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I went down to the NW Climate Convergence with some friends, to give a workshop. Following is a brief report about my own experience there. First, Skamokawa is beautiful. Nestled along the banks of the Columbia river, on the Washington side, this verdant little village is a good place to reconnect with all the reasons why this planet is worth saving. It's also a good place to witness the encroaching horror of the storm that is approaching... It wasn't hard to spot the people who could tell me more about what is happening with the proposed LNG projects. They were all wearing No LNG buttons, and were clustered over near the stage, where they were about to give a workshop of their own, so I sat down and listened to what they had to say. There were farmers and teachers and fishers and people who had lived along this river all their lives. And all were equally articulate about what is happening to their community, and why none of us can afford to allow these plants to be built here. Cheryl Johnson, a teacher living near the proposed site at Bradwood, gave a brief history of the Northern Star invasion (Northern Star is the current name of the corporateer attempting to build the Bradwood plant). She told of secrecy and intrigue. As soon as word seeped out about the proposals, the people of Warrenton, Astoria, Bradwood, Skamokawa, Puget Island, and other little communities in the path of the destruction began to band together. They started from the ground, holding meetings, passing out literature, doing the necessary research, and educating the rest of us about the danger. One activist who came to the workshop told of her own experiences, where she learned that her home sat on property that was in the path of one of the proposed pipelines. She said that she then met with Northern Star, and that the Northern Star reps told her during that very first meeting that, if she did not come to an agreement with them, they would simply condemn her property under imminent domain laws, and take it from her anyway. It seems that she is not the only one to be approached with such threats. This seems to be the way this corporation does business. They are thugs. Chances are, you or someone you know will be very near to one of these lines if this nonsense is not stopped. But you will not be told about the possibility of the pipeline running through your door or putting you at risk until the last possible moment, because Northern Star is now hiding the final routes of the lines under the guise of Homeland Security. (Isn't it interesting how Homeland Security has failed to protect the citizens of this country, but it always seems to come through for corporate interests.) If you would like to learn more, or to become involved in fighting the LNG plants, please contact the following organizations:
RiverVision ( 595 18th St., Astoria)
Wahkiakum Friends of the River
Columbia Riverkeeper (724 Oak Street Hood River, OR 97031, ). Here's what It looks like when a pipeline explodes in your neighborhood
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