• 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.’
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• 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.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 3pm–7pm
Meet Ross Evans, Xtracycle Inventor
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Details at facebook/arrivingbybike
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eugeneweekly.com • June 18, 2015
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