There were some victories November 8, 2016. Two communities, Highland Township, PA and Waterville, OH each passed a bill of rights by overwhelming margins banning harmful development in their communities. With a new president threatening to weaken already marginal environmental safeguards, now more than ever we must exercise our fundamental right to say NO to […]
“We are going to defend our property rights like any other property owner would. That means defending our rights under the state and federal constitutions.” Those following the heroic efforts to stop the proposed Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline might attribute these words to any one of the more than 600 affected landowners along the […]
“Extending standing to the real party at risk of harm — the environment — would preserve “priceless bits of Americana” before they become “forever lost or are so transformed as to be reduced to the eventual rubble of our urban environment.” US Supreme Court Justice William Orville Douglas During an especially heated primary debate […]
There is a touching story about a dying astronaut who plans to spend his remaining time on earth fighting global warming for his only grandchild. Piers Sellers visited the International Space Station three times and took twice as many spacewalks. His extraterrestrial perspective coupled with his science background helped him recognize how “climate change is […]
Friday was a great day. Not only was my daughter accepted into the University of Oregon but FERC denied the certificate of public convenience and necessity to the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline. Because I was standing in the middle of McArthur Court on the U of O campus surrounded by anxious parents and giggling young […]
The more I engage in community rights work the more sense the right of local self-government makes to me. Whether it is banking regulators, energy regulators or environmental regulators the working class communities are getting the short end of the stick because the industry writes the rules. One of the main rules is that communities […]
The World has a story about the most recent candidate for treasurer, Heather Fox. She sounds like a reasonable candidate and she answers some questions raised previously, such as will she collect two salaries and is she just running as a spoiler to help Megan Simms oust Matt Rowe. The answer would appear to be […]
Ever a glutton for punishment I have been reading a lot about failed economies and fragile states , (formerly known as failed states). From the mouths of our own commissioners, Coos County is kind of mini-version of a failed local economy and is facing a $2.5 million shortfall. The next couple of years are going […]
In case you missed it, the race for treasurer has gotten a bit strange. The office has recently been gutted by the commissioners diverting several duties to a new finance director/administrator and the salary slashed in half. Yet we now have three vying for the position. Heather Fox, a Coos County deputy tax collector and […]
Time for a little mea culpa. Eight years ago, of the two choices available, I considered Bob Main the most likely candidate to represent the populist view. The county’s assessor at the time, I even felt Main might be slightly more reasonable when it came to exploitation of the environment. Of course, he was running against […]
