Agriculture
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December 30, 2020
On Monday, Columbia Riverkeeper filed a citizen suit against defendants Perennial Power Holdings, Inc. and Perennial-WindChaser, LLC (collectively Perennial) for discharging pollutants into the Columbia River Basin without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Riverkeeper seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, the imposition of civil penalties, and the award of its costs.
The complaint states that after exhausting the requisite administrative remedies, the plaintiff filed the lawsuit on behalf of itself and its members to rectify harm wrought by Perennial’s supposedly illegal discharge from its Perennial Wind Chaser Station, a gas-fired combustion turbine generator facility located in Hermiston, Oregon. The plaintiff states that it is a Washington state non-profit organization, and its mission is “to restore and protect the water quality of the Columbia River a
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is calling for long-term monitoring of nitrates, bacteria and pesticides in the Walla Walla Basin to protect groundwater aquifers from future contamination.
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Readers Respond to Debate Over the Cleanup of Willamette Cove “If that beautiful beach looking across at the hills had a wealthy neighborhood above it on the bluffs, this wouldn’t be an open question. It would be cleaned up.” Willamette Cove. (Justin Katigbak) Updated December 22, 2020
For decades, Willamette Cove, a 3,000-foot stretch of beach in North Portland, has been closed to the public due to toxic waste contamination. Now, the Metro-owned beach is due for a cleanup. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has recommended burying most of the hazardous waste onsite and fencing off portions of the area. That conflicts with the hopes of North Portlanders who want the waste hauled away and the beach turned into a public park. WW
‘Tis the season for gift giving. And waste.
If you’re surrounded by endless wrapping paper, festive bows and Christmas cards this holiday, it’s important to note proper recycling protocols especially for paper products, the most recycled material in the U.S, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Millions of Americans can also do their part during the holiday season by recycling paper-based products at home,” Heidi Brock, President and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association, said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Brock added that a common mistake people make at the end of the year is “Wishcycling.”
JOSEPH â A larger-than-usual audience turned out for the final Joseph City Council meeting of the year, Thursday, Dec. 10, when the council gave its official approval to a sewage treatment facilties plan and bade farewell to Mayor Teresa Sajonia as she presided over her last session.
Brad Baird, of Anderson Perry and Associates, presented the council with a finalized plan for the more than $3.8 million project that he asked the council to formally adopt so his firm could add language that the city has approved the plan it has been pursuing. He noted it has been more than 20 years since any significant upgrades have been made to the facility and it is not currently in compliance with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.