Media Contact: Gregory Sotir, Cully Air Action Team-CAAT, gsotir@cullycleanair.org

June, 30, 2022 After six long years, the Cully Air Action Team (CAAT) is pleased that Owens-Brockway Glass Plant #21 has decided to install filters at the facility off NE Killingsworth by I-205 freeway. Oregon has regulatory environmental laws in place for a purpose, and that purpose is to protect the health and safety of Oregonians regardless of economic status, race, or zip code. CAAT is pleased that Oregon DEQ exercised the regulatory options that pushed Owens-Brockway to install filters for the first time in the company’s 66 year history. CAAT is also happy that union jobs will be preserved at the plant because union jobs mean stable homes in a market that is pricing out local residents. We applaud Owens-Illinois for making the right decision at the Owens-Brockway facility to protect the health and well-being of the community, its own workers, and the local flora and fauna.

CAAT continues to encourage Owens-Brockway to install the best available heath protective control technology and have independently determined that technology to be industrial CCF (ceramic catalyst filters). These filters will capture ambient metal emissions such as Lead, Arsenic, and Cadmium as well as others, and some Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). The CCF technology will bring the Owens-Brockway facility into the 21st century and allow them to become a good neighbor to all residents in, and visitors to, the Cully community as the facility continues to recycle glass and provide the local glass industries with products. Cheers!

CAAT will continue to monitor for noticeable effects on the airshed as the emission filtering technology is installed and wish the company great speed, and success, in installing and using these advanced air pollution reduction tools. 

Cully Air Action Team is an organization of community members from Portland’s Cully neighborhood that focuses on addressing ongoing air pollution and toxicity in that area. 

 

CAAT, the Cully Air Action Team, had a busy 2021. We worked with DEQ to finalize NW Metals exit from the Cully neighborhood and organized a transition to alert neighbors in the St. Johns neighborhood about the move. This outreach led to an important public meeting between DEQ and St. Johns residents that initiated a working relationship between the two groups to focus in on NW Metals new site.

CAAT invited DEQ to present at two CAN meetings, both on Owens-Brockway. Shortly after the first Spring 2021 meeting DEQ issued a major fine to the polluter, something CAAT had been asking for over the last few years. The fine was appealed by Owens-Brockway and CAAT insisted on addressing the appeal to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission (EQC). We were allowed to submit a letter of interest. The appeal was denied which led to the SEP (Supplemental Environmental Project) funding for the ongoing Cully Tree Canopy Project being planned by Friends of Trees, Verde, and CAAT/CAN.

CAAT worked with neighbors on NE Emerson St. to initiate a meaningful and responsive dialogue, including meetings and site visits, with City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, and also self-investigated Beto’s Auto Body, made observations of unsafe working conditions, and provided BES with testimony and pictures regarding Beto’s which led to some resolves and commitments to make the neighbors happier.

CAAT worked with Earthjustice, Verde, Neighbors for Clean Air, Oregon Environment Council and others to pressure DEQ not to renew Owens-Brockway’s Title V permit. This is still undecided at this point, although Owens must decide its own future before June 30, 2022–by installing filters or ceasing operations. As part of this discussion, CAAT identified appropriate Best Available Control Technology (BACT) filters that Owens should install and encouraged the company and DEQ to install filters immediately (to be resolved by 6/30/2022).

CAAT alerted environmental activist neighbors in Longview, WA to potential Cr (VI) pollution from Owens after they moved their green glass furnace to the Owens Kalamas, WA site.

CAAT provided testimony and advocacy to EQC regarding new Regional Haze regulations as part of the Cleaner Air Oregon legislation.

CAAT leaned heavily on DEQ staff to clarify, simplify and implement Acceptable Risk parameters under CAO for dangerous pollutants and polluters. CAAT provided written and verbal testimony on CAO’s Acceptable Risk Levels.

CAAT implored Commissioner Rubio to stay true to climate change GHG release agreements and penalties made by the previous City Council. This was an important counterweight to Portland Business Alliance who were seeking to have the new Commissioner eliminate or diminish the penalties. CAAT invited Commissioner Rubio to come to the CAN meeting in January 2022, and she accepted, making her first public neighborhood council presentation.

CAAT participated in other grassroots networking regarding Owens-Brockway and other pollution issues. CAAT worked with university interns on a number of student projects. CAAT submitted opinion editorials (OpEds) to the Oregonian, Portland Tribune, and other media outlets. CAAT advocated for UP/BNSF rail lines to pay attention to hazardous waste, oil, and coal transports for catastrophic explosions. CAAT signed onto to a number of citizen grassroots initiatives regarding regional polluters, including Zenith Oil and American Petroleum Environmental Services (APES).

April 13, 2021

Key takeaways:
Owens.-Brockway has not made any upgrades to their facilities.

Owens-Brockway is releasing 597 lbs of lead (Pb), 192 lbs of arsenic, and maybe as much as 101000 tons of CO2 annually from their Portland facility.

DEQ wants people to let them know by April 30 of any parks where people gather, day-schools, or other areas where people are within 2 km (about a mile and half) from the facility.

An ‘immediate curtailment’ of operations may be enforceable under Cleaner Air Oregon regulations, especially if you ask DEQ and politicians for that.

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Here is CAAT’s April 15 response to DEQ staff:

I feel the discussion at Tuesday nights, CAN meeting went well enough, although the elevated risk associated with the Arsenic and Lead (Pb) numbers is very concerning. It seems, once again, that Owens-Brockway has not been honest about the level of toxins they are introducing into the NE Portland environment. 

The areas of public gatherings within 2 km of the facility are known, or easy to find, and it should be emphasized that given the meteorological nature of NE Portland along the Columbia River Valley, dispersal of these dangerous toxins must be more widespread than the 2km perimeter, and that is not necessarily a good thing given the long-lived nature of these toxins, the already high levels of arsenic in urban area soil, and bioaccumalation of the neurotoxin lead (Pb). 

At this point, the Cully Air Action Team is asking for an ‘immediate curtailment’ of operations at the Owens-Brockway facility under Cleaner Air Oregon given the new numbers from the most current risk inventory assessment. Owens-Brockway has refused to install any viable filtering technology, despite numerous asks from the community to do so.

As Portland Clean Air has determined:
“Annual airborne arsenic: 192 lbsIf the modeling stays the same as the Level I Screening then the cancer risk for neighbors would be 26,899 per millionIf the modeling stays the same as the Level I Screening then the noncancer chronic risk is a hazard index of 3,792

Annual airborne lead is 597 lbsIf the modeling stays the same as the Level I Screening then the noncancer acute risk is a hazard index of 90
These are extraordinarily high numbers compared to … other Portland industries.Under Cleaner Air Oregon, The worst risk allowed would be existing facilities with Best Available Control Technology or who are in compliance with a National Emission Standards for Hazardous AirPollutants order, are allowed to emit air contaminants which will result in no more than 200 cancers per million people and have a Hazard Index no higher than 10.”

Cully Air Action Team is aware of Agency limitations but this is a clear example of how Cleaner Air Oregon was designed to be implemented to protect the health of Oregonians from excessive and dangerous air pollution from a single point-source polluter, in this case Owens-Brockway.

As you know, the Cully community has been harmed by industrial pollution excess in the past, and given the changing demographics of new arriving families moving into this still relatively affordable area, where BIPOC and new low-income housing are welcomed and new housing is being constructed, it is critical that DEQ act swiftly under CAO to initiate the ‘immediate curtailment’ of industrial operations at Owens-Brockway and any further contamination of the local environment.

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

The Porter Yett facility, source of much of the asphalt nuisance odors in Cully, has purchased and is installing a Blue Smoke reduction device. This may solve many of the nuisance odor problems. In the meantime, please remember to file nuisance odor complaints with DEQ via phone at 1-888-997-7888. This is important because a ‘decrease’ or ’no change’ in complaints will allow DEQ to gauge the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the new equipment.

CAAT is working with Neighbors for Clean Air and PSU to install four ambient metal air monitors in Cully. The four monitors are now sited in four of Cully’s gracious neighbors yards. Thank you to those Cully residents! The monitors will test for metals that have been dumped into our airshed, such as the lead particles from Owens-Illinois Glass recycling. Finding will be analyzed by PSU graduate students under the direction of Dr. Linda George, a professor at PSU. We expect data and results by the end of the year. DEQ will also site one of their full-air toxics monitors to test for volatile organic compounds, VOC’s (!!!yaaay!!!) in winter 2017-18.

Metals are dangerous because the can create massive problems in the human body when bio-accumulated. They can float through the air as ambients, and cover food crops, and lodge themselves in the soil. VOC’s, like paint thinners, are highly carcinogenic and some are mutagenic. Ambient metals and VOCs also cause respiratory distress, reduced immunological response to colds and viruses, and are indicated in ADHD (cadmium) and causatives for childhood neurological changes and disorders (lead, cadmium, et al.)

Cleaner Air Oregon (CAO), the omnibus statewide shift in how Oregon deals with air pollutants, suffered a setback in the 2017 legislative session in Salem. But, it is still moving forward due to an increased awareness and understanding, and urgency, for public health concerns. The setback primarily regards funding DEQ’s implementation of CAO at the state level. One additional area of concern being debated currently regards an increase in the number of cancer deaths allowed in a population living near new and existing polluters. CAAT, and other grassroots organizations, are pressuring DEQ to not make this change in Cleaner Air Oregon legislation. It is called ‘Risk Action Levels’ and this assessment for cancer death levels should be decreased, not increased. Please contact your State Representatives, and Governor Brown, and tell them to decrease the proposed ‘Risk Action Levels’, not increase them. The burden here is on the public, for cancers, other pollution related illnesses, and for paying for treatments. Polluting industries must use the best technology available to move towards zero toxic emissions.

With a great sense of sadness, CAAT saw intern Miguel Torres-Mondragon leave due to family issues. Miguel helped CAAT with organizing Spanish speaking Cully residents. CAAT, and Living Cully, are interviewing new interns for outreach to diverse communities and to promote Environmental Justice (EJ.) This position is being funded by a grant from our good friends, Neighbors for Clean Air.

CAAT is trying to do a lot! But we still need to research National Guard and Port of Portland pollution, PCB contamination of Johnson Lake and the Columbia Slough, and particulate matter (PM), ‘black soot’, pollution from industry, trains, diesel trucks and busses, and highways.

Finally, CAAT needs you. CAAT is looking for people who want to become more involved in protecting our local airshed and environs. If interested in a ‘Meet and Greet’ for August/September 2017 please get in touch. Join with CAAT at our Facebook site or by e-mailing  info@cullycleanair.org

On Tuesday, 6 December, Oregon Environmental Council and CAAT will present a diesel-focused outreach in both Spanish and English to Cully residents.

OEC will discuss the effects of diesel on human health and ways in which we are exposed to its particulates, then elaborate on the neighborhood diesel study in which we will participate. Building upon the pilot program in the Lents neighborhood, we will use black carbon monitoring and technology to upload a map which documents our exposure.

This will be a fun and informative meeting! Childcare, food and translation are available. It’s not imperative, but please contact xanham@cullycleanair.org to RSVP for childcare, or for more questions.