Get off the gas!
Four years ago I was arrested in an act of civil disobedience while blocking for 37 hours the railroad tracks of a tar sands oil train in Anacortes, Washington. I also signed the “Promise to Protect” declaration to answer the call to resist the KXL pipeline. But I just realized there is something everyone reading this can do to stop fracked gas pipelines and fracking without leaving their homes.
Our Eugene elected leaders are poised to renew a “franchise agreement” (the previous one was for 20 years) with Northwest Natural Gas. The issue is that research has shown gas/methane is as bad or worse than coal for the climate. This franchise agreement will allow an increase in pipelines, hookups and emissions in our community. How will we meet Eugene’s Climate Recovery Ordinance goals if we burn more methane? More demand for gas/methane means more fracking in neighboring states. This increases the harms to those families with water and air pollution, while releasing toxic chemicals.
You don’t have to leave your chair to call Mayor Lucy Vinis, City Manager Pro Tem Sarah Medary and your councilor to say you don’t want an increase of fracked gas in our community — especially since scientists tell us we have less than 10 years to get off of fossil fuels. Let’s get off the gas!
It’s not every day you can fight the pipelines while sequestered at home by a pandemic.
Stay safe and fight on!
Debra McGee
Eugene
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
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