Why Dudley is dangerous

Any voter who cares about Oregon should be very concerned about even a remote possibility of having Chris Dudley as the state’s next governor. If you didn’t catch the story in the Oregonian last week about why this would be a disaster, check it out here. It shows John Kitzhaber for the environmental champion he is and Chris Dudley for the environmental disaster he could become.

Let’s take a closer look at one of Dudley’s dangerous positions: Dudley is open to drilling for oil off Oregon’s iconic coast. That’s even after the Gulf states were devastated by the worst oil spill in US history, costing thousands of Gulf residents their livelihood while the real long-term effects on the economy as well one of our country’s most prized natural areas have yet to be seen (Hint: 21 years later, Alaska is still trying to recover from the Exxon Valdez spill).

Dudley’s in denial mode now. After the Oregonian story ran on the front page last week, Dudley must have been feeling the heat. And in finally answering reporter Jeff Mapes’ questions after the story ran (Mapes noted that in his coverage of the last six consecutive Oregon gubernatorial races, Chris Dudley is the first candidate to refuse to talk about environmental issues), Dudley said that he does not support drilling off the Oregon Coast (qualified by what he categorizes as “no appetite” for it, leaving himself an out to support it when there is an appetite). But that seems to be a reversal of what he’s has been saying up to this point:

But what does this really mean?

• Dudley is willing to carelessly risk the well being of Oregon’s coastal communities-- More than 200,000 residents call Oregon's coast home and three million visitors spend their money there every year.
• Dudley is willing to carelessly risk coastal industires, like fishing, tourism and timber, which collectively generate more than $1 billion in revenue for the state, and tens of thousands of jobs for Oregon families.
• Dudley is willing to carelessly risk our coast’s unique and diverse environment, home to sand dunes and twisted Spruce trees, puffins and sea lions, and tide pools teeming with life.

Imagine if Dudley had been governor when the Oregon Legislature passed the landmark ten-year moratorium on offshore drilling off Oregon’s coast this past February? Would he have vetoed it? I shudder to think.

The election is five weeks away. Get out there for Kitzhaber, a proven environmental champion. Take OLCV’s Pledge to Volunteer (a commitment of just three hours between now and November 2) and then sign up for one of our  “Enviro Calls For Kitz” nights. Don’t let Dudley become Oregon’s environmental disaster.