Portland, OR—Note: DEQ is committed to balancing its vital obligation to enforce the law and protect the environment with a consideration of the dramatic disruptions to public health and the economy caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. DEQ will continue to exercise reasonable enforcement discretion within its authority when issuing civil penalties. In addition, DEQ recognizes that the outbreak may affect the ability to comply with corrective actions or pay a civil penalty. Visit our webpage https://ordeq.org/COVID19 for more information about DEQ’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Portland, OR – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued nine penalties totaling $323,420 in April for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://go.usa.gov/xEQJn.

Fines ranged from $1,800 to $108,210 in April. Alleged violations included discharges to waters of the state, exceedance of air quality opacity limit, and a diesel fuel spill.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations and individuals:

• Ash Grove Cement, $13,800, Portland, water quality • Cascadia Ridge, LLC, $85,410, Estacada, water quality • Crowley Marine Services, $14,400, Portland, water quality • I & E Construction, Inc., $108,210, Estacada, water quality • Repplinger, Donald, $1,800, Coos Bay, air quality • Roseburg Forest Products Co., $22,800, Coquille, air quality • Singh, Daljit dba Keizer Food Market, $3,000, Keizer, underground storage tank • Space Age Fuel, Inc., $66,000, Cascade Locks, emergency response • Wilcox and Flegel Fuel Oil Co., $8,000, St. Helens, stormwater

Organizations or individuals must either pay the fines 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.

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.

Media contact: Lauren Wirtis, public affairs specialist, 503-568-3295, wirtis.lauren@deq.state.or.us

###