The court uses its best political doubletalk in an attempt to confuse the reader and promote the court's conclusion. This even in cases when the court concedes that the law was wrongly interpreted by the Siting Council.

Save Our Rural Oregon's legal advice has been that in order to place this monster in a rural exclusive farm use area that exceptions to statewide land use planning goals 3 and 4 were needed.

These exceptions specifically require actions and procedures which were not, or could not be, accomplished.

Using the Oregon Energy Department's own path of twisted thought, the court mitigates us into submission.

Using the all-illusive term "mitigation," all forms of adverse impact is trivialized.

We will mitigate for the pollution, the air pollution, the noise pollution, the light pollution, and, above all, we will mitigate for the loss of your rural lifestyle. And then the court states that this facility is required in our valley because Peoples Energy says it has to go here.

In a very brief and terse paragraph, our concerns with the possibility of a major earthquake are dismissed.

We are told that Peoples Energy can build this facility to withstand any earthquake.

I don't care about the facility - it's the gas pipeline I am worried about. This pipeline will cross a 2,000-foot high fault.

I've seen the devastation that a ruptured natural gas pipeline can cause. But in all this, the State Supreme Court said the Oregon Energy Department should not require Peoples Energy to follow state law and complete required geologic and seismic studies before being issued a permit to build.

For me, the trivializing of the water right issue is most troubling.

The court concurs with the Energy Department that water rights are now a commodity and can now be traded for money. With more than 30 Langell Valley permit applications in limbo, the court and the state has bypassed state law and granted a water right for money.

Is it no wonder why people cannot trust government and its courts.

In a state where overzealous legislators greatly expand social programs, where state agencies and courts clamor to replace lost tax revenue with fees and government-funded development incentives (huge tax breaks in lieu of a few future tax dollars), why do I expect honesty and integrity?

Go figure.