On this day, May 21, 2001, in Seattle, Wa., members of the Earth Liberation Front torched the Univ. of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture causing about $6 million in damage. An Oregon tree farm owned by Jefferson Poplar Farms was also burned. four people were later convicted of taking part in the firebombing. One later committed suicide in prison.
Also on this day, May 21, 2002, The George W. Bush administration said it will allow new mining to resume on nearly one million acres of the Siskiyou region.
Also on this day, May 21, 2006, demolition crews destroyed the 499-foot cooling tower of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. Demolition of the containment dome was scheduled in 2008.
Also on this day, May 21, 1998, 15 year-old Kipland Kinkel killed one classmate and wounded 19 more at Thurston High School. His parents, William and Faith, were found shot dead at home and a 2nd student died the next day. He had been expelled from school the previous day for bringing a gun to school. Kinkel dropped an insanity plea in 1999 and pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and 26 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced over 111 years in prison.
Reardon is the only member of this Caucus that voted for the bill
The Clackamas Caucus is made up of 14 Representatives and Senators from the metro area with districts fully or partially in Clackamas County. They are bipartisan, comprised of ten metro area Democrats and four Republicans in districts bordering metro. They sent a letter to Oregon’s Congressional delegation on March 2nd “to respectfully ask for help and support to elevate their concerns with the Oregon Transportation Commission, ODOTâ€. The Caucus has “serious concerns about the Oregon Department of Transportation’s current proposal to exclusively toll I-205 ahead of the rest of the Portland metro region†according to their letter. Tolling I-205 is a consequence of the passage of
HB 2017 in the year 2017.
The letter goes on to describe the negatives of tolling, most of which were raised as objections by primarily opponents of tolling back when HB 2017 was being debated. According to the Caucus letter, they include “no transportation alternatives for drivers that want or need to avoid a toll along I-205 except to drive on local roads. Little to no transit exists along this corridor, and no meaningful plan has been proposed to address this gap. Additionally, many local residents will not have the benefit of altering their schedule to avoid peak-pricing proposed by ODOT. Drivers don’t choose when their kids are dropped off at school, when they must show up for work, and when congestion happens around them. This plan will increase costs on everyday Oregonians at a time when inflation is already making life unaffordable for too manyâ€.
For one Clackamas Caucus member, Rep. Jeff Reardon (D-Happy Valley) this must be painful. Reardon is the only member of this Caucus that voted for the bill he now finds has unintended consequences. Reardon’s constituents have had time to wake up to the reality of this environmental lobby darling and the impact this bill will have on their daily lives. Many realize that adding lanes to a short stretch of I-205 with a two lane bottleneck will do far more to relieve congestion than a plan to punish motorists with tolling.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Washington legislators have objected to the effect tolling would have on their citizens traveling in Oregon. They are serious about imposing a 6% tax on all fuel refined in Washington that is sold to petroleum distributors in Oregon if tolling goes into effect.
What members of the Caucus are learning is that once they make a law and turn it over to state bureaucracy for implementation it can take on a life of its own. In this case they are finding ODOT and the Oregon Commission on Transportation doesn’t need them as much as the legislators need the environmental lobby for political survival.
--Tom Hammer| Post Date: 2022-03-07 12:12:04 | Last Update: 2022-03-07 15:17:53 |
