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Tag Archives: Boeing

A New Way to Report Aircraft Noise

Posted on December 16, 2008 by Gordon Riggs Posted in Archive, Land Use & Transportation

CNA has recently met with the Port of Portland’s Noise Management team to discuss concerns about the safety of increase F-15 travel over nearby residential areas as part of their present “test”. One outcome of those discussions has been a reminder that anytime – day or night – any resident has a concern about aircraft noise of any kind can call the Port of Portland’s noise hotline: 503-460-4100. But now you can also report your concerns – and view flight patterns – on-line using WebTrak.

WebTrak is an online flight tracking system covering the greater Portland/Vancouver area. WebTrak offers a wealth of information about each flight, ranging from altitude and direction to aircraft type and airline to flight or tail number. For security purposes, the system is delayed 90 minutes and does not show government, military or law enforcement flights.

I took WebTrak for a whirl. You pick a location and time period and then you watch plane icons move across an area map. Basically this gives you the option to clearly identify the flight that was causing you grief and you can report the problem using an on-line form in WebTrak. Try it out yourself by logging on at http://www.portofportland.com/Noise_Mgmt_Home.aspx, you definitely need a high speed connection to use it.

WebTrak is a neat tool but it is a little clunky and if you are experiencing a noise problem, you have to wait at least 90 minutes to identify the issue using WebTrak. It remains easier and quicker to just call the Port at 503-460-4100 when you hear a wayward and/or loud aircraft.

When you call the Port or submit a report on-line via WebTrak, the Port noise management team is required to thoroughly investigate and respond within 48 hours. In some cases, the information provided by citizens or obtained during the investigation, is used to refine the noise abatement program and in discussions with aircraft operators.

Airport Boeing Land Use & Livability Local Government Noise Port of Portland Safety

Boeing Emissions Proposal Q&A

Posted on December 8, 2007 by Gordon Riggs Posted in Archive, Land Use & Transportation

NE Neighbors for Clean Air provided us with some additional information related to Boeing’s application to discharge contaminants at their Portland Airport painting facility. Click the link below for the complete text (with minor edits for length/style). You can also check out previous stories posted on the CNA website related to this issue.

Boeing wants to emit 99 tons per year (tpy) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and between 10 tpy of any single hazardous air pollutant (as defined by the EPA) and 25 tpy aggregate. It’s important to note that if Boeing had asked for a permit to emit 100 or more tons per year of VOCs (or more) they would have been required to obtain a Title V permit from the EPA, which would have required additional monitoring.

Continue reading →

Boeing Environmental

Petition to Oppose New Emissions

Posted on December 1, 2007 by Gordon Riggs Posted in Archive, Land Use & Transportation

You may have already seen the petition included in this month’s Concordia News opposing approval of Boeing’s request to dump 99 tons of pollutants into our airshed. If you haven’t had a chance to act, here’s an easy one – you can sign the online petition. Leave a comment here as well if you like – we’ve noticed that the website has been getting a little traffic from both Boeing and Oregon DEQ servers lately, so this is your chance to speak out.

For more information on the Boeing issue, see our previous stories, archived here.

Boeing

Neighbors Challenge Boeing Emissions Dump

Posted on October 30, 2007 by Gordon Riggs Posted in Archive, Land Use & Transportation

As reported here previously, Boeing Aircraft has asked Oregon’s DEQ to give it permission to dump 99 tons of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds = hazardous waste) into the airshed of Northeast Portland. From April through October, neighborhoods like Concordia, Cully, Woodlawn, and Vernon are directly in the line of prevailing winds that come from the two huge hangars located on Cornfoot Road in the Columbia Slough, where Boeing’s planes are painted.

About 35 neighbors, primarily from Concordia and Cully neighborhoods, all concerned that what looked like a good move for Boeing might not automatically be good for nearby residential livability and health, crowded a first public hearing in September. Their questions and challenges prevented a quick rubber stamp approval of the permit, and sent both DEQ and Boeing back to their drawing boards.

More public meetings are planned, but those same concerned residents met recently to plan strategies on how laymen with limited resources and experience can challenge a major international corporation with billion dollar profits. Political pressure through our elected officials and local institutions might work. Volunteers going door-to-door might be worthwhile. Challenging Boeing to present studies and information on the effects of the hazardous emissions on public health might be productive. Solutions will take a lot of volunteer work; a lot of Davids are needed to confront one Goliath, a Goliath with unlimited financial resources and paid staff.

What do these residents want? First, for DEQ to deny the permit. Boeing already dumps 39 tons of VOCs on us, and with additional hazardous waste produced by our close-in highways, trains, airport, and the industries along the Columbia Corridor, we are already heavily saturated. Second, if the permit is granted, they want Boeing to install the best available control technologies (called BACTs) to capture 100% of the emissions. Boeing claims that the technology is not required by Oregon and is too expensive, but other states require it, and other similar industries meet those standards now. It comes down to what value Boeing is willing to place on our lives.

Interested in being part of this process? Contact Robin Denburg at NECN: 503-823-4135; robin@necoalition.org. Let him know if you want to get involved now. Also plan to come to our next major working/planning session on Wednesday, November 7 at 7 P.M. at NECN in the King School building on NE 7th Avenue. Help convince Boeing to be a good neighbor.

Boeing

Boeing Emissions Increase Proposal, September 20

Posted on September 14, 2007 by Gordon Riggs Posted in Archive, Land Use & Transportation

On Thursday, September 20, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) staff will share information about Boeing PDX’s New Source Review permit application and what DEQ may include in a modified air quality permit. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.

Boeing PDX is an aircraft painting facility near the airport. They plan to increase the number of planes they paint and they are asking DEQ for a modification of their current air quality permit to include an increase in air emissions.

When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20

Where: DEQ Northwest Region Office
Fourth Floor, Room A/B
2020 SW Fourth Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97201

The modification that Boeing PDX is requesting would increase their Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emission limit from 39 tons per year to 99 tons per year and needs a federally required New Source Review analysis. Boeing PDX, located 4635 NE Cornfoot Road, Portland, Oregon, paints aircraft manufactured at facilities in other areas.. The use of coatings and cleaning solvents emits Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). The natural gas fired heating system releases Particulate Matter (PM), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), and VOCs in small amounts. Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) will remain below levels of concern with proposed control technology.

More information is available in the complete public notice for this meeting. For technical information, contact Kathy Amidon, Air Quality Program, (503) 667-8414, ext. 55010 or amidon.kathy@deq.state.or.us.

Boeing

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