Protecting the Communities and Environment of the Columbia River Gorge

  • WHAT: Please join Seattle Staff Attorney Jan Hasselman and Strategic Adviser Buck Parker in a discussion of Earthjustice’s current efforts to curb transportation of crude oil and coal-by-rail. They will also share exciting developments in our work to expand clean energy in the Pacific Northwest, as well as recent advances in their many cases to safeguard the region’s most prized public lands and precious water resources. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.
  • WHEN: Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 5:30-7:30pm
  • WHERE: Columbia Gorge Hotel 4000 Westcliff Dr, Hood River, Oregon 97031

For more than 25 years, Earthjustice—in partnership with our clients and our dedicated supporters—has taken on the Pacific Northwest’s most critical environmental challenges, fighting to preserve this special place for generations to come. Today, one of our key battles is to keep the region’s railways and ports from turning into major fossil fuel highways. Notably, the shipment of crude oil-by-rail has increased dramatically over the last few years. Trains with 100 to 120 tank cars filled with highly explosive and flammable crude oil are traveling through our communities—including communities along the Columbia Gorge—on a regular basis. The number of accidents and explosions involving these trains is also on the rise. This has spurred communities all along the routes to fight back against proposals for new and expanded crude-by-rail facilities and also increased transportation of dirty coal to export terminals along the coast. On behalf of communities and conservation groups, Earthjustice is fighting to keep these projects from endangering public health and the environment.