTO BY SHANNON FINNELL
TRADING EVICTION
NOTICES:
FEDS V. OCCUPY
The federal government’s General Services
After the GSA’s Director of Service Centers Division
Chaun Benjamin presented the Occupiers with copies of the
letter, he refused to give reporters his name until leaving the
Occupy outpost and making a phone call, saying he had to go
through proper channels.
In response to the GSA, Occupier Peter Grotticelli handed
the feds an eviction notice of their own, which regretfully
informed the federal government that he and other anarchists
do not recognize the 1855 secession from the coast tribes of
Oregon, which would legitimate the government’s presence
in “this charming square stone structure on this property.”
The letter continues, “We must therefore ask that you allow
our autonomous collective to occupy the structure, and that
your armed agents fuck off back to Area 51.”
Regan says, “Washington, D.C., basically told Eugene
that anyone that wants to exercise their First Amendment
rights on the plaza, even for an hour, will need to get a
permit.” She says people will face arrest for “simply
exercising First Amendment rights in broad daylight.”
The plaza in question is known as the Wayne Morse Free
Speech Plaza and is frequent site for protests, rallies and sign
waving. Several Occupiers say they are willing to risk arrest
rather than leave the outpost. — Shannon Finnell and
Camilla Mortensen
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM