DEQ release – Statewide, Ore.— The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 16 penalties totaling $629,151 in November for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at ordeq.org/enforcement. Fines ranged from $1,125 to $500,000. Alleged violations included a pallet business discharging waste without a permit, a state agency failing to submit their annual report, and an auto parts business failing to clean up multiple oil spills. Additionally, DEQ fined Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., recently renamed Radius Recycling, $500,000 for air quality violations related to the facility’s metal shredder. DEQ announced this enforcement action separately on Nov. 7 and the fine is included in this monthly total. DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations and individuals on the Coast and in Southwest Oregon: CECO Inc., Myrtle Point, $1,894, air quality permitting; Northwest Hardwoods Inc., Garibaldi, $63,172, stormwater. Organizations or individuals must either pay the fines to the state treasury or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. They may be able to offset a portion of a penalty by funding a supplemental environmental project that improves Oregon’s environment. Learn more about these projects at ordeq.org/sep. Penalties may also include orders requiring specific tasks to prevent ongoing violations or additional environmental harm. DEQ works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon’s air, land and water. DEQ uses education, technical assistance, warnings and penalties to change behavior and deter future violations.
