Anne Berblinger’s Gales Meadow Farm in Washington County, Ore., produces more than 200 varieties of organic vegetables and serves as a prime example of valuing work, people and the land. But it may not exist much longer.
The magic happening on this property faces imminent death in order to string fossil fuel to the mega-cities of California – so those living in McMansions can power their home theater systems.
As I biked through Washington County, just miles from where I grew up, I realized – Berblinger is hardly alone. She represents just one of the many landowners who now see their entire lives flashing before them in the face of the Palomar Gas pipeline threatening to destroy multitudes of homesteads across Oregon. Such is the nature of the monster that would stretch from the pristine coast of Oregon into California.
Instead of feeding people, as Berblinger’s farm does, the three terminals and 600 miles of pipelines proposed would only encourage the ravenous beast of our overconsuming culture. Rather than serving as a bridge to a renewable future, liquefied natural gas diverts us away from that goal. Foreign-sourced LNG produces 30 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than domestic natural gas, thanks to the multiple factors involved in transport. After the gas is extracted from the ground, it must be super-cooled to -260 degrees F for ocean transport and then re-gasified for pipeline transport.
We’re all familiar with the terrible devastation that a tornado causes when it rips a path just a fraction of a mile wide through the land. In much the same way, an LNG pipeline wreaks havoc as it comes through, destroying salmon-bearing waterways and public forests. Exchanging one fossil fuel for another seems a poor “bridge” to a renewable energy future.
It would be nice to think that the people enjoying their super-sized plasma TVs in Beverly Hills would have some kind thought for Berblinger and her neighbors. Perhaps the parent driving her daughter to ice hockey practice in the newest Lexus SUV model sheds a tear every once and a while so her daughter can watch her Blu-Ray player during the ride, courtesy of the exploitation of people in the poorer countries from which LNG comes.
But whether or not Americans living the “dream” feel any compassion for those less fortunate hardly matters, anyway. What matters is changing our ways and giving up the giant screens and back-seat entertainment. Perhaps mother and daughter could try planting a garden together. Maybe instead of contributing to the need to rip away Berblinger’s land, they could contribute to her efforts to sustainably feed the country.
With LNG, we all lose the opportunity to create a more sustainable future, and with LNG fast-tracking HB 3058, we lose still faster. Share this message today with Rep. Chris Edwards at (503) 986-1414 or [email protected], and Rep. Nancy Nathanson at (503) 986-1413 or [email protected]. Tell them how you feel.
Should Oregon sacrifice the family legacies of Berblinger and her neighbors for the luxuries of a few? Or should we secure our own food and energy future? LNG exploits people abroad and at home, including Oregonians like Berblinger. Please take action to prevent Palomar and her ugly siblings from ever making their way across our beautiful state. We have so little time.
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