State Backs Down, Agrees to Wait Before Implementing New Safe Air Rules

The public spoke up. Elected officials spoke up. The Environmental Quality Commission said they did not care.

And then they changed their mind.

Tuesday started with the members of the Environmental Quality Commission saying they would not wait to implement new rules governing small glass manufacturers.

Emissions from the glassmakers roared to the forefront in February when it turned out that at least two small glass manufacturers - one in Southeast Portland and one in North Portland - had been pumping heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium into the air for years.

And had said nothing about it.

While the amount of emissions head been legal because the rules did not govern manufacturers their size, recent tests had shown that the levels found in tests were significantly above what was considered safe.

So, the Department of Environmental Quality and the commission, which develop the rules, wanted to move quickly to close the loopholes, some say they were moving too quickly.

There are questions about how effective the new rules are actually going to be so several elected officials including Speaker of the House Tina Kotek, wrote asking for the delay.

There were also questions about whether they were too broad and would force several companies out of business.

In the end, the state agreed to put off its decision to April.