A bit of good news from ONDA

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I received a note from the folks at the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA), letting me know that our voices were heard, and that our Oregon senators helped defeat an amendment to the Keystone bill that would have wiped out wilderness study areas... It may be a moot point, as the President has said he would veto Keystone, but it was good to know that folks are standing up for wild lands.

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Dear Steve,

Oregon’s senators deserve our gratitude: Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley on Wednesday helped defeat an amendment with the potential to remove Wilderness Study Area status from nearly 3 million acres of public land in Oregon’s high desert. The Senate failed to reach the 60 votes necessary to attach this amendment to the Keystone Pipeline bill.

First, we want to thank you for reaching out to our senators about this proposal. Adding your voice to the debate is critical in protecting our wild deserts.

Now, please join us in thanking them. Click on this link to tell Sens. Wyden and Merkley that you’re grateful for their leadership on this issue. Together, we can keep beautiful, ecologically rich places like the Owyhee Canyonlands, the John Day Basin’s Sutton Mountain and Central Oregon’s Whychus-Deschutes wild.

For wild deserts,

Brent Fenty

 

[Smokecreek1]

That is good news Steve, but me thinks for the next couple of years this congress may be a bit unfriendly to environment (among other things). As we have noted here before-what ever our views are-we all need to keep an eye on our friends in congress, and watch what they are doing. So far they seem to be living up to their usual standards and on the path to break their old popularity ratings and attempt to dip below 10%-or is it 14%! I guess that's what we get when only 20% or 30 % of us vote these days . Time to turn off the tv again and head for the hills while we still can !

Smoke

 

[PaulT]

Oregon's turnout in November 2014 election was 70%. I'm unconvinced that higher turnout results in better government. I am convinced that costs will increase and freedoms will decrease as that would be consistent with previous results.

Paul

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks for posting this WS. I got a similar note from ONDA: it's a good thing.