Portland OR (11/21/2013) – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued Portland General Electric Co. a $4,000 fine for exceeding nitrogen oxide emission limits at its Port Westward Power Plant in Clatskanie last April.

On April 23, 2013 Portland General notified DEQ that the plant, at 80997 Kallunki Road, had exceeded its three-hour rolling average of nitrogen oxide emissions from the plant, from approximately noon to 3 p.m. Plant emission readings for nitrogen oxides exceeded the allowable limit of 2.5 parts per million by volume, with hourly readings of 2.6., 2.7 and 2.6 parts per million for the period.

DEQ issued the penalty because the power plant violated federal air quality standards set to protect public health and the air shed from degradation. Nitrogen oxides can irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis and pneumonia, and lower resistance to respiratory infections. They are associated with the formation of ozone and acid rain, and may affect both land and aquatic ecosystems.

Portland General Electric Co. has until Dec. 4 to appeal the penalty and request an informal meeting with DEQ to discuss the matter further, or it can pay the penalty in full.

Contacts: Jenny Root, Environmental Law Specialist, Portland, 503-229-5874; David Monro, Air Quality Program, Portland, 503-229-5160