Portland's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) continues to diligently monitor Zenith Energy's compliance with air quality standards by maintaining its pause on the company's permit processing after issuing a hefty fine for unauthorized operations. In a statement obtained by the Oregon DEQ's newsroom, DEQ confirmed a penalty of $372,600 against Zenith Energy for operating at the McCall dock without proper authorization under their air quality permit—a permit which Zenith had failed to adequately secure before utilizing the dock from April 2021 to June 2024.
Zenith now has been asked to gracefully provide a Land Use Compatibility Statement (LUCS) issued by the City of Portland within 60 days, or by February 4, 2025. This request follows DEQ's determination that the LUCS submitted by Zenith in 2022 did not cover certain properties adjacent to their terminal, as clarified in DEQ's statement. DEQ's requirement comes after the company sought authorization to use the dock belatedly, only after DEQ had already issued a warning letter and requested further information.
Christine Svetkovich, DEQ's northwest region administrator, emphasized the importance of compliance, stating, "Ensuring compliance with all environmental regulations and land use laws is critical to protecting public health and the environment and maintaining trust in the regulatory process." She reaffirmed DEQ's commitment to "holding all permitted facilities accountable to these standards," according to a press release by the Oregon DEQ.
While the air quality permitting process for Zenith remains in suspension, the company is allowed to continue operations under its existing Title V air quality permit. This ongoing pause is not to be mistakenly taken as a permit denial, unlike the 2021 incident when DEQ denied Zenith's permit renewal application due to incompleteness. They later submitted a revised Title V permit application that DEQ acknowledged as complete in October 2022 and also a new Air Contaminant Discharge Permit application which was completed in January 2023. Under DEQ rules, if the agency is reviewing an application and decides that additional information is absolutely necessary, they must request it in writing and set a reasonable deadline for the applicant to comply.
