More than 100,000 acres of southern Oregon public land was protected by the Agricultural Secretary from strip mining by Red Flat Nickel Corporation, a Panamanian subsidiary of a British investment firm. Oregonians “faced the prospect of a foreign company destroying an area of economic and environmental importance, pocketing profits and moving on.”
How is this any different than the current permit filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by Pembina, a Canadian Company, wanting to build a proposed 230-mile, 36-inch fracked-gas pipeline across southern Oregon from Malin to the Jordan Cove fracked gas export terminal in Coos Bay?
Nearly 400 streams and rivers will be threatened, along with traditional tribal territories, cultural resources and burial grounds; 600 private landowners will be threatened by eminent domain; the project would put 16,000 people in a hazardous burn zone and an export terminal in a seismic tsunami zone.
The export terminal project and increased fracked gas would become the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the state with 36.8 million metric tons. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley has come out against this project. Who will be the other climate heroes to help stop this project?
Jim Neu
Eugen
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519