Rep. Cannon and Rep. Frederick on the CRC: More Pollution in the Heart of North and Northeast Portland
Rep. Lew Frederick and Rep. Ben Cannon explain their opposition to the current CRC plan.
The zone near I-5 in North and Northeast Portland is the hottest of hot spots for environmental health problems. The adjacent neighborhoods are among Portland's most highly polluted as well as its most ethnically and economically diverse.
Now we're proposing to make the situation even worse with massive new highway interchanges and a bridge that will funnel cars and trucks -- and their pollution -- into a traffic jam in North Portland. It is no wonder that a recent study characterized the proposed Columbia River Crossing project as "An Environmental Injustice."
Make no mistake: Oregonians need jobs, and we need to move freight. But this project appears destined for lawsuits and cost overruns. There are smart, efficient projects that would put people to work and improve traffic without bringing more pollution into our neighborhoods. We can build a local bridge to Hayden Island. We can upgrade the downstream railroad bridge, helping both river and rail freight move. And if we invest in fixing what we have, we'll bring more local jobs per dollar invested.
Read the full article here. Discuss below.
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Posted on June 06, 2011
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connect with blueoregon
9:04 a.m.
Jun 6, '11
It's not surprising that the concerns of the neighborhoods and the health impacts of the mega-highway project aren't getting front and center attention.
Kudos to Representatives Frederick and Cannon for raising those critical issues.
2:43 p.m.
Jun 6, '11
According to T.A., the list is as follows: Bailey, Barnhart, Buckley, Cannon, Dembrow, Doherty, Frederick, Garrett, Greenlick, Harker, Holvey, Hoyle, Hunt, Komp, Kotek, Read, J. Smith, Tomei and Witt.