Air Quality Meeting Coming Up!

The next Waste Management/DEQ air quality meeting regarding Riverbend Landfill is set for the evening of Wednesday, April 27.

Every five years, DEQ -- the state Department of Environmental Quality -- issues the landfill a "Title V" permit to pollute the air.  (Because the McMinnville area's air is basically clean, the landfill can pollute a lot.)

DEQ promises to monitor the area's air quality and to modify the permit if the air is degraded too much.  If you've been following the news out of Portland, you know how well DEQ has been handling that job.

Locally, at least, the reps from DEQ who handle Riverbend's Title V permits have worked with landfill neighbors to try to tighten up restrictions.  But DEQ doesn't see its job as protecting the environment from landfills; DEQ sees its job as threefold, protecting the environment, cleaning up messes, and solid waste disposal.

We are not making this up.  The draft job description for the new Director (yes, Dick Pedersen resigned following the Portland air quality scandal) describes DEQ's mission this way:  "DEQ is responsible for protecting and enhancing Oregon's water and air quality, for cleaning up spills and releases of hazardous materials, and for managing the proper disposal of hazardous and solid wastes" -- as if disposal of waste has nothing to do with "protecting and enhancing water and air."

One more reason why the County's lame attempt to foist enforcement of any kind of environmental rule off onto DEQ's back is so, well, lame.

Meeting:  Title V Air Permit Meeting (held by Waste Management, mandated by permit)
Wednesday, April 27, 7:00, at Chemeketa Community College, 288 NE Norton Lane, McMinnville (ie, right off Highway 18 across from the hospital).  Come early for pizza and schmoozing.