Vote yes on Measure 20-373, the Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights. This initiative comes after years of research, legal consultation and a long history of working with government agencies and officeholders to try to protect our watersheds, our health and our safety.

The bottom line from officials has been: “Poisoning our water is legal.” This is unacceptable. Measure 20-373 has gained the support of more than 14,000 voters who signed to place it on the ballot. The voter’s pamphlet reports 24 supportive arguments, representing hundreds of residents. The time for change is now.

Consider the current harms. These are real and happening now. They are not the fear-based possibilities posed by measure opponents. 

The University of Washington reports: “The vast majority of U.S. rivers lack any protections from human activities” and that “The Clean Water Act protects just 2.7% of total river length.”

Data centers can use huge amounts of water and contaminate it in the process. KLCC’s “Oregon on the Record” reports that “up to 40% of the water in the Dalles is used by Google” and Oregon is “the second or third largest data center market nationally.”

OPB recently reported that Morrow County residents were unable to drink their nitrate-contaminated water, a problem that an Amazon data center contributed to. Small data centers currently exist in Lane County. Increased jobs? Data centers don’t need a large workforce.

OPB has also reported on the health and environmental impacts of clear-cuts on Oregon towns, writing that Oregon environmental regulators “identified industrial logging as a risk to more than 170 public water systems, listing clear-cutting, road building and pesticide spraying as potential sources of contamination” and that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality “does not have the statutory authority to set rules to limit pollution caused by logging. The Oregon Legislature reserved that power for state forestry officials, who are also charged with promoting the industry.” 

Earth-destroying corporations are flooding the Lane County election with dark money. State records show Protect Our County, the group opposing Measure 20-373, has received more than $100,000 from logging companies, real-estate developers, chemical industry groups, construction and development companies and mining interests.” Koch Government Affairs has also contributed $25,000 to the opposition.

It’s time for change. Vote yes on Measure 20-373.

Kate Geiser
Eugene