By Arlene Burns. July 6, 2017. A Union Pacific Railroad train derailed last year (June 3rd) on Mosier, Oregon’s doorstep. Rail cars carrying Bakken Crude oil caught fire and leaked oil into the town’s wastewater treatment plant. As Mosier’s Mayor, I was already immersed in issues regarding fossil fuel infrastructure development in the region: new rail lines, oil and coal terminals. This incident inspired me to accelerate a search for solutions.
Arlene Burns speaking at the Hood River Climate March
Mosier is known by UPRR as ‘The Bottleneck of the Northwest.’ Even before the train derailed, Union Pacific had planned to lay five miles of new active double-track, straddling the entire length of our town, to accommodate these mile-long trains.
When President Obama lifted the export ban on crude oil and coal in 2015, proposals for oil and coal terminals started popping up all over the Pacific Northwest. These giant facilities would be served by the two railroads whose tracks line both banks of the Columbia River: Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Currently, four or five-unit trains carrying oil or coal a month run through the Gorge. If the biggest of the proposed projects, Tesoro Savage Terminal, is approved–the largest in United States history, this would increase to four or five each day.
Our tiny town carries a small voice in a world of big industries. To amplify our effect, I joined SELA (Safe Energy Leadership Alliance), ‘a coalition of local, state, and tribal leaders from across the Northwest and British Columbia working together to raise awareness for the safety risks of oil and coal transportation.’ We bring a united position to terminate infrastructure development by an industry we believe is no longer feasible, especially given the reality of climate change and how quickly that change is upon us.
It’s all about carbon. Due to human activities, there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And yet we continue with the things that create the problem. I say this as I travel by airplane and drive a gasoline-fueled car. But this era must end. Soon. We must shift to clean sources of energy to divert potential collapse of life as we know it and not only for us humans. Maybe it’s already too late. The river guide rule, I hope, applies, “It’s never too late until it’s too late.”
We have to keep trying. We have everything to lose.
This sounds extreme, alarming, because it is. Perhaps if we had followed Jimmy Carter’s lead way back, we might not be in this predicament.
Al Gore’s Climate Reality Training
With all this in mind and yearning for solutions, I applied for a spot in Al Gore’s Climate Reality Training. I was delighted to have been selected. The Climate Reality Project is “dedicated to catalyzing a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society.” Not small stuff in this political climate.
In early March, I traveled to Denver for four days chock-full of presentations from world-class scientists, business leaders, policymakers, innovators and of course, throughout, from former Vice President Al Gore.
His presentations radiated passion and knowledge, and gave us hard facts; statistics; mind-blowing imagery of extreme weather events (fires, floods, storms, drought, extreme heat); dissolving glaciers; the worldwide pressures of a volatile climate on food and water. My mind swirled.
As well as his eloquent presentations, Mr. Gore moderated panel discussions that brought perspectives from expected and unexpected sources: Dr. Kevin Trenberth, Senior Climate Scientist for National Center for Atmospheric Research; Jules Kortenhorst from Rocky Mountain Institute; 16 year old ‘earth guardian’ eco hip-hopper Xiuhtezcatl Martinez.
Despite the dreadful situation and current political climate, the message was positive. Speakers reiterated that world is already shifting; investment is shifting to clean energy and away from fossil fuels. The train has left the station.
The technology in wind and solar is getting better and better and the cost cheaper and cheaper. In 2015 (worldwide), 90 percent of new electricity generation came from renewables. Many countries have already exceeded expectations: on May 8, 2016 Germany generated 87 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. On August 7, 2016, 100 percent of Scotland’s electricity came from wind power. Globally, wind could supply worldwide electricity consumption 40 times over!
This climate training was the largest to date: 1,009 people from 32 different countries attended—from elders to grade-schoolers and, if I had to guess, a majority were women.
We left informed and inspired and with a quiver of tools enabling us to be more effective advocates for the planet. The first thing each of us can do, and the easiest, is to be aware of our own habits and conserve our precious resources whenever we can. We can make conscious eating and buying choices. Drive less, walk more. Get involved at the local level. Network. Stay engaged in the conversation. Empower our youth. Contact our elected officials and flood them with our concerns and ideas. Be part of the solution.
I returned to the most beautiful place on earth, the Columbia River Gorge, inspired to give my life force to doing what I can to help prompt the paradigm shift towards clean energy. The Pacific Northwest and California are poised to lead the way. For Oregonians, it’s our nature!
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