News and Events
July 26, 2016: Verizon requests a 60-day postponement of the hearing on their proposal to violate Lane County code for the Barger-Fern Ridge area cell tower northwest of Eugene.
July 13, 2016: Register Guard publishes editorial, “Defend cell tower rules (Opinion).”
July 11, 2016: Register Guard publishes story, “Neighbors, Verizon at odds over proposed cellphone tower in rural Lane County.”
July 4, 2016: Concerned Barger-Fern Ridge Area Neighbors, an ad hoc group in the Barger-Fern Ridge area adjacent to northwest Eugene, launches a campaign to prevent approval of a Verizon cell tower that Verizon wishes to build in direct violation of Lane County Code’s required separation distance from homes and schools. For details return to the Friends of Amazon Creek home page.
June 20, 2016: An ad hoc group of West Eugene neighbors sends a letter to the Eugene City Council requesting community participation in code revision to protect residential neighborhoods from inappropriate cell tower siting. To read the letter click here.
July 27, 2015: EWEB circulates memorandum to update staff on policies regarding telecommunications equipment on EWEB facilities. To read the memo click here.
June 27, 2015: Yard sale fundraiser at 35th and Kincaid in South Eugene, 9 am to 4 pm. Join us to help raise funds for the cost of our successful defense of the Amazon Creek corridor.
June 26, 2015: New publication released by Norm Alster: Captured agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is dominated by the industries it presumably regulates. Cambridge, MA: Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, 2015. To read excerpts click here.
June 23, 2015: AT&T has withdrawn its application for the Crossfire tower. Instead they will focus their efforts on putting microwave transmitters on utility poles in the neighborhood. See the Register Guard article here. See AT&T’s letter of withdrawal here.
The new strategy is known as a Distributed Antenna System or DAS. We are awaiting details on the levels of microwave radiation emissions they will be proposing for nearby homes. The Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB), the customer-owned, not-for-profit water and electric utility serving Eugene, will be responsible for deciding whether and where such equipment would be allowed. EWEB’s mission statement includes: “Caring about our community and the environment: We recognize our responsibility to be active participants in our community. We respect the environment and strive to minimize our footprint on the natural world.” If you wish to provide input into how EWEB’s commissioners apply these values the next meeting is July 7.
June 10, 2015: AT&T requested and received approval for yet another extension of the processing of their application. The new timeline is as follows:
- June 17: Deadline for the applicant (AT&T) to submit new evidence
- July 1: Deadline for the City of Eugene and all other parties to submit new evidence
- July 15: Deadline for all parties to respond to new evidence submitted by July 1
- July 22: Deadline for final rebuttal by the applicant (AT&T)
May 27, 2015: Public hearing was held on the AT&T/Crossfire cell tower application to build a 75′ cell phone tower in a residential neighborhood at Amazon Creek. To read a Register Guard story on the hearing click here. There is still time to submit testimony for another two weeks. Visit the Take Action! page for steps you can take to help protect threatened residential neighborhoods and the Amazon Creek corridor. See the application here. To read the City’s Staff Report which recommends denial, click here.
May 27, 2015: Lane Peace Center and the UO Cultural Forum present “Mobilize: A Film about Cell Phone Radiation” Wednesday May 27, 6-8 pm, admission free. Click here for details.
May 20, 2015: Eugene City Planning Department Staff Report on the AT&T/Crossfire cell tower proposal recommends denial of the application. This report will be submitted to the Hearing Officer who will make the final decision. To read the Staff Report click here. To read the Register Guard article published May 22 click here.
May 8, 2015: Testimony was submitted by Friends of Amazon Creek opposing the ATT/Crossfire tower to the City Planning Department. You can see the submitted documents at this link, named as Friends of Amazon Creek Public Comment File 1 of 2 and 2 of 2. See Take Action! for how to submit your testimony.
May 6, 2015: “Monopine”, new 48 second movie about the proposed ATT/Crossfire cell tower in South Eugene, becomes available on Youtube — watch here.
May 4, 2015: The AT&T corporation discloses its ambitions to mount microwave radiation transmitters throughout Eugene on the city’s utility poles and street lights, saturating all who reside in the City with wireless microwave radiation. Click here for details. It has been speculated that, through commercials and other marketing strategies, the company hopes to persuade Eugene residents that the more exposure they have to microwave radiation in their daily lives through ever increasing amounts of wireless data consumption on mobile devices, the happier they will be.
April 25, 2015: Earth Day celebration at Alton Baker Park. Visit the Friends of Amazon Creek table. Games, raffle, win prizes, info, petitions to sign for our final push to have the City recommend denial of the cell tower application for the heart of Amazon Creek Corridor.
April 22, 2015 (Earth Day): KUGN radio in Eugene interviewed William Collinge about Friends of Amazon Creek’s efforts to oppose the Crossfire tower. To listen to the interview click here.
April 18, 2015: A red balloon float was held at the proposed AT&T/Crossfire cell tower site, 4060 W Amazon Drive, Eugene, from 10 am to noon. A 5-foot diameter red balloon was floated to show the height of the proposed tower at the center of the Amazon Creek corridor. Viewers were able to consider what would be the visual impact from different view angles along the corridor and from surrounding neighborhoods. See the KEZI TV news coverage here. The same day an article in the Eugene Register Guard discussed the findings of the City’s independent review of AT&T’s application.
April 11, 2015: Free talk and book signing with Katie Singer, author of An Electronic Silent Spring. 2-4 pm, Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St., Eugene. Download the flyer.
April 9, 2015: “Staying Healthy in a Wireless World: Practical Steps to Protect Children, Families and the Community.” Free neighborhood community forum with Katie Singer, 6:30-8pm, Good Samaritan Center, 3500 Hilyard. Learn how you can protect yourself and loved ones from wireless device radiation in our living spaces, schools and community. We will have testing equipment available—bring your devices to learn about their emissions. Finger food & dessert potluck at 6:30, followed by the program at 7. SPECIAL GUEST: Paul Cienfuegos, national advocate for community rights and self-governance, will join us for this forum and discussion. Sponsored by Friends of Amazon Creek. Download the flyer.
April 9, 2015: An Electronic Silent Spring: Presentation by author Katie Singer at Lane Community College Main Campus Longhouse, 10 am. Location: 4000 E 30th Avenue, Parking Lot A (West), Bldg. 31. Download the flyer. Sponsored by Lane Peace Center and Beyond Toxics. Please support Katie Singer’s visit with a donation to the LCC Foundation: Under Designation, click Lane Peace Center Fund, then under Additional Information-Comments put “fund 2088.”
April 7, 2015: Lane County Circuit Court Heard Oral Argument In Oregon Climate Case Brought By Youth
Judge Karsten Rasmussen at Lane County Circuit Court heard oral argument in the case Chernaik v. Brown, brought by two young plaintiffs from Eugene, Oregon. Last summer, and in a nationally significant decision in their case, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled a circuit court must decide whether the atmosphere is a public trust resource that the state of Oregon, as a trustee, has a duty to protect. Kelsey and Olivia were initially told they could not bring the case by Judge Karsten Rasmussen in Lane Country Circuit Court. The circuit court had ruled that climate change should be left only to the legislative and executive branches. The Oregon Court of Appeals overturned that decision, and the Kelsey and Olivia’s case was heard before Judge Rasmussen once again. Kelsey and Olivia filed the climate change lawsuit against the Governor and state of Oregon for failing to protect essential natural resources, including the atmosphere, state waters, and coast lines, as required under the public trust doctrine.
April 3, 2015: AT&T application to erect a cell tower on a residential zoned property in the Amazon Creek corridor deemed complete by the City.
March 13, 2015: Dr. Paul Dart, physician, and Dr. David Soper, physicist, spoke at the City Club in Eugene on their respective views on man-made electromagnetic radiation in the environment and health. See their presentations here.
March 6, 2015: Oregon State Representative Alissa Kenyguyer has proposed House Bill 3350, which directs the Oregon Dept. of Education to prepare a statement that would disclose potential health risks of wireless technology to school staff and parents. It also declares an emergency stating that such an act is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health and safety. Click for details.
March 6, 2015: Publication of an important new study, Tumor promotion by exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields below exposure limits for humans in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. This study adds to the evidence on metabolic changes and tumor-promoting effects of chronic exposure to radiation from cell phones and towers. The lead author is formerly an outspoken critic of studies suggesting adverse effects of such fields. See an extended discussion of this study here.
February 25, 2015: “UNPLUGGED: Are Wireless Technologies Worth the Convenience?” A free Public Screening of the Award-Winning Documentary “Take Back Your Power” was held at Lane Community College, followed by Q & A with director Josh del Sol via Skype, and presentations by Dr. Paul Dart, MD, FCA and Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson on health effects of RF radiation and local cell tower regulations. The event was sponsored by the Lane Student Chapter of OSPIRG and the Lane Peace Center. See related story here.
February 12, 2015: Neighborhood community forum on “Amazon Creek: History, Biology and Management”, with Trevor Taylor, MS, Natural Areas Restoration Supervisor, City of Eugene, Parks and Open Space Division. Trevor gave an outstanding presentation to an enthusiastic audience on the restoration and management of this sensitive natural area including its endangered, threatened and sensitive species. Watch the full presentation here.
January 20, 2015: The City of Eugene has contracted with the Center for Municipal Solutions to conduct the independent review of the AT&T application after it is completed (see Take action to understand the full process).
January 15, 2015: Southeast Neighbors board submits a letter to the Mayor and City Council asking that the city code be revised to better balance the concerns of impacted neighbors with the demands for mobile communication (click to read).
January 15, 2015: AT&T requested an extension of time to March 13th to finish submission of their application materials. This will be followed by an independent third party review of the technical and objective aspects of their application (see Take action to understand the full process).
January 14, 2015: The Eugene Register Guard published “Church’s Price to Kill Tower: $750,000” (see here).
January 13, 2015: The Eugene Register Guard published “Crossfire World Outreach Ministries’ Open Response to the Open Letter” (see here)
January 6, 2015: The Eugene Register Guard published “Call to Conscience: An Open Letter To Crossfire World Outreach Ministries From 215 Neighbors in Eugene” asking that the city code be revised to better balance the concerns of impacted neighbors with the demands for mobile communication. (see here).
December 18, 2014: Neighborhood community forum on the topic of “Cell Towers in South Eugene” was held with an overflow crowd of 115 people, to hear presentations by Dr. Paul Dart (watch at The Science) and Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson (watch here).
Resources for immediate release:
View the AT&T/Crossfire Tower application