Karissa was fortunate enough to be joined by a panel of amazing experts and advocates who have been leading the charge against the Freight Rail Dependent Uses (FRDU) mining expansion and industrial railroad plan in Clark County that is STILL being supported by the majority of the Clark County Council despite vast and growing opposition by its citizens.

First things first: Everyone participating in this episode spoke on their own behalf, not on behalf of any organizations we cited that have been working on this issue.

John Nanney is a resident of Chelatchie who lives at ground zero of Eric Temple/PVJR’s illegal destruction which is currently being investigated by multiple state and federal agencies, and which is also ground zero for the Chelatchie Bluff Mine and other mining expansion plans that have cropped up in response to Clark County opening the floodgates for industrial landowners with an illegal Surface Mining Overlay (SMO) and their dogged pursuit to implement the FRDU at all costs.

You can listen to our coverage in the previous 6 episodes of this series where we covered all different aspects of this story, including Temple’s behavior and county corruption. But, this episode is the definitive case against the FRDU and mining expansion plan, where John, Jim Byrne (fish biologist), Dick Dyrland (hydrologist), and Teresa Hardy (Friends of Clark County and Sierra Club) present the irrefutable facts and the dire reality we face as a community should this project go through, including devastation of nearly 1000 acres of carbon sequestering forest (probably with more to come), contamination of the Troutdale aquifer where we get our drinking water, fish and wildlife, and of course, human health, safety, and well-being---impacts that will reverberate for generations.

Be sure to access the photos and maps provided from John’s presentation on our social media pages as you’re listening along, and we will be uploading the video version of the podcast to YouTube at a later date, so stay tuned for announcements on socials for that!

The panel also debunks the outrageous talking points we are hearing spouted from industry shills in the community and on the council like Chair Gary Medvigy, such as lines about the dire need for rock, jobs, and the greenwashing of this plan as a climate solution. We also discuss how the county can ACT NOW in several ways, despite their feigned impotence, and how we’ve got two very important seats on the council up this election year.

This episode is meant to be your ultimate resource that can be easily shared via a simple link, whether it is the audio podcast version or the YouTube link. We need YOUR help sharing this episode (and series, for that matter) with elected officials and this year’s election candidates, friends, family, and neighbors so that we can give this issue an extra boost to force the county to ACT NOW!

Additional Resources:

Email John Nanney: jnanney56@gmail.com

You can find John’s report (and more write-ups about the FRDU) on the Friends of Clark County (FOCC) website here: https://friendsofclarkcounty.org/consolidated-report-chelatchie-bluff-mine-and-surrounding-industrial-plan/

Follow Friends of Clark County for FRDU, mining, and other environmental issue updates on Facebook and IG. You can also PM to plug in to volunteer!

Follow the Chelatchie Bluff Mine Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StopCBM

Local Sierra Club Loowit Chapter: https://www.facebook.com/loowit.group

Link up with Friends of Central Vancouver (FOCV)’s monthly forums here:
https://www.focv.info/

Coalition for Sustainable Land Management: https://cslm.us/