Document text
2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr.: How we treat animals ... Overcoming the odds ... Court tosses ruling ordering BLM to log more in Southern Oregon ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: How we treat animals ... Overcoming the odds ... Court tosses ruling ordering BLM to log more in Southern Oregon ... WILD SIDE Waterkeeper President RFK Jr. visits southern Oregon Comment By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Jun. 9, 2015 at 6:29 PM Updated Jun 9, 2015 at 6:37 PM By Joseph Vaile Posted Jun. 9, 2015 at 6:29 PM Updated Jun 9, 2015 at 6:37 PM » Social News I admit it. I was little star struck when I met Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As a political junkie, the Kennedy name comes with quite a bit of celebrity. RFK Jr. bears a striking resemblance to his father, the senator from New York and presidential hopeful, who was tragically assassinated in 1968.  I had never heard RFK Jr. speak and, as he took the stage, I was prepared for predictable speech about how we all need to chip in and save the planet. I end up witnessing my fair share of these things.  But what he shared over the course of his 50-minute speech surprised me. Piece by piece, he connected democracy and our rights as Americans to the battle over issues like clean water, public land and the rise of corporate power.  RFK Jr. spent much of that week in late May at rallies and events in Portland, Salem, and Vancouver, Wash. After attending the No On LNG Rally in Salem, he made a stop-over in southern Oregon for a Rogue Riverkeeper event.  A program of KS Wild, Rogue Riverkeeper is part of the international Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization dedicated to protecting clean water and aquatic habitat in communities across the globe. RFK Jr. is the president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and has spent much of his professional career defending communities against polluters.  Kennedy’s primary purpose for coming to Oregon was to stand up against proposed gas export pipelines in the state, in particular the Pacific Connector Pipeline being proposed across southern Oregon.  If built, this pipeline would transport fracked gas from Canada and the Rockies to an export terminal at Coos Bay, where it would be compressed into liquefied natural gas (LNG) and shipped to global markets. The pipeline would cross 400 waterways, cutting a swath 95 feet wide and 230 miles long. It would use eminent domain to seize a right of way that would affect more than 600 private landowners along its path. Landowners and residents are banding together to stop this proposal. Some of the leading concerns are the potential impacts from natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis or the inevitable gas leak or potential explosion from the pressurized gas. If completed the Coos Bay export terminal would become the biggest greenhouse gas producer in the state of Oregon. Unfortunately, this project is just a sample of a greater trend — oil and gas companies see the Pacific Northwest as their route to transport fossil fuels to overseas markets. These companies need access to West Coast deep-water ports to ship Powder River coal, Bakken oil and Alberta tar sands. Thanks to a strong coalition, including Rogue Riverkeeper and Rogue Climate, the pipeline is still in its planning stages many years after it was first proposed. However, local grassroots groups and private landowners are up against a well-funded, politically connected corporate powerhouse — the fossil fuel machine. As RFK Jr. spoke about the importance of grassroots groups fighting projects like the LNG pipeline, I tuned in closely. For him, when large-scale pollution takes place, there is an erosion of democracy. Corporations — in the case of the gas pipeline, it is a Canadian Company — collaborate with local power brokers to secure political support through direct contributions or the promise of local prosperity. But in the end, they always profit at the expense of our natural heritage, our treasured lands and waterways. Mr. Kennedy reminded us that our public lands, clean water and the air we breathe are held in a sacred public trust, not only for people today, but also for generations that follow. Corporations exploit our public trust by buying influence, controlling the media, thereby circumventing democratic process. As for free market enterprise, they aren’t really engaging in real capitalism since they aren’t paying for the true costs of exploiting our natural resources. The only way for southern Oregon communities to stand up and protect themselves from dangerous fossil fuel projects like this one is to speak out publicly against corporate misinformation. This is a David and Goliath-type of fight, but the recent Family Farms Coalition win against Monsanto shows what our little community can do to stop mega-corporations. Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks. By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Jun. 9, 2015 at 6:29 PM Updated Jun 9, 2015 at 6:37 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501