PEAC and Allies Win Good Neighbor Agreement with ESCO

After years of negotiation, PEAC has helped community activists in Northwest Portland to win a Good Neighbor Agreement with steel foundry company ESCO to reduce pollution by an estimated 20%. The agreement, incorporated in ESCO’s 5-year draft permit from the Oregon DEQ, requires ESCO to install new pollution controls, allow neighborhood representatives to audit emissions data, and hire a neighborhood-approved emissions testing firm to verify the effectiveness of the controls.

PEAC attorney Aubrey Baldwin collaborated with community groups on this effort, with contributions from PEAC clinic students Aurelia Erickson, John Krallman (‘11), Oday Salim LLM (‘09), and Mitchell Tsai (‘10). Mary Peveto, founder of Neighbors for Clean Air and PEAC advisory council member, also played a key role.

Read more about the agreement in The Oregonian and in The Portland Mercury: “NW PDX Industry Voluntarily Agrees to Pollute Less”

Review the agreement itself here.

Watch a video about the agreement. There will be a public forum to discuss the Good Neighbor Agreement on Tuesday, November 29.