2012 Campaign Kickoff Event

Join Congressman Blumenauer as he kicks off the 2012 Campaign at MercyCorps in downtown Portland. Earl will touch on important themes for the coming year, as well as welcome your thoughts and suggestions on how to reform Washington.

Click here to RSVP for the event, February 23rd at 5:30PM

National Hub for Urban Mobility and Design

Congressman Blumenauer gave welcoming remarks to the first Streetcar & Bus Circulator Roundtable hosted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). FTA chose Portland for this event due to city's designation as a national hub for urban mobility and design. Municipal officials from around the country who are developing streetcar and circulator projects addressed issues of development, technical needs, and intergovernmental partnerships.

"I applaud all the cities who are embracing these types of projects,” Blumenauer commented. “I am grateful that the FTA chose this first roundtable to occur in Portland, a city that had the vision to pioneer the modern streetcar. I hope fruitful partnerships are developed and lessons learned as you gather here to advance a vision for your own cities." In addition, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff also attended the Roundtable. Mr. Rogoff graciously applauded the leadership of Portland in promoting streetcar and urban development.

Rep. Blumenauer Blacks Out Website Against PIPA/SOPA Censorship

WASHINGTON – Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the House Budget and Ways and Means Committees, announced that he would black out his website this afternoon in support of Internet freedom and in solidarity with online businesses and innovators against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

“Today I am joining the millions of Americans who are standing with the world’s most innovative websites against the proposed censorship of PIPA and SOPA,” Blumenauer said.

Rewarding Sustainable Development

Creating partnerships to foster sustainable development that creates jobs and strengthens communities is win-win for everyone. On December 1, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Chairman of the Livable Communities Task Force, highlighted projects from around the country that were recognized by the Smart Growth Achievement Awards program for their contributions to making their communities safer, healthier and more economically secure.

As Blumenauer noted, “These are the sorts of projects that have a real impact. They save money, make our communities better places to live, and ensure that local, regional and national governments are working together in partnership to create jobs while making smart, long lasting investments.”

The panel was moderated by Environmental Protection Agency Associate Administrator Michael Goo, and featured local elected officials and project managers from El Paso, Texas, Normal, Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri and Howard, South Dakota.

Blumenauer Speaks at Bike Walk Vote

Earl spoke to more than 100 bicycle and pedestrian advocates at the re-launch of the Bike Walk Vote PAC. Originally active from 2004 – 2008 to call attention to candidates’ views on bicycling and walking issues, the PAC endorsed candidates in races in the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and Salem. After a hiatus of 3 years, the PAC now plans to focus on issues such as the controversial Columbia River Crossing and the need to fund the City’s the City’s ambitious 2030 Bicycle Plan.

The roomful of enthusiastic voters included Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogan as well as Portland mayoral candidates Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith; Portland City Council candidate Steve Novick, and Metro Council (District 6) candidate Bob Stacey.

Twenty Years of Pedestrian Activity

Congressman Blumenauer addressed an enthusiastic crowd Saturday evening at the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition’s (WPC) first annual Weston Awards. The award show highlighted WPC’s twentieth anniversary of pedestrian advocacy, and whose namesake honors Edward Weston who walked from Boston to Washington, DC to attend Lincoln's Inaugural Ball in 1861.

“Walking and rolling are fundamental rights, yet they are often overlooked and relegated to the status of ‘alternative transportation modes,’” Blumenauer said. “That’s why we need organizations such as the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, to advocate for safe movement, healthy communities, and a resilient economy.”

Joining former Oregon Transportation Chair Gail Achterman and other notable guests, Congressman Blumenauer thanked the organization’s staff, volunteers, and the engaged audience for their dedication to pedestrian safety, highlighting the important role that walkability plays in creating livable communities. The event featured an art exhibit that displayed shoes from local activists and elected officials, including the shoe that the Congressman used to complete his 35th marathon.

Congress Says Pizza and French Fries are Vegetables!

Like many of you, when I heard this I thought it had to be a headline from The Onion. But sadly I’ve realized that there are too many agri-businesses and politicians who are willing to allow our childhood obesity epidemic to continue. They don't care that our military is telling us that young people are too fat to fight, with only one in four meeting the fitness requirements for military service. They don’t care that one in three children under the age of 18 will develop Type II Diabetes within their lifetime. They don’t care that the rate of childhood obesity has doubled since 1980.

Blumenauer Joined by Environmental, Taxpayer, Free Enterprise Advocates in Releasing Reform Proposals for Farm Bill

Report Offers Vision for a Farm Bill That Better Serves Small and Midsize Farmers and Ranchers, the Environment, Taxpayers and Consumers

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Earl Blumenauer was joined by leaders from the environmental, taxpayer and free enterprise communities in unveiling a vision for common-sense reforms to the Farm Bill. The report, titled "Growing Opportunities: Family Farm Values for Reforming the Farm Bill",offers a roadmap to wiser use of taxpayer dollars to support small and medium farmers and ranchers while cutting wasteful spending in the form of handouts to big agribusinesses.

Talking About a Rail-Volution

Congressman Earl Blumenauer was a highlighted speaker at the national Rail-Volution Conference held in Washington, DC, October 16-19. Blumenauer, called the “Godfather of Rail-Volution,” inspired the Livable Communities movement with a keynote speech alongside Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and American Public Transportation Association President Bill Millar.

Blumenauer congratulated attendees on the progress they've made in spite of Congress' refusal to invest in critical transportation and community needs. Secretary LaHood affirmed the Obama administration's commitment to the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and urged attendees to contact their Congressional delegations in support of the President's Jobs Bill. Millar highlighted the value public transit has added to numerous communities and urged Congress to find the funding needed for continued investments.

This year's conference presented a stellar line-up of speakers, work sessions, and mobile workshops for almost 1200 attendees from 197 communities across the US and 5 other nations, providing the latest information and insights on how investments in transit systems and bicycle and pedestrian facilities have increased transportation choices, improved public safety, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, strengthened local economies, and saved American households money.

National experts Chris Leinberger of the Brookings Institution and Dr. Manuel Pastore of UCLA provided valuable insights into the nation's dramatically changing real estate markets and demographics. GSA Commissioner of Public Buildings Bob Peck focused on the federal government's commitment to green building design and location, while noted New Urbanist planner Peter Calthorpe explained how Livable Communities can impact global climate change.

Next year’s Rail-Volution conference will take place in Los Angeles, California, on October 14-17, 2012.

House Dems Led by Reps. Blumenauer, Slaughter Ask for Judiciary Committee Investigation of Clarence Thomas

Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Louise Slaughter and other House Democrats released a letter to the Judiciary Committee calling for hearings on the pattern of potential ethical lapses by Justice Clarence Thomas. Reports of Thomas’s actions have created serious concerns regarding conflicts of interest that undermine appellants’ rights of due process and also raise substantive questions about his impartiality as a member of the Supreme Court heading into a new term. The letter urges that the Committee hold hearings regarding the nature of these questions, their factual basis, and their potential to undermine the public’s trust in the Supreme Court.