Mayor Charlie Hales and Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury have often deferred to state environmental regulators since the readings were disclosed February 3. But as questions over what chemicals Bullseye Glass and North Portland factory Uroboros Glass have emitted grow more persistent—and statewide and national politicians speak out on the issue—Kafoury and Hales are now taking those same regulators to task.
In a letter to Gov. Kate Brown today, the pair lights into the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for what they call "inaction" in the face of evidence Portland's air quality hasn't been good for years. Hales and Kafoury say they're considering taking air quality regulation into their own hands.
"In 2011 Multnomah County called on the state to adopt rules that would protect the public from area source polluters, but our calls for regulation were met with inaction," the letter says. "Should this inaction persist at the state level, it is our intent to explore options to establish a local Portland metropolitan-area regional air pollution authority..."
Hales and Kafoury don't offer specifics (here's the law that would allow such an authority) instead calling on Brown to take a number of steps. Those are:
•Create rules to stop glass factories from emitting harmful chemicals. DEQ has said Bullseye and Uroboros are in compliance with their emissions permits, even as they disgorge tons of toxic substances. "The recent air monitoring data collected by DEQ as well as past air toxics data from the Portland region clearly meet the threshold for DEQ action, the letter says. "In addition to rulemaking, DEQ also has broad authority to implement strategies to reduce sources of air toxics."
•Revise Portland Air Toxics Solutions, a DEQ project aimed at curbing air pollutin in the Portland metro region. Hales and Kafoury are asking DEQ to force emissions reductions as part of that plan. Mandatory reductions aren't currently included, the letter says.
•Crack down on diesel throughout Oregon. Particularly diesel particulate matter (PM) that comes from trains. "Diesel PM alone contributes to over 400 premature deaths and costs the Oregon economy $3.5 billion every year, and disproportionately affects communities of color," the letter says.
"Immediately adjacent to both glass manufacturing facilities, highlighted in recent media reports, are rail yards that contribute thousands of tons of diesel PM annually, further compounding the environmental nightmare in these areas."
•Better fund air monitoring.
•Give a deadline for addressing air pollution.
Here's the entire letter.
I asked Hales this evening why we hadn't heard more from him about the air pollution in the past two weeks, and he assured that his staff had been involved in the issue. "The first day I was on it," he said. "This is happening in my city."
Hales also said he hadn't personally spoken with Brown about the matter, or the glass companies in question, or the DEQ, or other officials.
Update, 3 pm Friday: Kafoury points out that, unlike Hales, she's been speaking with state officials regarding the air quality revelations.
"I have been in constant contact with everybody," she says. "We have done a yeoman's job."
