slant
The Willamettans Family Nudist Club,
where all you need to wear is a smile.
• At least 50 Eugeneans, young and old, showed up at the downtown library July
16 to hear the “Coal Hard Truth” about more than 1-mile long coal trains shedding
dust and diesel fumes that might be making their way through Eugene if Coos Bay
succeeds in becoming a coal export terminal. The Seattle City Council unanimously
passed a resolution against coal trains, Missoula, Mont., has asked for an environmental
assessment as did Vancouver, Wash., and where’s Eugene on this? The Eugene City
Council delayed its vote on a resolution proposed by Councilor Alan Zelenka against
the trains until September, apparently after being asked by the Port of Coos Bay to
let it weigh in first. Public dialogue is great, everyone should get a voice — too bad the
port decided not to come speak at City Club about the issue — so when’s the Port of
Coos Bay going to come clean and tell us what coal company it’s dealing with?
Summer has fi nally arrived and we still have
lots of activities planned
Come out for the day, or camp out over night at Oregon’s best Clothing Optional
RV Resort. See what it is like to go camping where all the clothes you need is shoes
and a towel. Check out our web site for all of the upcoming events then give us a
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• As long as we’re on open and fair government, what’s with Commissioner Rob
Handy still being locked out even after the DOJ has released his office? We’re
hearing that he’s been offered a computer in a public conference room elsewhere in
the building, which is not acceptable for public representative who needs to meet
with his constituents. Handy’s been meeting with people anyway, but this is getting
silly. And where’s the R-G on this? The conservative commissioners are behaving
badly, and there’s barely a peep out of the daily.
• And while we’re on Rob Handy, in last week’s Slant, we mentioned his call to raise
the absurdly low taxes on the massive holdings of private timberlands in Lane
County and elsewhere in Oregon. It is a logical, commonsense proposal that deserves
continued attention and local support for action in Salem. The Legislature giveth
unfair tax breaks and the Legislature can taketh away. Handy’s not alone.
Conservationist and political strategist Andy Kerr of Ashland has been battling the
timber industry for decades and says in his most recent “Monthly Musings” that “It’s
more unjust than even I suspected. If you aren’t generally outraged by private
timberland logging practices, you should be about the favorable tax treatments they
receive, because you’re paying more taxes and getting fewer government services as
a result.” Find Kerr at www.andykerr.net
• The enviro-internet’s been flooded with emails and blog posts (EW! A Blog
included) about Rep. Kurt Schrader trying to add a “stealth rider” to the 2012 farm
bill that that would open up 1.5 million acres of public lands to clearcut logging in a
version of the controversial Schrader-DeFazio-Walden logging trust legislation.
Oregon Wild says the rider proposed to drop the limited Wilderness and Wild & Scenic
Rivers protections promised in previous legislation and provided for no public notice
or hearings. Schrader’s amendment was ruled out of order in committee. Decisions
made and legislation put forth about our public forests need to be made in the light
of day and with full public input.
• State Rep. Val Hoyle last week was named “one of the nation’s top pro-growth
progressive leaders” by The NewDEAL, a national organization dedicated to
“Developing Exceptional American Leaders” (DEAL). The words “pro-growth” and
“progressive” appear to be an oxymoron, so we asked Hoyle about the award. She
says pro-growth for her “means investing in the type of infrastructure that supports
healthy communities,” and she cites a “high quality education system, smart growth
infrastructure and our economy.” She tells us she hopes to learn from other like-
minded pro-growth progressives around the country and “put people back to work
while making smart use of our limited resources.” State Sen. Chris Edwards is another
NewDEALer. This designation is fine, but when it comes to the environment, actions
are more important than awards. Edwards earned a 92 percent favorable rating by
the Oregon League of Conservation Voters in 2011, based on his voting record, while
Hoyle came in lower at 80 percent.
SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff.
Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com
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10 JULY 19, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
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