GreenState DEQ podcast

New DEQ Director Leah Feldon joins Harry and Dylan for a conversation, which includes Feldon’s thoughts on the direction of the agency, and how she wants to prioritize antiracism and environmental justice in its mission to protect and enhance Oregon’s environment and public health. This episode was recorded at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication podcast studio.

For more than 20 years a pair of DEQ hydrologists have been sharing their knowledge of surface water and groundwater with outdoor school students in Eastern Oregon. Laura Gleim, DEQ's Eastern Region public affairs specialist, visited outdoor school to learn along with the kids. Laura then catches up with Dylan to talk about her trip into the field. Be ready for some camp songs.

May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and recent summery weather in Oregon has us thinking about wildfire season. So, Susan and Dylan talk about air monitoring and air quality advisories. They learn what's new with the Air Quality Index (AQI) from Hillarie Sales, who does outreach for the DEQ lab, and talk with KGW Meteorologist Chris McGinness about how the media uses the AQI and advisories.

Food waste is the second leading cause of greenhouse gases — a key ingredient of climate change — so prevention is crucial. Katie and Dylan learn about Food Waste Prevention Week, which occurs in early April, and talk with the co-chairs of its planning committee. One chair is from Oregon, and works at DEQ, and the other chair is in Florida. They're working together to spread the event around the country. You'll hear some great, practical tips on how not to waste food, including an interesting trick with an egg.

DEQ generates volumes of public records as a science-based state agency in Oregon. A team of two officials guides record storage and response to public records requests. Dylan and Susan talk with them about how and why DEQ stores public records, and the experts offer advice on how to best find what you need. (Note, Lauren is filling in as a manager at DEQ, so she's taking a break from GreenState.)

Lauren and Dylan learn how laws lead to rules that protect Oregon's air, land and water. We talk with DEQ officials who are involved in rulemaking. Find out how you can join the process.

The holiday season may leave you with more food than you know what to do with, but don’t despair. Lauren and Dylan are here to help you prevent food waste while making all those leftovers disappear. Elaine Blatt, DEQ senior policy and program analyst, and Katie Romano, DEQ communication and outreach specialist, offer expert advice about food waste prevention.

Lauren and Dylan talk with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon Health Authority staff involved in a recent mercury spill in Bend that resulted in damage to the home, cars, furniture and $100,000 in cleanup costs for the homeowners. They help us understand how to respond if mercury does spill in your home to minimize the impact, and then DEQ staff tell us how to safely dispose of any items we own that we know contain mercury.

Last month we asked DEQ staff: how do you ensure facilities follow environmental laws? We learned a lot about how complaints get processed, when DEQ goes out to inspect facilities and how that can lead to enforcement and fines. This month, we're talking about that enforcement process.

Lauren and Dylan talk with DEQ enforcement staff, EPA enforcement staff and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center to learn about DEQ enforcement actions. We discuss how DEQ figures out what amount to fine violators, how DEQ and EPA enforcement work together and the ways NEDC advocates for environmental issues through litigation.

People often ask DEQ: how do you ensure facilities follow environmental laws? There are a lot of answers, but key parts are complaints, inspections and enforcement. This is the first of a two-part series that dives into the complaints and inspections process.

Lauren talks with the manager of the complaints system, a complaints inspector and two facility inspectors about how they receive complaints, find the source of pollution complaints, keep tabs on facilities that DEQ regulates and what happens when there is a violation.