There will be two Virtual meetings, on Saturday December 12 and Tuesday, December 15, 2020. Public comment will be taken.
Saturday, December 12 meeting at 1pm : Register in advance at this link.
Tuesday, December 15 meeting at 6 pm: Register in advance at this link.
For all of you interested in seeing NW Metals have their permits cancelled at their new location, DEQ is having a virtual public meeting where comments can be made next Saturday, December 12 from 1pm-4pm. It’s been a long fight to get this polluter into compliance, and they have fought to slow down the process at every step along the way. Now is your chance to let the DEQ know your feelings about this company and their continued efforts to break laws, pollute the air, and endanger the public. You can also submit written comments to DEQ by January 8th, 2021, or attend the second virtual public hearing to be held on Tuesday, December 15 at 6 pm. Remember to register to make sure you are on the Agenda
These and other comments were submitted to DEQ by CAAT regarding permits in November 2020:
The Cully Air Action Team (CAAT) is an organization of community members from Portland’s Cully neighborhood that focuses on addressing ongoing air pollution and toxicity in the community. CAAT is a part of the Cully Association of Neighbors.
CAAT writes this Declaration in support of DEQ’s opposition regarding NW Metals request to restart the ‘shredder’ at their new location. The Cully Association of Neighbors also agrees that the DEQ ruling be upheld. The company, NW Metals, has proven themselves an irresponsible operator at their previous location, 7600 NE Killingsworth St., Portland, OR., and a flagrant violator of existing laws and codes regarding the health and safety of the Cully neighborhood in Portland and the local environment. These violations are well documented by at least two state Agencies (see DEQ Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment and Order Case No. WQ/SW-NWR-2018-063, and DMV Notice of Proposed Civil Penalty and Sanction, December 24, 2020), and include storage containment failures and excessive noise violations.
NW Metals has shown a propensity for playing loose with regulatory statutes, indeed even allowing that attitude to take primacy over any obligations they may have from existing regulations, previous violations, or the basics of acceptable neighborliness. This business model, by NW Metals, is part of the reason why other local scrap operators have told CAAT verbatim that NW Metals is a ‘bad actor’ for scrap and auto salvage operators and not indicative of normal business practices for that industry.
CAAT would like to emphasize recognizing NW Metals pattern of violations as they attempt to restart operations in an area with significant ecological and recreational value while gumming up the system with endless appeals that seemed designed to derail regulatory processes. The close proximity of NW Metals new salvage site at 9537 North Columbia Boulevard to Chimney Park, the Columbia Slough and adjacent wetlands, and important migratory bird resting areas would impact those recreational and wildlife sites with adverse noise and diesel Particulate Matter (PM) smoke from the ‘shredder’. For the Columbia Slough, NW Metals pattern of irresponsibility and refusal to follow basic environmental regulations, storage practices, and containment methods would mean that trout, juvenile salmon, mammals, and other water, riparian and wetland species would be negatively impacted by diesel contamination, improper containment of hazardous waste, and constant loud noise from NW Metals operating the ’shredder’.
Again, CAAT asks you to uphold DEQ’s opposition to allowing NW Metals to restart their shredder at their new location, 9537 North Columbia Boulevard, Portland, or any other location.
CAAT~Cully Air Action Team
Cully Association of Neighbors