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DEQ Re-opens Comment Period on Proposed Rules for PGE Boardman Plant

PGE and several citizen groups have asked DEQ to re-open the comment period on proposed pollution control rules for the Boardman coal-fueled power facility to consider new information. PGE has proposed a new approach that would require the Boardman facility to meet increasingly stringent emission limits and close by 2020. DEQ considers the new proposal to have merit, and therefore is re-opening the public comment period from October 29 through November 15, 2010.
PGE Boardman page

DEQ Meets Next Milestone in Portland Harbor Joint Source Control Strategy

DEQ recently submitted its September 2010 Portland Harbor Milestone Report to EPA, outlining the recent progress it has made in the ongoing process to identify, evaluate and prioritize upland sources of contamination that are affecting or may affect the Willamette River in the Portland Harbor area. The report is part of the Portland Harbor Joint Source Control Strategy, a strategy released by DEQ and EPA in 2005, representing consensus between DEQ, EPA, and our federal, state and tribal project partners. Over the next several years, DEQ will control upland contamination sources so that the entire river system can be cleaned up and the risk of recontamination from upland areas minimized. This is only one of DEQ's many efforts to improve land and water quality. Check out the report now!

Try the "Oregon Carbon Calculator"
Curious about how your lifestyle habits may contribute to climate change? With the new Oregon Carbon Calculator, you can understand how your household's consumption of energy, food, goods and services contributes to the production of carbon dioxide and other emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change.

Compare your household's carbon footprint to households of similar size and income. And learn new strategies for reducing your carbon footprint.

Want to Comment? Visit Our Public Notices Page
DEQ posts public notices concerning new permit applications, permit renewals, water quality management plans and other environmental projects on our Public Notices page. Written comments are welcome for all of these projects.

Complaint/Pollution Reporting Form
Now it's easier to file a pollution complaint for DEQ to investigate with our new online fillable form. Please use Adobe Reader 8 or higher when filling the form. To report a spill or environmental emergency, contact the Oregon Emergency Response System at 1-800-452-0311.

New Law Requires Removal of Uncertified Woodstove
DEQ Approves Plan for Oregon Paint "Take Back" Program
Water-friendly Dishwasher Detergents on Oregon Grocery Shelves
S. Deschutes/N. Klamath Groundwater Protection Project

DEQ-commissioned Report Shows that Smaller Homes Have Smaller Footprints

A recently completed report commissioned by DEQ in collaboration with the Oregon Home Builders Association and Earth Advantage Institute concludes that constructing smaller homes is among the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation from the residential construction sector. The report examines environmental impacts of extracting, producing and transporting building materials; impacts of constructing and maintaining the home; impacts of using electricity and heating fuels during a home's 70-year occupancy; and impacts and benefits of recycling, landfilling or burning the building materials at the end of the home's life for energy recovery. Environmental impacts address climate change, energy use, human toxicity, ecological toxicity, acidification and respiratory effects. Read the news release for key findings and links to the report.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is inviting comments on the rules that will describe how DEQ's new woodstove program will operate. Oregon's new woodstove law, designed to protect homebuyers from potential fire hazards and clear the air of unnecessary wood smoke pollution, went into effect on Aug. 1, 2010. Oregon is the first state to formally establish a woodstove removal requirement upon sale of a home.

All comments are due to DEQ by 5 p.m., October 29, 2010.

DEQ Invites Comments on Reissued Stormwater Discharge Permits
DEQ is seeking public comment through Friday, Nov. 19 on its proposal to reissue and revise municipal separate storm sewer system discharge permits for 18 jurisdictions in the Portland area, Salem and Eugene. DEQ's revisions make changes to ensure that stormwater pollutants will be reduced to the maximum extent possible. The permits are to be reissued by the end of the year. Stay tuned for more revisions as the Water Quality program continues to improve its stormwater program to better protect the environment statewide.

Oregon DEQ offices willl be closed on six different state furlough days in 2010, in addition to state holiday closures. We hope you will plan ahead to prevent any inconveniences.

Receive e-mail notifications and updates on a variety of DEQ projects. Select from a menu of topics that interest you.

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