Hitting the ROADS

Sen. Ron Wyden finally showed his true colors last week, and they were a subdued shade of green. After weeks of sitting on the fence, the Portland Democrat hopped down on the side of conservationists, voting to slash $47 million in subsidies given to private timber companies who log on public lands.

 Oregon's other senator, Republican Gordon Smith, sided with loggers, voting to keep timber companies on the public dole. In the end, Smith's side won--at least for now. The Senate voted 51-49 to continue the road-building subsidies and remove a cap that until now has limited them to $50 million a year.

Despite the narrow Senate defeat, some Oregon environmentalists were heartened by Wyden's vote. Prior to last week's vote, environmental groups were saying it was put-up-or-shut-up time for the rookie senator.

 Wyden had a solid environmental record during his eight terms in the House. He ran for the Senate last year on an environmental platform, but until now hasn't shown much leadership. Wyden, who said he was torn on the issue, kept both sides in the dark until virtually the moment he cast his vote.

Jessica Hamilton, spokeswoman for the Western Ancient Forest Campaign, says Wyden staffers were on the phone with conservation groups up until the last few minutes prior to the vote, trying to decide which way Wyden should go. "We were concerned that he wasn't able to commit to a position on this before walking in to vote," Hamilton said. "But it's wonderful that he went the way he did."

Environmentalists say the 380,000 miles of roads crisscrossing federal forests are harming fish and wildlife habitat, degrading water quality and causing landslides. The U.S. House had voted in August to cut the road-building subsidies in half, so differences between the two versions will be hammered out in a conference committee. President Bill Clinton, who must sign the legislation, is in favor of ending the credits. --DS
 

GREEN Card

There weren't too many shockers in this year's environmental scorecard for the state Legislature, compiled by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. As usual, the environmental "heroes" were all Democrats and the "zeros" all Republicans.

The scorecard rated legislators on their votes on 20 anti-environmental bills last session--such as Senate Bill 1226, which would have prohibited cities and counties from passing toxic right-to-know laws, and House Bill 2937, which would have exempted Columbia and Yamhill counties from Department of Environmental Quality vehicle inspections.

In the Portland metro area, the only goose egg for a completely abysmal environmental voting record went to Gresham's Republican Rep. Ron Sunseri. On the other hand, four Democratic metro-area legislators--Sen. Kate Brown and Reps. Chris Beck, Jo Ann Bowman and Margaret Carter--won accolades for their perfect scores.

There was one surprise in the scorecard: On the whole, GOP legislators who were around for both the 1995 and 1997 sessions improved their environmental voting scores. What made the 1997 session different than 1995?

Jonathan Poisner of the OLCV says that, as on the national scene, Oregon Republicans were less likely to vote for bills that clearly harmed the environment. "I think it shows that elections matter," Poisner says. He notes that during the 1996 election, Democrats picked up the traditionally Republican 8th District seat in Beaverton when Ryan Deckert defeated Republican Bill Moshofsky, founder of a wise-use group called Oregonians in Action. Fellow legislators, says Poisner, realized "that the race was about the environment." --EM

Follow-ups

Undercover Work
 
Portlanders are always eager to help. Just ask the folks at Earth 105 FM. After reading last week's WW story about Portland police hiring men to have sex with prostitutes ("Sex, Cops and Videotape," WW, Sept. 17, 1997), KKRH's morning team of Dave Scott and Tom Turner asked listeners to come up with help-wanted ads for the bureau. Rather than select a single winner, the morning jocks decided to compile the best entries into a single recruitment ad. Here's an excerpt from the mock PSA, which the station ran last Thursday and Friday:

"If you have the charm of Hugh Grant and the artistic sensibilities of Michael Irvin, then Chief Charles Moose wants you.... Let the Portland Police plan and pay for your Friday night entertainment. We pay for a prostitute, you have sex with her, we secretly videotape it and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, you get off and she doesn't.... Get the nookie and catch the crookie. Join Portland's undercover undercover unit today."
 

Grounded
 
The Air Force had to be dragged into conducting a more thorough investigation of King-56, the C-130 plane that crashed off the Oregon coast last November, killing 10 airmen. Now, the Air Force is dragging its heels on starting the study.

One week after Oregon's senators forced the issue by holding up the Senate confirmation of the nation's top soldier, the study remains on the shelf. "I don't know if the Air Force is too busy or stonewalling, but you'd think they'd respond to the senators by moving promptly," says Alan Diehl, the Air Force's former top civilian safety official.

The delay doesn't please Sen. Gordon Smith. "We pressed them to get moving," says Smith spokesman John Easton. "They know the senators are impatiently waiting."

The Air Force has promised to review all C-130 problems and accidents, using a team of Air Force officials and one expert from the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency charged with investigating civilian plane accidents.

 According to Easton, Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall and NTSB Chairman Jim Hall will meet this week and discuss the investigation.

The study will commence "very soon," promises Capt. Keri Humphrey, an Air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon.

The delay concerns some because a report is due 90 days from Sept. 15, when the agreement was struck between the senators and the Air Force ("Damage Control," WW, Sept. 17, 1997). Critics say 90 days is not enough time for an adequate study--and 83 days is even worse.

But David Seldin, spokesman for Sen. Ron Wyden, says, "We've been assured by the Air Force the 90-day clock doesn't start ticking until the NTSB names its expert."

Humphrey says the delay of the C-130 probe is not linked to the recent rash of Air Force accidents. In a seven-day span--Sept. 14-21--seven military planes crashed, killing 16 crew members. In addition, an Air National Guard C-130 had to make an emergency landing in North Carolina on Sept. 21 after a ruptured hydraulic line caused the plane's cockpit to fill with smoke. Five soldiers were slightly injured in the mishap after being sprayed with toxic hydraulic fluid. --BY

correction
 
An item in last week's Scoreboard incorrectly quoted Dr. D. Roger Illingworth, who helped the FDA approve the controversial diet drug Redux. WW wrote that the Oregon Health Sciences University physician said that when he recommended approving the drug there was no information about its links to lung problems. Though the drug has been linked with a fatal lung disease, Illingworth actually told The Wall Street Journal that when he voted for Redux's approval there was no indication of the heart-valve problems that have since become associated with Redux.

WW regrets the error.