Cascadia today: Trump cancels Oregon wind project + art show at UO under investigation
Trump cancels Oregon wind energy area
OPB reports that the federal government, in a campaign to stamp out clean energy and prop up the fossil fuel industry, rescinded more that 3.5 million acres of wind energy designations nationwide, including nearly 195,000 acres on the southern Oregon Coast. It's part of Trump's stupid war on wind energy – the doddering, feeble-minded POTUS once complained falsely on the campaign trail that wind turbines "destroy everything, they’re horrible, the most expensive energy there is. They ruin the environment, they kill the birds, they kill the whales." His hatred apparently derives from that fact that some wind turbines "ruined" the view from his private fucking golf course in Scotland. Meanwhile, Washington's climate targets may be more difficult to achieve after by the EPA's new attempt to kill any regulations related to climate change, KUOW reports.
What's clear is that Oregon and Washington could move forward on clean energy and creating a sustainable economy in our bioregion independent of the failed nation state once known as the United States of America. Our energy and economic policy would no longer be subject the whims of a mentally deranged wannabe king. I've documented here how Cascadia would be much better equipped to confront climate change independent from the US.
If you're interested in efforts to work toward autonomy for the Cascadia bioregion, sign up for alerts from Cascadia Democratic Action.
Feds propose closing regional Forest Service office
Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that the US Department of Agriculture, which runs the US Forest Service, is considering closing the Forest Service Pacific Northwest regional headquarters in Portland and consolidating regional management in Colorado. Oregon senator Ron Wyden said the proposal was "inane," and noted:
“You don’t have to look at a map to know that Utah and Colorado are hundreds of miles away from the Pacific Northwest and thus much less accessible on the ground to Oregonians’ needs.
Meanwhile, Idaho's two senators have proposed splitting the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which in theory could be a good thing. The massive appeals court is the largest jurisdiction in the US. The bill would break out Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington into a new court while the Ninth would retain jurisdiction over California, Guam and Hawaii.
Will Seattle re-elect a Republican as city attorney?
Over at Bolts, local journalist Amy Sundberg examines the tough-on-crime approach taken by Seattle city attorney Ann Davison, who is up for reelection this year. Three, more progressive opponents are facing Davison in the current primary. Meanwhile, Capitol Hill Blog notes that a candidate opposing the one progressive member of the Seattle city council backs a measure that would ban homeless encampments in the city. And a conservative PAC is dumping money into the campaign of conservative city council member Sara Nelson, the Stranger reports. All the more reason to back democracy vouchers, which are also up for renewal on the Seattle ballot.
Art show at University of Oregon under investigation
Eugene Weekly reports that a University of Oregon art student, Cassy Steuerwald, is being investigated and could potentially be expelled for an art exhibit the trans artist created on campus (and was previously approved) that criticized university officials for support of the war on Gaza. The exhibit, "We Tried Throwing Them a Dinner Party," included a dinner table with set with criticism of university officials and UO donor and Nike founder Phil Knight for their support of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. At issue is whether the show's mention of Adrian Parr Zaretsky, dean of the UO College of Design, (who is Jewish) amounted to antisemitism.
“It’s all very bizarre,” Steuerwald says. “I was very surprised by the whole thing. The art exhibit was up for four days with little fanfare.”
--Andrew Engelson
