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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2015)
• Electing judges is the topic at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, June 19, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette Street. Speakers are W. Michael Gillette, retired justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, and James Huffman, dean emeritus of the Lewis and Clark Law School. $5 for non-members. See cityclubofeuegene.org. The following week, June 26, the topic will be “The Future of Collegiate Athletics at the UO” with professor Bill Harbaugh and professor emeritus Dennis Howard. • Cascadia Forest Defenders will launch a floating protest of the Pacific Connector LNG pipeline at 10 am Friday, June 19. The “Float the Pipe” event will begin where the pipe would cross under the South Umpqua just south of the Rivers West South Umpqua campground, 1-5 Exit 112, on the east side of I-5. Participants will float downriver for 12 miles over two days and document the watershed they see along the way. A community picnic and press conference will be held from 4 to 6 pm Saturday, June 20, at 630 Douglas Blvd. in Winston. Contact Erin Grady at (303) 905-8601. DEFAZIO CALLS ‘BULLSHIT’ ON THE TPP In a recent email to voters from the DeFazio campaign Congressman Peter DeFazio has vehemently opposed the congressman says, “They dangled a carrot in front the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal from early on, tell- of those of us who have been fighting against the ‘Fast ing EW in January 2014 that the deal was “informed and Track’ trade promotion authority bill (TPA). It’s called manipulated by corporate interests” and that if the public Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which helps work- knew what was in the classified document, they wouldn’t ers who lose their jobs because of these trade deals find like it. other jobs.” While widespread public attention has only really been The DeFazio email says that TAA would have to be directed at the trade deal for the past couple months, the passed along with TPA and “I support the TAA, but not TPP has been years in the making. The Electronic Frontier under these circumstances.” DeFazio cites an article in Foundation calls it a “secretive, multinational trade agree- Politico, which says he told the ment” — the trade talks were all president’s chief of staff, Denis conducted in secret — and the McDonough, “that the White pact is between 12 Pacific Rim House’s position was ‘bullshit.’” countries accounting for almost The email continues, “And 40 percent of the global economy. we didn’t fall for that BS. The The Obama White House has TAA bill went down in flames. It said the TPP will generate $123.5 wasn’t even close: 302 to 126.” billion a year in U.S. exports by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has 2025, but the president has been supported the legislation, and facing opposition from his own Sen. Jeff Merkley has opposed party, including DeFazio, in his it. The trade deal is not yet dead, efforts to get Fast-Track Authority — C O N G R E S S M A N P E T E R D E FA Z I O but with Democratic presidential from Congress to finish the deal candidate Hillary Rodham Clin- with little congressional input. ton distancing herself from Obama on trade and House DeFazio, who has voted against all free trade agreements, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi backing the opposition, including NAFTA, has said that it is “critical to protect the pundits say the TPP’s prospects are dim. Democratic constitutional prerogatives of Congress under Article I, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has also opposed Section 8, which states that Congress has the sole authority the deal. — Camilla Mortensen to regulate trade with foreign nations.” The TPP is ‘informed and manipulated by corporate interests.’ els - bring the od m e cl cy ra Xt 10 t ou Try • Author Guy McPherson, professor emeritus of natural resources at the University of Arizona, is on tour and will speak on “Responding to Abrupt Climate Change” at 7 pm Wednesday, June 24, at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 13th and Chambers. Food and water shortages are accelerating around the globe, he says, and we’ve only recently entered the domain of abrupt climate change. Suggested donation of $10 to $20. See guymcpherson.com. Hosted in part by Eugene Interfaith Earthkeepers. McPherson will also be at Tsunami Books at 3 pm that day for book signing and open discussion. • The BLM is looking at revisions to the Northwest Forest Plan and according to Oregon Wild, all of the options that are being proposed will reduce logging setbacks on streams and rivers. The next riparian workshop will be from 4 to 8 pm Thursday, June 25, at the BLM Interagency Office Assembly Hall at 3106 Pierce Parkway in Springfield. Another public meeting is planned June 30 in Salem. Find the BLM’s meeting schedule at wkly.ws/216. • OReGO starts July 1 and the program is looking for volunteers. OReGo is Oregon’s Road Usage Charge program and it assesses a 1.5-cent per-mile charge for volunteer drivers, who will pay a road usage charge for the amount of miles they drive, instead of the state fuel tax. Volunteers will get a credit for fuel tax they pay at the pump. OReGo is an Oregon Department of Transportation “program that creates a new way to fund road maintenance, preservation and improvements for all Oregonians.” For more info or to sign up, go to myorego.org. kids! y a D e d i R e l c y c a r t X Wednesday, June 24th, 3pm–7pm Meet Ross Evans, Xtracycle Inventor ->VÃÊUÊ iÛiÀ>}iÃÊUÊ*ÀâiÃÊUÊ,`ià 3 new electric-assists ÜÌ Ê ÃV ÊÊÌÀÃtt Details at facebook/arrivingbybike ÓÇäxÊ7>iÌÌiÊ-ÌÊUÊx{£°{n{°x{£ä qÀÊ££qÇ]Ê->ÌÊ£äqÈ]Ê-ÕÊ£Óqx eugeneweekly.com • June 18, 2015 9
