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CROSS THE COLUMBIA WITH AN IMMERSED TUNNEL
Shocked that Willamette Week published this garbage article [Dr. Know, April 15]. A 30-second Google search will return scores of articles on the feasibility of a Columbia River immersed tunnel. Mr. Smith correctly claimed an Elon Musk bored-type tunnel is impossible. However, an immersed tunnel is an ideal solution. The Columbia River is shallow at 27 feet but has 250 feet of soft river bottom that makes bridge foundations very costly. An immersed tunnel is supported by buoyancy and needs no costly foundation. A Columbia River I-5 immersed tunnel will need about six 450-foot segments (large concrete boxes) that are sunk in a pre-dredged trench. An immersed tunnel will be much shorter than a bored tunnel, with portals near each riverbank.
An immersed tunnel is more earthquake resilient, faster to build, costs less, avoids massive bridge approaches, and is weather protected. Baltimore rejected a bridge design and built an eight-lane immersed tunnel to protect Fort McHenry. Fort Vancouver deserves the protection of an immersed tunnel. Vancouver, Canada, and Antwerp, Belgium, both rejected environmentally damaging bridge designs and are currently building immersed tunnels.
San Francisco’s BART is the longest immersed tunnel in the United States. Japan, the land of earthquakes, has two dozen immersed tunnels. Over a hundred immersed tunnels have been built worldwide.
Bob Ortblad
MSCE, MBA
Seattle
SPEAKING TRUTH TO DATA CENTERS
On April 12, 2026, Willamette Week published “How One Candidate ‘Stepped In It’ With Trade Unions While Discussing Data Centers” [wweek.com]. It reported how Oregon House District 52 Democratic candidate Nick Walden Poublon remarked he “stepped in it” while seeking the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council’s endorsement. He was completely transparent with the trade union about the huge amount of water that is used with basically no permanent jobs produced. He was honest with them that he was “very nervous” about the short-term gains vs. the long-term losses.
As a climate organizer, I am grateful for Nick for speaking the truth to the trade union even if he lost their endorsement. For 25 years, I worked as a seasonal park ranger at Crater Lake National Park. While I loved my job, I saw climate change with a diminishing annual snowpack.
On April 9, The Oregonian posted “Oregon’s snowpack just broke a terrifying record, and the consequences could be devastating this summer.” It alarmed me to read Crater Lake National Park registered the lowest snow water equivalent levels ever recorded for this time of year last month. It warned “a longer, more difficult fire season is a major concern for the entire region. Industries and the economy could also suffer” due to the snow drought.
These warnings are clear that climate change is here. We must act now to reduce the threat, while pushing back on data centers sucking more of our precious water and grabbing more of our electricity while our utility bills rise. We need bold leaders like Nick Walden Poublon in the Oregon Legislature who will stand up for the climate, environment, and sustainable jobs even if it costs him endorsements.
Brian Ettling
Northeast Portland
ELECT A DUNGEON MASTER
As Portland debates the qualities we want in our circuit court judges, I’d like to submit an unconventional credential: years of experience as a Dungeon Master.
When Chris Behre, my longtime DM, announced he was running to be a judge, it struck me how naturally those skills translate. Never mind that Chris is an outstanding criminal defense attorney who has spent years helping people navigate addiction, mental health challenges, poverty, and the legal system with empathy and care. Even setting that aside, he’s been training for this role behind a DM screen.
Dungeon Masters live in dense, complex, occasionally contradictory rulebooks. A good DM knows them. A great DM, like Chris, understands both their letter and their spirit. When a player tries something unexpectedly cinematic, a rigid DM says no. Chris asks: What rules apply? How flexible are they? Then he makes a call—consistent, reasoned, and transparent. That’s judging.
DMs are also neutral arbiters, managing big personalities, quieter voices, and chaos while ensuring everyone is heard. Judges do the same. Both roles demand quick thinking, clear communication, and decisions people accept as fair—even when they disagree.
If you can rule on whether a druid can turn into a bee, fly into a dragon’s mouth, and become an orca in one turn, you can handle a motion-to-suppress hearing. I’ve spent years at Chris’ table. His rulings are thoughtful, consistent, and fair.
It may be an unconventional qualification, but it’s also the job.
Ted Occhialino
North Portland
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