Columbia Gorge News, October 19, 2022
Its undeniably warmer and drier than it was when I was growing up on Oregon the coast in the ’70s. Fall was wet. We reliably shivered in our Halloween costumes. My childhood homestead, covered in wet west side forest land, burnt the summer of 2020 in a once-in-500-years fire event, something I never thought I’d live to witness. Like many, I am increasingly concerned about how climate change is going to impact Oregon’s future and the future my two daughters will inherit.
But how can one person make a difference on this front? The answer: Vote for Raz Mason, our Democratic and Independent Party candidate for state senate. Rather than denying the reality of what’s happening right before our very eyes, she’s got a plan for tackling it head on: Shifting our rural transportation system away from a reliance on fossil fuels to electric vehicles. Considering that greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., her plan is a logical place to make an outsized impact. As our state senator, Raz Mason will:
• Help municipalities shift to electric city vehicles, such as garbage trucks and school buses.
• Increase the number of charging stations for passenger vehicles and trucks.
• Leverage as much money as possible from federal infrastructure funds to support climate-friendly transportation modes, such as walking, biking, e-bikes and scooters, and public transportation.
• Develop a plan for the use of more electric buses in her senate district, the most cost-efficient form of public transportation.
• Help rural communities purchase a fleet of electric vehicles available for “check-out,” including pickup trucks and delivery-sized trucks.
I want my children to grow up looking forward to the beautiful future that awaits them. I want that for all of our children. Please join me in voting for Raz Mason for state senate. Vote for the possibility of a better tomorrow.
Sandi Scheinberg
Hood River