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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, MAy 21, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
Founded in 1873
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
SHANNON ARLINT
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
BEHIND THE NEWS
‘It’s really important to have a watchdog group’
B
ehind the familiar red T-shirts and the protest signs
of local activists, Columbia Riverkeeper provided
important organizational, policy and legal frame-
work in the long fight against liquefied natural gas proj-
ects on the North Coast.
The grassroots campaigns painted the LNG projects
in Warrenton and at Bradwood Landing as threats to the
environment, fishing and safety and undermined claims of
economic benefit.
While the projects faced considerable financial and
regulatory pressures, Brett VandenHeuvel, the executive
director of Columbia Riverkeeper, cred-
ited the activism.
“The projects were marching forward.
Every politician at the time was in favor
of them,” he said. “It wasn’t until the
activists and — specifically, the people
of Clatsop County, some of which prob-
ably wouldn’t have called themselves
DERRICK
activists at first, people who cared deeply
DePLEDGE
about their community, about their fam-
ily, about their health — stood up and
protected their community.
“Only then did people start paying attention.”
VandenHeuvel, who has served as executive director
of Columbia Riverkeeper since 2009, is stepping away in
August to work as a national consultant on climate and
clean water strategies. Lauren Goldberg, the environmen-
tal group’s legal and program director, will take on the
leadership role.
In an interview via Zoom from Hood River, Vanden-
Heuvel discussed public attitudes toward the environment
and climate change, the victories over LNG and the pros-
pects for other large industrial projects along the river.
Q: How have public attitudes on the environment
changed over your time at Columbia Riverkeeper?
A: There’s a lot more interest in clean water and, cer-
tainly, climate. I think we’ve seen the effects of how pol-
luted rivers, how toxic drinking water has harmed our
communities.
I see more and more people valuing the importance of
protecting that.
And then, on the climate front, it’s hitting us in the face
— the impacts of climate change, from droughts and heat
domes and wildfires. Any debate about whether we need
to address climate change, I think, is done.
It’s just how quickly, and how aggressively, are we
going to take action and make some real change.
Q: How do you raise awareness about climate
change among people who are facing more immediate
economic and social struggles?
A: First, as a society, addressing those immediate eco-
nomic and social struggles is a huge priority.
Climate impacts are a major problem for a lot of peo-
ple. Environmental justice communities, low-income
communities, are hit first and worst by the impacts of cli-
mate change across our nation and in our world.
We’ve seen people — low-income people — dying
from extreme heat, even here in the Pacific Northwest.
And, of course, it’s much, much worse in other parts of
our nation and the world.
So I see them all intertwined. If we’re going to achieve
Brett VandenHeuvel is stepping away as executive
director of Columbia Riverkeeper.
real impacts on social justice, which we need to do, we
need to have a clean, healthy environment that all people
can use.
Q: Columbia Riverkeeper was instrumental in
working with local residents on the North Coast to
oppose LNG projects in Warrenton and at Bradwood
Landing. How much weight do you give to the role
activism played, as opposed to the financial and regu-
latory challenges these projects faced.
A: I put almost all of the weight of those victories over
LNG on activism.
The projects were marching forward. Every politician
at the time was in favor of them. It wasn’t until the activ-
ists and — specifically, the people of Clatsop County,
some of which probably wouldn’t have called themselves
activists at first, people who cared deeply about their com-
munity, about their family, about their health — stood up
and protected their community.
Only then did people start paying attention.
And it was a multiyear process, that’s one of the things
people forget about. Ultimately, you see several politi-
cians oppose LNG, or you see a regulatory agency deny
it, but that takes many years of community effort.
And Columbia Riverkeeper is really proud to play a
role on the legal side of things. When state and federal
agencies weren’t following the law, the public process,
when they were rubber-stamping permits and moving too
fast, we were able to win lawsuits and balance that along
the way in a way that allowed for greater public participa-
tion and allowed for that activism to grow and to eventu-
ally prevail.
Q: Columbia Riverkeeper is challenging the $2 bil-
lion project by NEXT Renewable Fuels at Port West-
ward in Columbia County. The project is focused on
renewable diesel, which the company claims would
help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What is your
main objection?
A: There’s a long history of fossil fuel projects at Port
Westward, from coal and oil and fracked gas propos-
als, including projects that have switched from ethanol to
shipping oil.
So we have concerns about the uncertainty of that proj-
ect, some of the backers of it, who have flipped to fossil
fuel projects in the past.
And, in addition, some of the feedstocks — if it’s
clearcutting rainforest to grow palm oil for a feedstock,
that’s not a step in the right direction.
So we’ve been asking a lot of questions and raising
concerns about it and trying to get answers. We’re cer-
tainly in favor of moving to clean energy and renewable
fuels, but there’s a lot of outstanding concerns at Port
Westward, including concerns from many of the commu-
nity around Port Westward and Clatskanie and the farm-
ers in that area, too.
Part of our effort has been trying to stop a rezone of
800 acres of agricultural land to switching to industrial
land, which would literally pave the way for more dirty
fossil fuel and industrial projects.
That rezone isn’t specifically about any one proj-
ect, but that’s really important salmon habitat, and we’re
working with the local community to try to keep that in
agricultural use.
Q: Do you see a political risk that people might
tune Columbia Riverkeeper and other environmental
interests out if the perception is that you will oppose
any big industrial project along the river?
A: For many of the large, fossil fuel projects we’ve
seen threaten the Columbia, absolutely we’re going to
oppose every one of those.
And I’m proud of that, and that’s the right thing to
do. We cannot allow increased infrastructure that will be
dependent on for decades for fossil fuels.
There are many, many, many other industrial projects
that move forward on the Columbia. You look at the his-
tory over the last 50 years, or even the last 20 years since
Riverkeeper has been an organization, many projects go
unchallenged.
There are some that rise to the level of threat and dan-
ger and risk to the river and to the communities that it’s
really important to have a watchdog group like River-
keeper partner with local communities to stand up to these
projects.
I think our influence has grown. I think it’s grown
stronger as we’ve been successful in defeating large
industrial projects and protecting the river.
There are very strong corporate interests, there are very
strong fossil fuel interests, pushing these projects forward.
We’ve seen that communities want an organization that
will help them stand up to those big corporate interests.
derrick dePledge is editor of The Astorian.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Big trucks
Pick it up
D
W
o you have a truck? Well if you do, you
probably know how hard it is to find a
parking spot in downtown Astoria. That’s
why I think we should make a parking
garage strictly for big trucks.
In downtown, there are little cars taking
up bigger parking spots, instead of going to
a compact parking spot. So there should be a
parking garage just for bigger trucks!
TREVOR OGIER
Astoria
Serious threats
A
ccording to the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife, Columbia River
salmon and steelhead face serious threats
from the California and Steller sea lions.
Data shows that sea lions can consume up to
44% of our Columbia River spring Chinook
run and up to 25% of the steelhead run.
As a fishing community, we need to do
something about these sea lions in order to
strengthen our fishing economy. The fed-
eral Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
specifies that states cannot take initiative to
manage the California and Steller seals.
It’s time the government did something
about reevauluating the MMPA so that we can
have a somewhat sustainable fishing economy.
ADDISON PIETILA
Astoria
Vital
I
want to thank Katie Frankowicz and
Nicole Bales for the excellent article on
abortion access in Clatsop County that ran
in the May 14 edition of The Astorian.
As I prepare to march in the reproductive
rights rally in Astoria today, I am encour-
aged by this timely and informative cover-
age of this important issue.
Abortion and reproductive health ser-
vices are an integral part of health care for
women. Maintaining these services, and the
continued effort to provide education about
reproductive health, is vital to the well-being
of all in our community.
REBECCA READ
Seaside
hile traveling through the logging
roads in Clatsop County, there are so
many beautiful sights to see, from creeks to
waterfalls and clear views all the way to the
Columbia.
There are so many things to enjoy, no
matter who you are. Although once you
look down, those views are ruined with lit-
ter, bottles, food garbage and even dan-
gerous items, like needles. All that litter is
not only an unpleasant sight to see, but it’s
damaging our environment.
The litter will travel down water-
ways, reaching habitats of countless ani-
mals, leading animals to get stuck in, or
even eat, garbage. The rule of “leave no
trace” doesn’t just apply to national parks,
and other destinations like that. It applies
everywhere!
If you bring things in, pack them out. All
around our community we can help by just
picking up a few pieces of garbage when
you go. A little help from each person in
this community will go a long way, so next
time you see garbage in our beautiful com-
munity, pick it up and throw it away.
ALEXIS WHITESIDE
Astoria
Screeching halt
storia has been a fishing town for
generations, but that is coming to a
screeching halt. The main reason for this
rapid decline is dams. Dams have been kill-
ing salmon at an alarming rate.
According to the Northwest Power and
Conservation Council, each dam can kill up
to 15% of migrating fish. This is detrimen-
tal to the salmon population because the
average salmon passes through seven dams,
according to the council.
The coast relies on salmon to gener-
ate business. In reports about the eco-
nomic generation of the industry, the Ore-
gon Department of Fish and Wildlife states,
“The fisheries generated an estimated $558
million income to the statewide econ-
omy in 2019, which is equivalent to about
9,200 jobs. Output is estimated to be $1.2
billion.”
This is concerning because with salmon
A
on the decline, we are losing a valuable part
of our economy. We can stop this decline by
taking out the dams. Not only do dams kill
salmon, they also block thousands of miles
of spawning grounds.
If some of the dams in the Columbia
River basin are removed, it will open up
many miles of spawning grounds for future
generations of salmon.
Earthjustice is an organization working
with congressional leaders to remove dams
in the Columbia River basin, which will
take steps to save the salmon population.
Contact your congressman or congress-
woman and tell them to vote in favor of
striking down the dams.
ANDREW MILLER
Astoria
on the side of the roads was something I
never really took notice of until recently.
The increase of littering and illegal dump-
ing is not only a danger to our ecosystem,
but it makes the beautiful region look more
like a dumping ground for the garbage peo-
ple are too lazy to wait and throw away
responsibly.
All I want to do is inform my commu-
nity of this growing issue, and to hope
we can take action against it. Just picking
up and throwing away one piece of trash
on the side of our roadways is a step to a
healthier and better looking county. Let’s all
try to keep our community clean, and help
it show its true beauty.
ETHAN SMALLEY
Astoria
Pretty limited
Robbing us
O
R
ne issue I know everyone who lives
in Astoria has experienced is a lack of
parking. Especially during summer, when
tourists come to town, there is barely any
place to park.
Parking in Astoria is already pretty lim-
ited, and tourists make it even more difficult
to find a parking spot. I think more parking
spaces should be made to fit the amount of
tourists that come in every year.
I think many people would be on board
with adding more parking spaces. This
will allow more tourists to come, and bring
more money to small businesses, especially
during the hot summer days.
HAYDEN TORISTOJA
Astoria
Dumping ground
A
s I drive across the roads of Clat-
sop County, I become more aware of
a growing issue at hand. It seems to me
every day there’s more and more garbage
appearing on the sides of our highways and
streets.
It’s something that many people may not
pay too much attention to. I think many of
us have just gotten used to seeing the gar-
bage pile up on the side of our roadways
and trashing our county.
Living here all my life, the garbage
obbing us of our right to reproductive
choice has far-reaching implications.
It strips us of privacy, autonomy and demo-
cratic rule — all of us.
This is a step toward establishing an
invasive authoritarian government, where
the rich and powerful will fully control our
lives. Russia and North Korea are examples
of such countries.
Taking away an established right has
never been done in our country before.
Never. Ever. This ruling will set the prece-
dent for others to fall like dominoes.
This Supreme Court was “packed” by
presidents who lost the popular vote.
If elected Republicans — and some
Democrats — actually cared about children,
we’d have Health Care For All.
The U.S. is now ranked 33rd in infant
mortality; 32 other countries have lower
child death rates than we do. Poorer coun-
tries, but with good universal health care.
It’s a sorry state of affairs. All we can do
now is pay attention, protest (ugh!), kick
Republicans (and others who don’t repre-
sent us) out of office — and elect honest
secretaries of state to tally our votes!
But let’s not give up yet, let’s fight tooth
and nail for our democracy, as the Ukraini-
ans are fighting for theirs, now, under much
harsher conditions!
KATE O’NEAL
South Bend, Washington