NW Natural ratepayers opposing NW Natural’s plans for Mt. Hood National Forest will confront the gas utility at their headquarters (220 2nd Ave) on Tuesday, December 8th at noon in a press conference highlighting the impacts of NW Natural’s proposed LNG Palomar Pipeline to public lands. The pipeline threatens public lands – public lands owned by us.
This action follows a recent victory for Columbia Riverkeeper and landowners along the Palomar Pipeline route. Against NW Natural’s wishes, and ordered by federal court, a list of over 1500 impacted landowners threatened by the development of the Palomar Pipeline has now become public.
The Hey NW Natural campaign contends that everyone who enjoys the clean drinking water and clean air we rely on from Mt. Hood National Forest should be on the list of impacted landowners. – Over 400 people have added their names to the list of those impacted and oppose the pipeline.
“Oregonians who rely on the Mt. Hood watershed for drinking water and recreational users of our National and state forests are impacted by the Palomar pipeline,” says Monica Vaughan. “Worse yet, because LNG would increase Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, all of Oregon will be affected by the impacts of climate change”.
NW Natural’s proposed Palomar Pipeline would impact 1500 private properties, and clearcut through 2 state forests and Mt. Hood National Forest. The pipeline would devastate both private farms and public lands – public lands owned by us.
Martin Evans, who will speak at NW Natural at noon asserts, “Public lands belong to people, not corporations.” Evans can be seen with his family in a campaign video found here: www.youtube.com/HeyNwNatural.
Speakers include:
Carolyn & Martin Evans, NW Natural customers and shareholders, progressive Portland family and Bark volunteers. www.youtube.com/heynwnatural
Nick Engelfried, NW Natural customer, organizer with Cascade Climate Network. http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/author/nickengelfried/
Olivia Schmidt, NW Natural customer, Oregon Sierra Club.
Lola Goldberg, NW Natural customer, Bark volunteer and cherisher of wild lands.
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The following are comments submitted by petition signers:
Nick Engelfried “I am 21 years old, and will have to deal with the impact that projects like the Palomar Pipeline are going to have on our planet. By opening the Oregon market to another imported, carbon-intensive fossil fuel, the Palomar project threatens or climate and national security. The Palomar pipeline will also damage Oregon’s river and forest ecosystems, making it harder for already pressured wildlife populations to deal with adapt to climate change. Please pull out of the Palomar Pipeline project right away!”
Trip Jennings “As a National Geographic Explorer and film maker, I have the opportunity to travel places few people see and experience so it is with a very well researched background that I can say there are few places as special as Northwest forests. I have spent time following the route of the proposed pipeline and have seen the patches of old growth that it plows through. They are beautiful and there are very few of them left. The fact that the pipeline hits many of the remaining old growth patches adds insult to injury. As a NW Natural customer and affected landowner of US and Oregon public lands I am asking you to stop the Palomar Pipeline.”
Lola Goldberg “We need to protect all remaining public lands. The health of the vital watersheds that run through these lands, and the animals that live there, depend on protection from further development. I frequently hike in the Mt. Hood National Forest and cherish all wild lands.”
Carolyn Evans “I value Mt. Hood National Forest for hiking, mushroom hunting, swimming, and family picnics. We have already sacrificed enough of our forests to timber cutting and I don’t want to sacrifice any more of it for a natural gas pipeline.”
