Mayors Stephen Lawrence (The Dalles), Arlene Burns (Mosier), and Paul Blackburn (Hood River) speak at a rally prior to a Wasco County Planning Commission hearing on rail expansion proposal. (photographer: Rick Rappaport)
Gorge Leaders and Public Unanimously Oppose Union Pacific Rail Expansion
September 6, 2016
September 6, 2016 Nearly 200 people turned out to a hearing on Sept. 6 at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles to oppose an application by Union Pacific […]
A tower of smoke rises from the oil train derailment and fire at Mosier, OR, June 3, 2016. (photographer: Paloma Ayala)
Mosier Pushes Back Against Rail Expansion
August 17, 2016
August 17, 2016 Mosier, OR, the Columbia Gorge community that endured a terrifying oil train derailment and fire in June, is now facing the possibility of a Union Pacific expansion […]
An oil train fire rages on near the bank of the Columbia River on Friday, June 3, 2016. (photographer: John Sepulvedo, Oregon Public Broadcasting)
How Bad Could the Mosier Oil Spill Have Been?
August 10, 2016
August 10, 2016 Two months after the June 3 Mosier oil train derailment, fire and oil spill, Emily Schwing of Oregon Public Broadcasting reports on the environmental effects of the […]
Train filled with Bakken crude oil moves on Burlington Northern tracks along WA-14 in the Columbia Gorge. (photographer: Joe Urmos)
WA Attorney General: Say No to Oil Terminal Project
July 29, 2016
July 29, 2016 From Earthjustice: OLYMPIA — In today’s closing arguments for the environmental review of a proposed crude oil terminal in Vancouver, Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Counsel for the […]
Tesoro's Golden Eagle Refinery in Martinez, CA, one of the refineries covered under Tesoro's air-pollution settlement with the EPA and DOJ. (photo: OilPro.com)
Vancouver Oil Terminal Developer Fined Record Amount for Air Pollution
July 18, 2016
July 18, 2016 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $425 million settlement with subsidiaries of Tesoro Corp., and Par Hawaii Refining that […]
Video image shows an aerial view of crumpled oil tankers lying beside the railroad tracks after a fiery train derailment on June 3 in Mosier, OR. (photographer: Brent Foster via Associated Press)
Washington Governor Calls for Oil Train Moratorium on Union Pacific
June 24, 2016
June 24, 2016 The Columbian reports that in the wake of a Federal Railroad Administration preliminary investigation finding Union Pacific at fault for a fiery oil train derailment in Mosier, OR, on […]
Broken lag bolts collected at the scene of the Mosier oil train derailment. (photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation)
Federal Railroad Administration release’s its preliminary factual findings
June 23, 2016
June 23, 2016 Portland, OR: This morning, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released its preliminary factual findings report on the June 3 derailment of a Union Pacific unit oil train […]
Oil train derailment and fire, seen from the east end of Mosier, June 3, 2016. (photographer: Michael McKaeg)
PRESS RELEASE: Union Pacific Postpones Hearing on Rail Expansion in Mosier
June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 Union Pacific resumes oil trains traffic through Columbia River Gorge, postpones hearing on rail expansion in Mosier Mosier, OR: Union Pacific announced this morning (June 22) that […]
Mosier residents' portraits by Vince Ready, Lasting Light Photography (LastingLight.photo)
PRESS RELEASE: Mosier Oil Train Derailment Ignites “Mosier Voices”
June 17, 2016
June 17, 2016 While the media has declared that Mosier, Oregon “dodged a bullet” regarding the oil train derailment and fire on June 3, the impact to the community of […]
Screenshot from KGW news report about Mosier derailment and fire.
Worst Fears Realized for Mosier Residents With Train Wreck
June 4, 2016
June 4, 2016 From KGW: MOSIER, Ore. — Angry fireballs of exploding Bakken crude oil burned alongside the town of Mosier Friday. The derailment happened at 12:20 p.m. Sixteen cars […]
Smoke from a derailed oil tanker rises over the Columbia River near Mosier, OR, on June 3, 2016. (photo: KGW-TV)
As Mosier Oil Train Derailment Unfolds, Union Pacific Works to Expand Oil Transport
June 3, 2016
June 3, 2016 For Immediate Release June 3, 2016Contact: Michael Lang, Conservation Director, Friends of the Columbia Gorge 503-490-3979Arlene Burns, Mayor of Mosier, OR 541-399-6780 This morning, an oil train […]
How Lummi Nation’s Treaty Stand Beat Big Coal
May 17, 2016
May 17, 2016 Bellingham, WA-based writer Ralph Schwartz, in a guest piece for the Sightline Institute, gives a stirring account of how Lummi Nation stood up against Big Coal to […]