Wyden talks environment, technology at Union County town hall
LA GRANDE — Community members of all ages gathered Wednesday, July 8, at the La Grande Armory Conference Center for Sen. Ron Wyden’s town hall. The Democrat fielded questions on […]
LA GRANDE — Community members of all ages gathered Wednesday, July 8, at the La Grande Armory Conference Center for Sen. Ron Wyden’s town hall. The Democrat fielded questions on healthcare, forestry, climate change, technology, privacy and more — all of which he saw as important and relevant topics. “There has not been a bad point in the house,” Wyden said. “Congratulations on good citizenship in the county and this community. ”Attendees who wanted to ask the senator a question received a ticket before the town hall started. Union County Commissioner Matt Scarfo drew tickets randomly from a basket, which determined the order of the questions. Nearly everyone in attendance who wanted to ask a question had the chance to do so. Forestry, public lands and climate changeUnion County Commissioner Jake Seavert said he would like to see more timber receipts off the federal lands to get Union County back to work. “A lot of these jobs are leaving rural Eastern Oregon due to the lack of the proper management of our federal lands, especially through the forest service,” he said. “Thirty years ago we had 69 mills across Eastern Oregon. ”Today, that number is down to four wood processing facilities. This is not an issue exclusive to Eastern Oregon either, Seavert said, pointing to a veneer company that recently announced it would be closing its doors in Roseburg. Wyden believes the country is at a key inflection point when it comes to forestry. He thinks it’s time for a fresh policy “that’s bolder and even more helpful to this county and resource dependent communities. ”He sees two lanes that need to be worked simultaneously. The first, he said, is the safety net, which includes Secure Rural Schools funding and payment in lieu of taxes. “That’s a key set of programs for schools, for lawn enforcement, for healthcare,” Wyden said. The second lane is getting more revenue on the forestry side in a way that is sensible for the environment and jobs. This, he said, includes the sawmill projects and forest plans. “It’s too important for communities and their safety and well being,” Wyden said. It should not be one or the other, he said, but rather it must be a combination of the two. Union County residents also asked questions regarding public lands and climate change. One community member shared concerns specifically about the proposed changes with the U. S. Forest Service and national public lands. Wyden expressed he shared these concerns, especially given the timing of these projects coincides with the dry summer months when resources need to be devoted to fire fighting. “This is a uniquely unwise time to put all these huge projects on the table,” he said. Historically, Wyden said, Western states have worked together and shared resources when dealing with big fires. This summer, however, he is worried that Oregon and its neighbors will be fighting infernos at the same time and there will not be enough firefighters. Once we collectively get through the crisis of this summer, he said, then the legislature can get into bills about moving the forest service to Utah. Until then, Wyden said the breaks need to be pressed on those conversations. “We’ve got a lot to do here and I think that has to come first,” Wyden said. “In terms of making sure that we’re safe this year and then we can have a debate about some of these other things. ”Another community member said she was terrified about the federal administration rolling back environmental protections to combat climate change and global warming. She asked Wyden to speak on what we — “you and us,” she said — can do together to reverse these changes. Wyden replied he wrote the law that created the biggest investment in fighting climate change in America. The law outlined that any company who reduced carbon associated with its activities would get tax relief. It had technological neutrality, he added, which meant everybody could be involved as long as the focus was on reducing carbon. “We were making great headway and then Trump came in and reduced much of it,” Wyden said. “I basically have introduced it again and we’re ready to go the second that we have the opportunity. ”Looking at future of technology, privacy, and social media platformsBridging the gap between environmental concerns and technological worries was one resident who shared her fears around the growing number of data centers in Oregon. Wyden replied that he and fellow Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley recently developed a set of guidelines to govern data centers regarding electric costs, water and taxes. “We sent it to the state and that’s going to be kind of our loadstar because this can really be led at the state level,” Wyden said. “The federal government hasn’t led on data centers in any kind of specific way. ”Another concern that was raised during the town hall was the Department of Government Efficiency access of American’s personal information. Wyden replied he is often called the privacy hawk at the U. S. Senate. He wants to see privacy reforms locked into the intelligence and Social Security bills. The senator added that we need to stop selling people’s private data. A young resident expressed concerns about how teenagers use the internet and social media, especially as those relate to mental health and suicide. She said she was worried about her younger brother and what he might be exposed to online based on her own experiences. Wyden commended her bravery for getting up in front of a crowd to speak on this issue. He shared that mental health was deeply important to him as his own brother suffered from schizophrenia. The senator said that one approach he is working on is to use Medicaid to get more services into schools to meet students where they are for mental health services and counseling. Wyden added that big platforms are supposed to monitor and police the sites. If these companies are not doing that job then there needs to be consequences. “If a platform is allowing people to talk about using their platform to have a young person kill themselves, I regard that as just as consequential as if they did it on something else — just walking down the street,” Wyden said. “They’re consequences for people doing that. ”Help and resources are available:Call 988:Dialing or texting this three-digit number will connect you with a counselor 24/7, any day of the year. If you’re in crisis, don’t hesitate to call or text. There also is an online chat at988lifeline. org. Call 911:In an emergency, the local dispatch center can help you get the help you need. Call 541-962-8800:This is the number for the Center for Human Development. Crisis intervention is available 24/7, by calling the number and pushing option 6. CHD is a private, not-for-profit health organization located in La Grande that provides alcohol and drug, environmental health, mental health, public health, developmental disabilities, prevention and veterans services. Call 833-897-2474:This is the number for the Oregon AgriStress Helpline, which serves Oregon’s agricultural and forestry industries. The line can be reached 24/7 by calling or texting. It is important to know the warning signs of suicide. Individually these may not be indicative of someone being suicidal, but the more warning signs a person shows, the greater the risk. Talking about wanting to die. Looking for a way to kill oneself. Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose. Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain. Talking about being a burden to others. Withdrawing or feeling isolated. Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs. Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly. Sleeping too little or too much. Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge. Displaying extreme mood swings. Experiencing changes in grades, friendships or routines, such as nutrition or exercise.