Cascadia today: Oil spill kills Elwha salmon + Portland seeks transpo funds + songs celebrating immigration
Oil spill kills salmon in Elwha river
A gasoline tanker truck went off Highway 101 and crashed into a tributary of the Elwha river on the Olympic peninsula, spilling thousand of gallons of fuel and killing thousand of young salmon, the Washington State Standard reports. Gov. Bob Ferguson visited the scene of the spill, in which tribes and the state Department of Ecology responded to quickly. The spill is a tragic setback for the recovering Elwha river, where two dams was removed in the 2010s and salmon runs were recovering.
Portland seeks new transportation funds after cuts
The Portland Mercury looks at the debate in the Portland city council about how to fund transit, road repairs, and other transportation projects after the Oregon state legislature failed to pass a comprehensive transportation package as well as massive cuts in the federal transportation budget. Some options – with a focus on equitability – may include road surcharges and monthly "usage fees" similar to an electricity or sewer bill. Meanwhile, Sound Transit is ahead of schedule on the new light rail line south of SeaTac airport from Angle Lake to Federal Way, opening some time before the end of 2025, the Urbanist reports.
An independent Cascadia should make transportation funding – especially public transit and high-speed rail – a priority. Without having to contribute to a bloated US military budget and a massive increase in spending on immigration enforcement and concentration camps, Cascadia would have the resources to built a transportation system that meets our needs and addresses the climate crisis.
Andrew Engelson
Report criticizes RCMP on interactions with Indigenous people
According to CBC, British Columbia's Independent Investigations Unit, a police watchdog agency, issued a report this week in the wake of an incident between the RCMP and a man who was member of the Williams Lake First Nation in 2022. Responding to a mental health crisis, the RCMP responded with tear gas and other excessive measures, and the man took his own life. The report says the RCMP needs to address systemic problems when responding to Indigenous people in mental health crisis. Meanwhile, Salish Currents reports that Rosario Resort on Orcas Island likely disturbed sacred Lummi Nation archeological sites during an expansion project.
Seattle composer creates songs about immigrant experiences
KNKX has an interview with Seattle composer Shaudi Bianca Vahdat's new project, "The Golden Door: an American immigrant song cycle," a series of songs based on the composer's interviews with immigrants. The piece responds to the Trump administration's excesses and celebrates the experiences of immigrants across the region. Find out more about the second-generation Iranian-American songwriter here.
--Andrew Engelson
