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Letter: Unite in being better stewards

The Columbian
Published: November 24, 2011, 4:00pm

Permanent industrialization is another phrase for predatory economics wherein transnational corporations dupe community, state, and national leaders into believing that jobs and energy security are in the offing by contracting with them. Once in the door, these corporations often decimate the public commons, that is, community, state, national, and global treasures: specifically, watersheds, air sheds, agricultural lands, forests, and other natural resources — think of the decimation caused by deep-water drilling, mountain-top removal, hydraulic-fracturing/fracking, tar sands, etc. — and, adding insult to injury, do so by securing national grant monies.

Locally, a red flag popped up when Schneider Electric corporation proposed the downtown biomass plant and rushed to get the project under way before the public — including the city — could have questions answered. What would our options have been if our air shed was compromised? That project has been terminated, but there’s still the matter of the $395,000 expenses for which the county may yet be held liable.

It’s critical to stand up to corporations that care more about making a huge profit over and above concern for both human health and stewardship of the only planet we’ve got. The city and county, along with states and the nation, should be united in protecting the commons. Loving this place means taking good care of it.

Edie Cotton

Vancouver

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