| Latest Press Release
(Salem, OR: February 12, 2010) Energy Action Northwest participated in a rally on Wednesday at the State Capitol Building designed to galvanize legislative attention on job creation and economic recovery for Oregon. The event was organized and sponsored by the Oregon AFL-CIO and the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council. Energy Action NW is a business and labor coalition that advocates for sound energy policy, rational energy development and a strong, jobs-based economy. The rally organizers called for action on a number of jobs-related measures now pending in the Oregon Legislature. EANW’s participation was focused on one of those measures, SB 1020, a bill that will correct a technical flaw in the process to apply for a state removal-fill permit that has slowed or stymied many “job rich” infrastructure projects. Until this flaw is corrected, critical infrastructure projects such as roads, sewers, electricity lines and utility pipelines are unable to even apply for a removal-fill permit unless they condemn private property, even though there’s no guarantee they’ll actually need these properties. This needlessly delays these projects, which are so desperately needed to revive Oregon’s economy. As part of Energy Action NW’s participation in the rally, a documentary was produced so a statewide audience can see, hear and feel the struggles facing so many of Oregon’s citizens desperately in need of work. EANW today launched www.OregonJobsNOW.org as a call to action for supporters to view the documentary and learn more about the importance of passing SB 1020. Visitors to OregonJobsNOW.org can view both a three-minute narrated highlight video of the labor rally itself and the brief documentary that includes speakers’ remarks and interviews with rally participants, many of whom are among the state’s unemployed. The site enables visitors to learn more about SB 1020 and contact their legislators to encourage their support of the bill. EANW Executive Director Tom Ivancie said, “All across our state, there are proposals to build new roads, water and sewer lines, pipelines, and transmission lines, some of which will enable renewable energy projects. SB 1020 fixes an obscure land-use law that is stopping shovel-ready projects and the jobs they create from moving forward. Collectively, these projects would invest billions of dollars in Oregon, creating thousands of family-wage jobs and putting people to work for years. Many of these projects will be funded without any taxpayer money.” “While the Senate says it wants to focus on creating jobs and eliminating unreasonable barriers to employment, there is no plan to act on this important bill before the session ends,” said Ivancie. “In fact, a great way to create jobs and help the economy now is to pass SB 1020. We have launched OregonJobsNOW.org to help broadcast this important message across our state.” EANW believes that Oregon’s unemployment rate, among the highest in the nation, doesn’t begin to convey the clear and present suffering that the weak economy has created, including citizens who must settle for low-paying or part-time jobs. The coalition does not believe that the Legislature’s extension of unemployment benefits, passed the first week of February, is a sufficient response to the jobs crisis facing the state. Energy Action Northwest is a public policy advocacy group representing businesses and labor organizations in the Pacific Northwest that are concerned about energy reliability and affordability in concert with environmental stewardship. EANW members support energy policies based on sound economics and science, with a focus on improving the region’s economic future and jobs base. Energy Action Northwest also seeks to balance the regional energy debate by providing accurate information and context needed to correct misinformation created by certain opponents to the development of new energy infrastructure in Oregon and Washington. |
