Earl Blumenauer

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Image:EarlBlumenauer.jpg Earl Blumenauer (born August 16, 1948) is a Democratic U.S. representative from Oregon, representing that state's third congressional district (map) in Portland.

Born in Portland, he graduated from Centennial High School in 1966 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lewis & Clark College in 1970. He received a Juris Doctor degree from the same college in 1976.

Blumenauer worked as an assistant to the president of Portland State University. He then served as an Oregon state representative from 1973 to 1978, Portland city commissioner (1986-96), and was appointed by Oregon's governor to the commission on higher education (1990-91). In 1992, Blumenauer was defeated by Vera Katz in an open race for mayor of Portland.

Blumenauer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the election of then-U.S. Representative Ron Wyden to the U.S. Senate.

Blumenauer represented Oregon as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2000.

In its endorsement of Blumenauer for the 2002 election, the Willamette Week summarized his fit with the congressional district he represents:

Let's be blunt. Earl Blumenauer is going to win. He deserves to win. Ideologically and temperamentally, Blumenauer is an almost perfect reflection of his Portland seat, as safe a Democratic stronghold as any in the nation. He's championed light rail and the streetcar. He's the biggest bike advocate on Capitol Hill. He voted against the U.S.A. Patriot Act and the Iraq resolution. A super-sharp super-wonk, he's diligently seeking to export Portland's livability doctrine to Third World nations.

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Activity in Congress

Among the bills that Blumenauer has sponsored that have become law are the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.

He is active in pressuring the United States to take greater action on the Darfur conflict, and is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network.

In the political aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Blumenauer was among the proverbial canaries in coal mines who had pointed out the vulnerability of New Orleans and encouraged Congress to help that city and the gulf coast get better prepared:

September 15, 2004: Mr. Speaker, barely have we recovered from Hurricane Hugo and we are seeing Hurricane Ivan pose the threat that has long been feared by those in Louisiana, that this actually might represent the loss of the City of New Orleans. Located 15 feet below sea level, there is the potential of a 30-foot wall of water putting at risk $100 billion of infrastructure and industry and countless lives.
January 26, 2005: Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to view the devastation in Southeast Asia as a result of the tsunami. As appalled as I was by what I saw, I must confess that occasionally my thoughts drifted back to the United States. What would have happened if last September, Hurricane Ivan had veered 40 miles to the west, devastating the city of New Orleans? One likely scenario would have had a tsunami-like 30-foot wall of water hitting the city, causing thousands of deaths and $100 billion in damage....The experience of Southeast Asia should convince us all of the urgent need for congressional action to prevent wide-scale loss of life and economic destruction at home and abroad. Prevention and planning will pay off. Maybe the devastation will encourage us to act before disaster strikes.

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