Greetings to all on a semi-sunny Sunday here in the Tualatin Valley. We have had a lot of rain, and the air outside is fresh and vibrant! It makes a person feel good just to go out and fill up the lungs! But when we are doing that here, how do we really know the air is fresh and clean? Why do I pose that question? Well, you only have to look at the photo below to understand why you should be concerned.
Intel has applied for a massive increase in the amount of gases it can discharge from the Ronler Acres and other Fabs in Washington County. As much as 1,700,000 tons a year; that is 3 tons per minute. And unfortunately, neither Intel, DEQ, nor any of us really know what all is leaving the Fab nor how much of it. The facts are it is not all good.
Below is a call to action, a meeting notice for this Wednesday, and a detailed email exchange between Community Leader Dale Feik of WCCAN and the Oregon DEQ team assigned to these Intel permitting requests.
I suggest you all pay attention and consider attending this meeting- read the email below. It is our valley; how we choose to see it treated is up to all of us!
Air Quality Advisory Committee Meetings are held quarterly. The public is invited and encouraged to attend meetings.
Given current circumstances, meetings will be held virtually online until further notice.
There will be no in-person component to the virtual meetings.
Next Meeting: Air Quality Advisory Committee
Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Online and via phone (no in-person component)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://stoel.zoom.us/j/991310
Meeting ID: 991 3109 8689
Passcode: 012524
For phone: dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
888 788 0099 US Toll-free
833 548 0276 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 991 3109 8689
Passcode: 012524
If you have difficulty accessing the virtual meeting, please email AQAC
meeting facilitator, John Harland- john.harland3@gmail.com
The Air Quality Advisory Committee promotes continuous improvement in neighborhood safety and livability in
Washington County as impacted by Intel’s operations and facilitates communication between Intel and its neighbors, as defined by the Good Neighbor Agreement between Intel, the Neighbors for Clean Air (NCA), and the
Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC).
If you would like to be added to our e-mail list, please contact John Harland john.harland3@gmail.com.
- The goals of the Good Neighbor Agreement are to:
Provide the public with accurate information about emissions, impacts, and reductions; - Reduce emissions from the facility; Ensure the air quality
permits issued to Intel are consistent with and include elements of the Good
Neighbor Agreement; and - Encourage open communication and understanding
between Intel and its neighbors in Washington County.
We have been asked to share this recent email exchange between community leader and resident Dale Feik of WCCAN and Nina Deconcini of the DEQ –
From: dfeik33@comcast.net <dfeik33@comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 4, 2023 6:20 AM
To: ‘DECONCINI Nina * DEQ’ <nina.deconcini@deq.oregon.gov
Mirzakhalili (Mirzakhalili.Ali@deq.state.or
<Mirzakhalili.Ali@deq.state.or
<JR.giska@deq.oregon.gov>
Cc: ‘Kathryn Harrington’ <Kathryn_Harrington@washington
‘Scott Porter’ <Scott_Porter@washingtoncounty
<John_Wheeler@washingtoncounty
<mrogoway@oregonian.com>; ‘Chad Oyler’ <Chad.Oyler@lamresearch.com>; Leah
Feldon (Leah.feldon@deq.oregon.gov) <Leah.feldon@deq.oregon.gov>; Mark
Miller (mmiller@commnewspapers.com) <mmiller@commnewspapers.com>; WC CAN
Board <board@wc-can.org>
Subject: RE: Dale Feik – Intel permit modifications, active links request
To: Nina DeConcini and DEQ staff members Ali Mirzakhalili – Air Administrator, J.R. Giska – Cleaner Air OregonThank you, Nina, for your quick reply to my email. My reactions:
On the DEQ public notice sent out Nov 3, 2023, I copied and pasted the following:
The Cleaner Air Oregon program does health-based risk assessments for facilities with air quality permits. When it started, Cleaner Air Oregon
prioritized existing facilities, like Intel, into groups based on level of risk and all new facilities must go through a Cleaner Air Oregon assessment
before they can get a permit.
Based on DEQ’s initial analysis under Cleaner Air Oregon, Intel is in the second group of existing facilities that will be “called in” for Cleaner Air
Oregon analysis.
My understanding is that it is past the stated time for Intel to be called into Cleaner Air Oregon. I strongly, strongly is not as powerful a word
that I want to use, urge DEQ to immediately call Intel into the Cleaner Air Oregon program.
A little history of why.
On page eight of Thomas Wood’s letter to David Monro dated Nov. 4, 2013, Wood states: Intel is willing to go beyond what is required by the
Department’s regulations in order to assure its neighbor that the company is not making the air unsafe to breath (sp). If better informing the community what is in its air involves extensive additional testing and undergoing additional permitting, the company is willing to do that.
Thomas Wood’s letter to David Monro and then his subsequent letter to Jill Inahara became the basis for my filling a Petition for Judicial Review in
Multnomah Circuit Court (sued DEQ) for DEQ issuing to Intel its Air Contaminate Discharge Permit instead of a Prevention of Significant
Deterioration air permit.
In Wood’s second letter to Inahara, Wood reverses his position and says that Intel does not want to submit a PSD air permit application, and Intel
convinced DEQ to make a temporary rule for six months without the ability for the public to make public comments about it. I tried at an EQC meeting to comment but was told I couldn’t do it.
Now, many years later, Intel is applying for a PSD air permit, but with doubling and sometimes tripling its (toxic) air emissions, as well as
becoming the highest greenhouse gas emitter in the state – 1,700,000 tons per year, which calculates to three tons per minute.
I served on the Intel/NCA Settlement Agreement/Good Neighbor Agreement committee but resigned because it ended up being primarily a public
relations tool for Intel, not a tool for assuring Intel’s neighbors that the air around them is not unsafe to breathe. I have been asked to serve on
another group to create another good neighbor agreement with Intel, but I told Mary Peveto that I didn’t want to do that. I respect Mary Peveto and
what Neighbor for Clean Air has done, with diesel pollution in particular, but I told her that even though Intel is willing to work with her in doing
that, I consider it mainly a distraction.
Please open these two attachments:
1. Stoel Rives attorney letter to David Monro DEQ and NCA Nov. 4,
2013.docx
2. Thomas Wood Intel attorney letter to Jill Inahara 2014 07 21.pdf
Public engagement: Washington County Citizen Action Network (WC CAN I am chair) wants postcards to be mailed to people who live within five miles of Intel’s two manufacturing plants. It appears in the monthly invoices that you are submitting to Intel that there is plenty of money of the $500,000.00 fee-agreement to do that. Paying The Oregonian and the Pamplin Media papers to write how people can become informed and involved would be a wise use of some of that money.
When Neighbors for Clean Air, under the leadership of Mary Peveto and staff attorney John Krallman, organized an Intel
petition, people from all parts of the State signed the petition. I ended up being the person who met with the Governor’s representative in Salem and presented the petition for the Governor. Intel is not just a Washington County concern.
I suggested to Mark Miller, Pamplin Media, that he make a public announcement about the DEQ/Intel informational meeting, but he did not. He did, however, when I copied to him my written public comment to the Washington County Commissioners, ask me to write a 600 to 1,000-word Op-ed. I did, and he published it in the Portland Tribune and most of the other Pamplin papers in Washington County.
See attachment titled: Intel’s attempts to increase air pollution misread the moment OpED by Dale Feik Sept 21 2023.
I am also working with the Enforcement Agency of the EPA. The Enforcement department has its budget and its own administration from the EPA
operational office in Portland and the headquarters in Seattle, Region 10. Quite a few years ago, I asked the Enforcement EPA to do an unannounced, on-site inspection of Intel’s operations in Washington County. I wanted them to do the kind of inspection that they did in New Mexico. They did not do that. But I am again asking them to do it.
3. The United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training National Enforcement Investigations
Center June 3, 2010, Memorandum report subject: Transmittal of Final Report for “CAA Compliance Investigation, Intel Corporation, Rio Rancho, New Mexico” (VPo879.
Following is the link:
Best regards,
Dale Feik, Ed.D.
dfeik33@comcast.net <mailto:dfeik33@comcast.net>
1. Chair of Washington County Citizen Action Network (WC CAN) –
http://www.wc-can.org/
2. Project Director of Hillsboro Air & Water –
http://hillsboroairwater.org/
Washington County Citizen Action Network (WC CAN) is a coalition of grassroots advocates (individuals and groups) dedicated to improving quality
of life in Washington County by promoting healthy and sustainable communities, social and economic justice, and open and responsive
government.
Cc: Kathyn Harrington, Chair, Washington County Commissioner
Scott Porter, former Director of Emergency Management/Cooperative -Washington County (part-time now)
John Wheeler, Washington County Director of Emergency Management/Cooperative Washinton County
Chad Oyler, chair of Washington County Local Emergency Planning Committee
Mike Rogoway, reporter, The Oregonian
Mark Miller, The Pamplin Media papers
Leah Feldon, DEQ Director
Washington County Citizen Action Network (WC CAN) Board of Directors
Email From NINA DECONCINI to Dale Feik
From: DECONCINI Nina * DEQ <nina.deconcini@deq.oregon.gov
<mailto:nina.deconcini@deq.ore
Sent: Friday, November 3, 2023 10:09 AM
To: DALE FEIK <dfeik33@comcast.net <mailto:dfeik33@comcast.net> >
Cc: Kathryn Harrington <Kathryn_Harrington@washington
<mailto:Kathryn_Harrington@was
<Scott_Porter@washingtoncounty
<mailto:Scott_Porter@washingto
<John_Wheeler@washingtoncounty
<mailto:John_Wheeler@washingto
<mrogoway@oregonian.com <mailto:mrogoway@oregonian.com
<Chad.Oyler@lamresearch.com <mailto:Chad.Oyler@lamresearch
Subject: RE: Dale Feik – Intel permit modifications, active links request
Dale,
I appreciate your continuing to share your thoughts with DEQ.
The fee agreement does pay for DEQ to have resources dedicated to working only on this permitting action. Myself, George Davis (permit writer), and Phil Allen (air modeler), are all employed by DEQ solely for the purpose of analyzing Intel’s permit and ensuring a thorough public process. DEQ is currently consulting with EPA and other agencies, as needed, to inform our ongoing analysis of the proposed permit modification.
Suggestions for improved outreach are always welcome and we strive to use a variety of methods to communicate information and updates. We are willing to explore expanding the radius of future postcard mailings, however, direct mail is not necessarily the most effective way to get people involved. It really helps when the information also comes up in places where there is already engagement, so please continue to share the web site link with any groups and forums.
If there are additional individuals and organizations you would like to suggest I contact, I would be happy to connect with them.
Thanks again.
Nina
