Zach Kitamura is one of many student activists involved in the campaign to stop LNG and related pipeline development in Oregon. As a junior at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Zach lives in a community that is directly impacted

Zach (center) marching with students at 2009 Power Shift Conference in Eugene, OR

by two proposed LNG-related pipelines. He has dedicated countless hours in the past two years to protesting new fossil fuel development and rallying with other students and Pacific Northwesterners to raise awareness about the threats of the Palomar Pipeline. Recently we asked Zach to sum up his concerns about Palomar and here is what he had to say:

As a student and young adult, I’m concerned the Palomar pipeline represents a dangerous direction for our future energy policy to be headed. Do we want to continue on the path towards pollution and ecological destruction, or do we innovate and avert environmental disaster? It appears that NW Natural thinks the former is sufficient, but for young citizens such as myself this is an unacceptable plan of action. Continuing usage of fossil fuels will only make the task of solving our energy problems greater for ourselves and our children and grandchildren. From Bike the Pipe community events to Fossil Fools Day activism, students from campuses such as Linfield College and Pacific University have been actively engaged in fighting the Palomar Pipeline. As students whose futures are determined by decisions such as these, we ask that NW Natural consider our stake in the matter and stop the Palomar Pipeline.