ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & GROWTH
MANAGEMENT
Increasing evidence of global climate change, fossil fuel
depletion, and the effects of toxic waste is calling into serious question our
traditional approaches to economic development and growth management, causing
us to consider carefully how we should be responding to these challenges as individuals
and as a community.
We are participating in a local study group on Critical
Global Changes & Local Responses, which we hope will assist in the
formulation of appropriate community action plans. The group is focusing
on Overshoot by William Catton and Powerdown by Richard Heinberg,
together with ways other communities and individuals are responding to the
unprecedented challenges
we face.
Overshoot, written in 1982 by former WSU professor
William R. Catton, provides an essential foundation for the understanding of
current challenges, and is necessary reading for everyone. Richard
Heinberg, author of Powerdown and five other books, is one of the
country's cutting edge global change experts, and was a featured speaker at the
recent conference
co-sponsored by our three local colleges.
We hope that you will become familiar with these works and
other discussions of changes and challenges facing us locally and beyond, and
that you will take part with us in the formulation of appropriate policies and
action
plans.
For those concerned specifically about the proposed
coal-fueled power plant at Wallula, questions many are asking now are:
"Why did our port authority sign a letter of intent to develop a
coal-fired power plant at Wallula given the unknown harmful consequences?"
"Should we be putting more pollutants in the
A new website has been created regarding this issue, www.coalconcerns.org, and a community-wide working group of concerned citizens has begun meeting.
More details can be found on the coal concerns website.
Walla Walla 2020 White Paper on Economic Development
Dan Clark, Chair, Growth Management and Economic Development Committee
Email: Dan Clark clarkdn@charter.net
Related links: