The 2nd Annual West Coast Convergence for Climate Action has announced plans to target the expansion of the I-5 Columbia River Crossing (a Corridor of the Future project) as part of its “Day of Action.” If you’re going to be in Portland, you should drop by!

When: 1 pm on Monday August 4th, 2008.

What: The 2nd Annual West Coast Convergence for Climate Action “Day of Action”. The protest begins with a rally in downtown Portland. The action in Portland is concurrent with other acts of civil disobedience elsewhere in Oregon which have not yet been made public.

Where: Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, just north of the Hawthorne bridge.

Why: The rally and action intends to draw attention to the proposed Interstate 5 expansion and Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project. Oregonians are concerned about the climate impacts of the project as well as the reliance on oil-based transportation infrastructure at time when oil supplies are falling and prices are rising dramatically.

With all involved government agencies supporting some form of traffic expansion, Oregonians opposed to the project are now turning to non-traditional tactics. Non-violent civil disobedience has long been used by both civil rights and environmental movements when options to work within the legal framework have been exhausted.

Read the complete press release here.

The Columbia River Crossing plan has been targeted for protest by Rising TIde in the past. Plans to demolish the old bridge and replace it with a newer, larger one to decrease the traffic that slows down interstate trade have received the support of the US Department of Transportation, in the form of a Corridors of the Future grant.