By Edward Jones and Nancy Hiser
Among the many tank farms along our side of the river, roughly three miles upstream from Linnton, is Zenith Energy. They don’t own any oil wells or pipelines or barges but they have tanks and they buy and sell petroleum products.
Like others in the CEI Hub they are required to have a variety of city and state permits to stay in business. Unlike some other companies, Zenith has had problems staying on the right side of the regulations.
In November the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) paused consideration of Zenith’s air quality permit following a public comment meeting, and then, after an investigation, issued them a $372,600 fine for the unauthorized use of a leased dock. DEQ officials credited community advocates for asking questions about Zenith’s operations that DEQ had no knowledge of.
In addition to the fine, it appears that DEQ will be requiring Zenith to obtain a new Land Use Compatibility Statement (“LUCS”) from the City of Portland before considering the pending air quality permit. DEQ has set a deadline of February 4, 2025 for Zenith to obtain new land use permissions.
Zenith’s need for the new land use permit prompted a letter to the city from a collection of environmental groups and the Linnton Neighborhood Association. The principal concern was the city’s history of avoiding public participation in the consideration of Zenith’s permits. The letter calls for a public process before a new LUCS is issued by the city. That process should take into account Zenith’s history of evading public scrutiny, disregarding legal obligations and lying to regulators.
In the first City Council meeting of 2025, many new City Councilors brought up Zenith’s new LUCS application, calling for an open public process. Mayor Wilson, despite repeating his strong commitment to consult with those closest to many issues, deferred to Deputy City Administrator Donnie Oliveira on the CEI Hub.
Oliveira stated that City staff are evaluating Zenith’s application and will present findings to City Council but did not commit to public inclusion. Advocates are continuing to press for public inclusion.
If you want to join us, you’d be welcome: email Nancy Hiser at nancyhiser@comcast.net
You can read the letter at: https://tinyurl.com/n4mdfnnn
Learn more at this Portland Mercury article, Dec. 19, 2024 – https://tinyurl.com/t9yrtahm