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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2004)
Smoke Signals 5 NOVEMBER 1, 2004 Society Of Environmental Journalists Bring Host Of Issues Front And Center The group takes on high government officials and celebrities. By Ron Karten The 14-year-old Society of Environ mental Journalists (SEJ) met in Pitts burgh late in October with sky high and ocean deep ambitions. The an nual conference took aim at green buildings and brown fields, mining travesties and sewage backups. It looked at whether environmental re porting has left minorities behind and the extent to which politics infects fed eral scientific inquiries. U.S. Department of Energy Science Director Raymond Orbach said "There would be hell to pay" if he thought poli tics was playing any part in the scien tific decisions coming out of his office, but he did not convince The New York Times Senior Science Writer Cornelia Dean, who said, "It's not just coming from one side of the aisle or one politi cal persuasion. It's coming from all over." "Private money," she said, "is driv ing scientific projects." She said that today in the Grand Canyon, a book for sale insists that the world is 6,000 years old and that the Grand Canyon was formed by the floods for which Noah built the ark. In describing scientists who seek to review her articles before publication, she quoted them saying, "'But we're . objective seekers of truth and we have no ulterior motives,' which is," she added, "you know, hilarious. . ." Navajo Times Senior News Reporter Marley Shebala (NavajoZuni) asked Environmental Protection Agency Ad ministrator Michael Leavitt about a 50-year-old case of government radiation poisoning on the Navajo reservation. It needed more study, he said. The cast of characters included not only top environmental reporters from across the U.S. and Canada, but some heavy hitters from politics, govern ment, education and entertainment. In a presentation examining the role that celebrities play in spurring envi ronmental causes, actor Ted Danson was joined by Pittsburgh Steelers famed running back Franco Harris in responding to a question about whether celebrities help with environ mental issues or trivialize them. "We provide access," said Danson, a Board Member of the ocean-focused group, Oceana (www.oceana.org). He described how when he is able to do a photo-op with a senator, staffers for Oceana get together with staffers for finance system for a failure to keep the public informed. In noting that "the administration went and tore the heart out of the Clean Air Act by getting rid of the New Source rule which was the rule that required the plants to clean up in the first place he said that, according to EPA, that decision alone kills 30,000 Americans J- w Celebrity Support Actor Ted Danson appeared with celebrities includ ing former Pittsburgh Steeler Franco Harris in a panel on "Celebrity, The Media And The Environment" at the 1 4th Annual Conference of the Society of Environ mental Journalists in Pittsburgh, October 20-24. Danson said his celebrity made1 him feel "like a five-year-old in a room full of adults." the senator, and the real work gets done among the staffers. The audience also had a surprise visit from Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of the presidential candidate John Kerry, during the session. The Kerry cam paign had stopped at Carnegie Mellon University that day. Carnegie Mellon also was host for the conference. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., senior attor ney for the National Resources De fense Council and supporter of many environmental efforts, blamed a lan guid press held back by corporate con solidation, the Reagan-era death of the Fairness Doctrine and the campaign every year. Ten World Trade Center attacks every single year. This should be the headline of every newspaper in the country." The New York Times Environmen tal Reporter Andy Revkin acknowl edged that the press has in recent years "screwed up many aspects of this," but added that "even if the information got through those filters... there's a gen eral lack of scientific and technical lit eracy of the American public now. In other words, we can carry the water to the horse, but we can't make that horse drink. In fact, Corey Dean, my old edi tor, used to say that our job is not to educate. Our job is to inform." EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt ticked off five areas where the Bush administration had made real strides, but in an interview afterwards, Greenwire Senior Reporter Darren Samuelsohn said that the administra tion could really only take credit for one, reductions of emissions as a re sult of a so-called 'clean diesel rule' for non-road vehicles, though he noted that the industry already was forced dur ing the Clinton administration to change the fuel mix and engine tech nology for on-road vehicles. On clean air standards, a subject the President raised as a success story during the last debate, Samuelsohn noted that the Bush administration was forced under a 2001 Supreme Court decision to implement Clinton era standards. But this conference was not attended by 700 people walking in lock step. If many of those attending complained about Bush administration prevarica tors, just as many, it seemed, ex pressed frustration with progressives like Kennedy. "He's head of all these environmental groups, but he didn't say a thing about what they are doing," said Myra Tho mas, a New Jersey freelance journalist. "It was just a political stump speech." Debra Kroll (Salinas), Book Editor for Native Peoples, asked about Kennedy's efforts in behalf of Klamath River Tribes losing their water rights. She got no answer. Marley Shebala said, "Natives are coming together and voting and "they have made Arizona a swing state, along with New Mexico, which is where you have large Native popula tions." She asked Kennedy how do people not just Natives keep na tional leaders to the promises that they make. Kennedy passed the ball back to the press. Staff Writer Ron Karten received a fellowship to this conference. Road Widening Project Will Save Lives In Grand Ronde October meeting gives local residents a voice in the 2005 project. ByPeta Tinda Grand Ronde Road, the mile-and-a-half long main artery between High ways 18 and 22, is set to be widened, starting in May 2005. The road widening is a collaborative effort between the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, who participated in the design and provided some of the fund ing. The amount of kids w alking to and from the school has increased since the building of Grand Meadows and new Tribal housing; both of which lie adja cent to the road. Local residents' safety concerns have also increased. "Basically the project was deemed to be of high safety value," said Larry Fuhriman, a BIA designer. "Particularly because of all of the pedestrians and truck travel on the road. The problem is there is no refuge for pedestrians." A meeting was held on Tuesday, Oc tober 19, by Eric Scott, Tribal Projects Manager, to hear from local residents. Most were supportive of the widening, although some expressed con cern over losing property to the road. To accommo date the resi dents, a plan that included two-foot wide planter strips was scrapped in favor of the less intrusive plan now in the works. The revised plan calls for new 10- In Danger Children dodge truck traffic as they walk home from school on Grand Ronde Road. The road is scheduled to be widened to include bike lanes and sidewalks in 2005. foot wide lanes with 5 foot bike lanes, new sidewalks and new cross walks at all of the ma jor intersec tions. There will be lights at the cross walks along the 7,800-foot road. There are also plans for new water and sewage lines, as well as storm drains. "It's not pe- d e s t r l a n friendly," said Bill Gilley, Public Works Director for Yamhill County. "There's just no room to. walk. I think.it will -v - .i , Li. -i-rr. !f : - - -g save lives and most people understand that." Gilley also said that he thinks the widened road will be a tremendous as set to the community. In addition to widening the road, the Highway 22 intersection will have a larger turn radius, so that trucks won't have to turn into oncoming traf fic, like they do now. The project is expected to take a least two working seasons, with work start ing at the south end at Highway 18. "The purpose of the project is to make coming here safer," said Scott. "People have been supportive. We'll also be putting in a new sewer main to replace the one from McPherson Road to Highway 18." The new road will be 44 feet in total width "with most of the main improve ments taking place between the exist ing ditches," said Scott.
