DEQ Not Doing Its Job -- Surprise, Surprise

According to in-depth reporting in the Oregonian newspaper, DEQ, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, is not the heroic protector of Oregon's ecosystems that it makes itself out to be.

Neighbors of Riverbend Landfill, people who pass the landfill on the highway, and others who have been fighting Riverbend's expansion for years have long known what the Oregonian and the rest of the state are just waking up to:  DEQ's "clients" are the industries it monitors, not the people -- or the land, water, air, and wildlife -- of Oregon.

Oregonian reporter Rob Davis notes that "[f]or years, the agency’s No. 1 internal performance measure has been providing 'good' or 'excellent' customer service to the industries it regulates."

The Oregonian's reporting focuses on money in politics, emphasizing that industries and their lobbying associations easily influence decisions at the agency by funneling campaign contributions to key legislators.  These legislators in turn use DEQ's budget to keep the agency in line.  As a result, the paper reports, a "deep culture of deference" to regulated industries has developed at DEQ.

Yamhill County has felt the pressure corporate money can bring to bear.  Over the years, at least some pro-expansion Commissioners have accepted handsome contributions from Riverbend or its owner, Texas-based corporate giant Waste Management.  And the company offered grants of $15,000 each to cities in the County.  No strings attached, of course, but subsequently, only McMinnville, which rejected the grant, publicly opposed dump expansion.

Moreover, those who have long battled Riverbend and Waste Management know that campaign money is not the only fly in DEQ's ointment.  As DEQ operations are currently structured, regulated industries provide key monitoring data to DEQ.  And industry, not DEQ, chooses and hires the consultants DEQ relies on to ensure that regulations are followed.

The people and environment of Oregon would be better served if state policy required DEQ to pre-qualify and hire consultants.  Industry can continue to foot the bill, but the consultant's client would be the State, not industry.

To read all of the Oregonian and Rob Davis' fascinating reporting, click here.  You can select Parts One, Two, Three, or Four at the top of the web page.