PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Vigor Industrial, a shipbuilding and repair company located in North Portland, has signed an agreement with neighbors promising to reduce its air emissions even further than levels required by law.
Vigor and Neighbors for Clean Air have been working on this agreement for almost 2 years, well before the recent toxic air issues related to 2 glass companies started making headlines.
In addition to the lower emission levels, the agreement establishes a formal way to communicate with the community should air concerns arise. Vigor also wants the DEQ to incorporate these improvements into its operating permit. Everyone involved says the collaborative agreement is a win in the fight for clean air.
“We had to build up the trust but I think people, over time, saw that we were sincere about what we wanted to accomplish here and so once we got passed that, everybody dug in and started working and there hasn’t been any mistrust or animosity. It’s all been ‘let’s understand what the problems are and see what we can do to address them,'” said Alan Sprott with Vigor.
Vigor never broke any pollution laws but Sprott says once the community presented possible concerns, the company began a dialogue immediately.
Filed under: Environment, Health, Local News, News, Portland
