Last week, Sightline policy director Eric de Place had two on-air appearances to report on the coal, oil, and gas industry’s influence on three local elections in Washington State.
Big Money, Small Elections
Eric joins Benjamin Storrow, E&E; Molly Solomon, Oregon Public Broadcasting; and Tom Seng, University of Tulsa on KCRW’s To the Point to discuss three local elections in Washington that are targeted with huge fossil fuel spending. Coal, oil, and railroad shippers have dumped $1.5 million into the Vancouver port commission seat, a state senate race in suburban King County, and a Spokane city ballot initiative. The results of these races could impact the fracked oil industry, crude oil-by-rail shipments, and the state’s policy on climate change. Check out Eric’s recent research on the three Washington elections here. Listen to the full program here.
Fire, Flood, and Trump
Eric checks in with KBOO Community Radio’s Barbara Bernstein to look at this summer’s unprecedented wildfires in the Northwest and the destructive hurricanes in the Gulf. The two then talk about Northwest communities’ victories against coal, oil, and gas infrastructure, the importance of the port commissioner election in Vancouver, Washington, and ways to move towards a sustainable and livable future. Listen to the full interview here.
