In light of public outcry from Southeast Portland and Milwaukie residents, Precision Castparts will meet with the Milwaukie City Council tonight to propose an air quality improvement plan.
PCC said it’s installing new filtration units that, according to the company, will control 99 percent of dust emissions. The new equipment is expected to be fully functional by June.
DEQ will also present at tonight’s Milwaukie City Council meeting, which begins at 6. The council chamber seats 60. An additional 50 people can be accommodated in a conference room with a live feed of the proceedings.
(READ MORE: Portland Business Journal)
The meeting is open to public comments, and questions can be submitted to [email protected].
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released data in December that showed the Errol Heights neighborhood near Precision Castparts plants were a toxic area with a high cancer risk, according to the Portland Tribune.
Several dozen houses are located within a quarter-mile of Precision Castparts’ plants at Southeast 46th Avenue and Harney Street, and one sits within about 250 feet, says Jacob Sherman, a leader of the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association, which includes Errol Heights.
“The community is concerned about Precision Castparts because of its impact on human health, as well as the negative impacts the company may be having on the surrounding environment, such as in Johnson Creek,” said Sherman, a neighborhood activist who co-founded the South Portland Air Quality group.
(READ MORE: Portland Tribune)
Protesters targeted the Southeast Portland and Milwaukie plants last month.
Members of the Errol Heights community appeared on OPB’s Think Out Loud last week.
RELATED NEWS: Warren Buffet completes purchase of Precision Castparts.
