Communities
Defending Communities
Our Communities Program is focused on preserving the places where Pacific Northwesterners live, work and play. Since 2001, Crag has worked with clients to protect their communities from unsustainable development that could damage the scenic beauty, local environment, and character of population centers across the region. Many people lack tools to effectively engage in decision-making processes that directly affect their lives. Communities of color and low-income communities often experience a disproportionate share of the negative impacts of pollution and industrial development.
Our work supports public participation in local decision-making, helping to elevate the voices of those most impacted by governmental decisions.
Our Communities Program is focused on land use advocacy, environmental justice, environmental health (pollution), and protection of Oregon’s coastal resources through the Coastal Law Project.
What We’re Working On
Second Win for Farmland at Port Westward
The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals rejected Columbia County's second attempt to open 837 acres of high-value agricultural land along the Columbia River to industrial development. The Port of St. Helens proposes doubling the size of its rural Port Westward property...
Molalla Wastewater Treatment Plant Violations
The city of Molalla—located in Clackamas County, Oregon—is failing to protect the right to clean water. For over a decade, Molalla’s sewage treatment plant has violated the terms of its permit, undermining people’s health and the quality of the Molalla River.
Protecting Farmland for our Food and our Future
Take a drive down the winding rural roads north of Clatskanie and one cannot help but feel a sense of appreciation for some of the best farmland in the country. On these agricultural lands in the floodplain of the Columbia River, local farmers grow heirloom peppermint…
A Win for the Skykomish
We won an important case for local residents seeking to protect wetland habitat for salmon and landslide prone slopes from intense commercial development along the Skykomish River….
Supreme Court Clarifies Public’s Right to Enforce Land Use Laws
Oregon Supreme Court sided with local citizens who sought to the public’s right to enforce land use laws when a local County government failed to uphold its own land use laws. Jackson County had allowed an unlawful asphalt plan to continue to operate near a retirement community and Crag Law Center stepped in to protect the community.
Crag Welcomes New Land Use Fellow Scott Hilgenberg
Crag is excited to welcome Scott Hilgenberg to our legal team. As our new Land Use Fellow, Scott will help community groups better understand and engage in Oregon’s Statewide Land Use and Planning Goals and the overall land use system. Scott will be working in...
Coalition Challenges Water Rights for Proposed Mega Dairy
On March 30, Crag filed a protest to water rights for a proposed 30,000-head mega dairy near the Columbia River on behalf of a coalition of water protection, public health, and animal welfare organizations. The facility would be one of the nation’s largest dairy...