Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra
Tammy's views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy's neighbors, Earl Fisher, Betsy Johnson, Joe Corsiglia, President Obama, Tony Hyde, Pat Robertson, Debi Corsiglia's dog, or Claudia Eagle's Cats. This Tammy's Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone.

    WOW! The latest BIG NEWS from Rob Davis! /Oregonian newspaper

1. The Oregonian asked ODOT for the annual reports ODOT obtains from the railroad regarding the number of crude oil shipments that come through Oregon.
2. ODOT said NO
3. The Oregonian took the issue to the Dept. of Justice
4. DOJ issued ODOT an order requiring them to release the information because not disclosing "could infringe on the public's ability to assess the local and statewide risks".
5. ODOT says from this point forward they will not collect this information because they do not want to disclose it to the public.

Welcome to the Oregon Department of Transportation's Region 1 Web site.

ODOT Region 1 is not just about highways and bridges.  It is about people.  We are 575 dedicated individuals.  We are your neighbors, fellow Oregonians, with a shared stake in Oregon's future.

  At work, our mission is to provide a safe, efficient transportation system that supports economic opportunity and livable communities for Oregonians.  Like you, we have values that guide our decisions and the way we perform our jobs:

We are committed to providing excellent customer service. 
We value accountability and innovative problem solving. 
We show respect for all, and we honor diversity. 

We support a balanced multi-modal transportation system--highways, transit, rail and bicycle and pedestrian facilities all have a role in keeping people and goods moving. 

We provide information so Oregonians can make informed transportation choices. 

We partner with other government agencies, stakeholder groups and neighborhood associations to provide collaborative solutions to transportation challenges. 

We do our jobs in ways that protect or enhance the environment. 

It looks like corporate America has bought off the Oregon Department of Transportation.  The action of ODOT to stop collecting information regarding the number of crude oil shipments through Oregon is a blatant attack on the people of Oregon. And is a blatant attack on each and every one of us. They are preventing our ability to make sure that our families are safe from the volatile shipments of crude that has over taken our state. Where does ODOT get the power to disregard the ODJ ruling?

How can a taxpayer funded department make a decision to stop collecting valuable information that the public has a right to know and obtain? How can the governor of Oregon allow a rouge department to exist?   

ODOT has committees for Hwy safety, as they do in Columbia County, than why not a safety committee on rail safety regarding crude oil and the number of rail cars passing through our community? The actions of ODOT reek of corporate manipulation, possible pay offs and possible political tampering. The ODJ should launch an investigation in ODOT's operation and get to the bottom of their actions regarding crude oil.

I bet if there was an investigation they would find corruption that would reach from the very bottom to the very top, of the political food chain. What does ODOT have to gain from not collecting this information and providing it to the public after all it is PUBLIC information. Maybe it is the revolving door policy for ODOT people to quit their government job for a job in the private sector which would be a lucrative promotion to work for Global Partners or other oil companies. Oil companies can pay quite well since they pay little or no taxes and the people subsidize them in more ways than you can imagine.

All I know is this stinks and the bottom line is corporate money is involved like usual and politicians have their filthy hands in it as well. Corporations have become so powerful they have bought off our government and can do as they please, when they please and to whomever they please.

Since Global Partners are transporting this volatile crude through Columbia County and are shipping it out at Port Westward by the hundreds of millions of gallons. And we are at a tremendous high risk of an oil spill and a possible oil derailment and catastrophic explosion. Our elected officials should be on the band wagon to help the people in their district and demand an investigation into ODOTS procedures, decisions and schemes. There needs to be heads rolling on this one.

This issue should not matter whether you are for crude shipments or against crude shipments. The matter is allowing a government department to refuse to produce public records and stop doing their job simply because they don't want to release it to the public.

I would hope that you would call your State Senator Betsy Johnson and Representative Brad Witt and request that they demand an investigation into ODOT over this issue. If ODOT has done this over crude oil what else have they done in other areas?

The only problem is that both of these people are pro-crude oil and they would do nothing- but there are other state elected officials that would. This needs to be addressed now!

Starting tomorrow I will begin calling ODOT and  every elected state senator and representative in Oregon over ODOT starting with the governor and I hope you do as well.

ODOT  region 1 Phone: 503-731-8200