What is the common denominator between a proposed freeway project in Eugene, a mined out salt cavern in Texas and thousands of U.S. military personnel headed to Afghanistan? Answer: oil.
This week, Eugene will vote on the proposed West Eugene Parkway (Measure 20-54). The Parkway would bypass West 11th Avenue, extending six miles from Garfield west past the Urban Growth Boundary.
Salt caverns in Texas? These are the home to the U.S. Strategic Oil Reserve. Literally, hundreds of millions of barrels of oil are stored in these caverns, a petroleum safety net for unstable times.
The proposed Parkway is designed to enhance traffic through West Eugene and to facilitate development of industrial, residential and commercial property in that area. This means more traffic, more sprawl and more need for more oil.
The military operation in Afghanistan is very much about access to the region’s massive reserves of oil and the pipelines that transport it. “You cannot discuss the violence of this region outside the context of oil,” says Vakhtang Kolbaya, deputy chairman of the parliament in the republic of Georgia. “It’s at the heart of the problem.”
With 5 percent of the world’s population, the United States consumes about one-fourth of the world’s oil, indulging a fleet of cars and trucks that remarkably declined in miles per gallon efficiency during the past year.
Meanwhile, the caverns in Texas hold 545 million barrels of oil, an amount good for 80 days a decade ago and now down to 53 days. This is a worrisome trend. We are using more oil than ever and more of it than ever is coming from foreign sources.
The proposed Parkway would add to the pressure for future military adventures as the United States struggles to prolong its dependence on an oil-based transportation system. The sprawl, gridlock, big box stores and congestion will be sending their troops to the Mideast again via the West Eugene Parkway.
What’s the alternative? While voting no on the Parkway, we can vote yes on Measure 20-53. This ballot measure offers a beginning to improving transportation choices and land use design. A large freeway project in Portland was canceled six years ago in favor of an alternative approach. Eugene has a role model.
This special election provides a timely opportunity for voters in Eugene to help turn around our dependence on oil. Voting no on Measure 20-54 is a vote for common sense and national security.
Jan Spencer is from Eugene.