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Owens-Brockway

Cleaner Air Oregon is a health-based permitting program that regulates emissions of toxic air contaminants from facilities based on risk to nearby communities. CAO requires facilities to report toxic air contaminant emissions, assess potential health risks to people nearby and reduce toxic air contaminant risk if it exceeds legal limits.

As part of the Cleaner Air Oregon process, each facility has a dedicated web page to provide communities access to facility information and updates on where it is involved in the process.

  • Each step of the CAO risk assessment process has a section that includes DEQ’s communications and deliverables from the facility.
  • The graphic below shows where a facility is in the Cleaner Air Oregon Process.

For additional information and history of the program, visit the Cleaner Air Oregon web page.

Risk Assessment is highlighted 

The Emissions Inventory provides information on all the Toxic Air Contaminant emissions from a facility, and includes information on a facility’s operations and activities, as well as fuel and material usage rates. This is often the longest step in the CAO risk assessment process as DEQ needs to verify that all activities have been accounted for, and that the most representative emissions data available are used. In some cases, DEQ will require a facility to perform source testing at this stage if insufficient data is available to estimate emissions. ​

​​​​​​​​For an introduction to emissions inventories and why they matter, please see EPA’s Fact Sheet. DEQ is currently finalizing a fact sheet specific to our Cleaner Air Oregon program. A facility-specific emissions inventory timeline and associated documents are linked below.
 
March 4, 2019: DEQ calls Owens-Brockway into the program

July 31, 2019: Owens-Brockway submits a source test report for Furnaces A and D

Aug. 1, 2019: Owens-Brockway submits Emissions Inventory and Supporting Documentation for DEQ review

  • Emissions inventory: An Emissions Inventory is a list of each toxic air contaminant regulated under the Cleaner Air Oregon rules that a facility emits in a given year. The Emissions Inventory includes the amount of each toxic air contaminant emitted from each individual emissions-producing activity.

Oct. 30, 2019: DEQ completes review of Source Test Report for May 2019 testing

Feb. 6, 2020: DEQ requests revisions and supporting Emissions Inventory information

March 6, 2020: Facility submitted an extension request for Emissions Inventory revisions

March 9, 2020: Facility submitted supplemental information for extension request

March 16, 2020: DEQ approved extension request

March 30, 2020: Facility submitted extension request for CAO source testing

May 1, 2020: DEQ responded to extension request

May 15, 2020: Facility submitted revised Emissions Inventory

July 13, 2020: DEQ responded to revised Emissions Inventory

July 17, 2020: Facility submitted Furnace D source test plan

July, 21, 2020: Facility submitted revised Furnace D source test plan

July 24, 2020: DEQ approved source test plan

Aug. 12, 2020: Facility submitted revised Emissions Inventory

Oct. 23, 2020: DEQ responded to revised Emissions Inventory

Nov. 4, 2020: Owens-Brockway submits a source test report for Furnace D testing completed in August 2020

Nov. 13, 2020: Facility submitted revised Emissions Inventory

Nov. 19, 2020: DEQ sent facility the August 18-19, 2020 Source Test Review Report:
Dec. 16, 2020: DEQ requested revised Emissions Inventory
Jan. 18, 2021: Facility submitted revised Emissions Inventory

March 18, 2021: DEQ approves Emissions Inventory

Aug. 3, 2021: Owens-Brockway requests extension to submit revised CAO Emissions Inventory, Modeling Protocol, Risk Assessment Work Plan, and Level 4 Risk Assessment by September 20, 2021.

Aug. 11, 2021: DEQ responded to extension request

Aug. 19, 2021: Owens-Brockway submits revised Emissions Inventory

Sept. 20, 2021: Owens-Brockway submits a revised Emissions Inventory


April 14, 2022: DEQ sent letter regarding revised reporting requirements for exempt TEUs


The Modeling Protocol provides information on how the facility plans to accurately model the concentrations of Toxic Air Contaminants (TACs) that community members may be exposed to based on the TAC emissions data from the approved Emissions Inventory. A Risk Assessment Work Plan is required for more complex Risk Assessments (Level 3 or Level 4) and provides more detailed information about locations where people live or normally congregate around the facility and how risk to these community members will be evaluated.
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Modeling Protocol
 
To better understand what kind of information is included in a modeling protocol, please see DEQ’s Draft Recommended Procedures for Air Quality Dispersion Modeling.

Aug. 1, 2019: Owens-Brockway submits Modeling Protocol for DEQ review
Feb. 6, 2020: DEQ requests revisions and supporting Modeling Protocol information
March 6, 2020: Facility submitted an extension request for Modeling Protocol revisions
March 16, 2020: DEQ approved extension request
May 8, 2020: Facility submitted revised Modeling Protocol
July 13, 2020: DEQ responded to revised Modeling Protocol
Aug. 12, 2020: Facility submitted revised Modeling Protocol
Dec. 16, 2020: DEQ requested revised Modeling Protocol
Jan. 18, 2021: Facility submitted revised Modeling Protocol
Sept. 20, 2021: Facility submitted a Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Risk Assessment Work Plan and supporting modeling files
  • These files are very large. Please submit a public records request to review these documents.
Dec. 6, 2021: DEQ requests revisions to Work Plan and Assessment

Jan. 5, 2022: Owens-Brockway submits revised Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Work Plan and Risk Assessment

March 10, 2022: DEQ approves Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Work Plan and Risk Assessment and provides revised calculation spreadsheets 

Risk Assessment Work Plan

To better understand what kind of information is included in a risk assessment work plan, please see DEQ’s Draft Recommended Procedures for Conducting Toxic Air Contaminant Health Risk Assessments.
 

Aug. 1, 2019: Owens-Brockway submits Level 3 Risk Assessment Work Plan for DEQ review Level 3 Risk Assessment Work Plan

Feb 6, 2020: DEQ requests revisions and supporting Risk Assessment Work Plan information  

March 6, 2020: Facility submitted an extension request for Risk Assessment Work Plan revisions

March 16, 2020: DEQ approved extension request

May 8, 2020: Facility submitted revised Risk Assessment Work Plan

July 13, 2020: DEQ responded to revised Risk Assessment Work Plan

Aug. 12, 2020: Facility submitted revised Risk Assessment Work Plan

Oct. 23, 2020: DEQ responded to revised Risk Assessment Work Plan

Nov. 13, 2020: Facility submitted revised Risk Assessment Work Plan​

April 21, 2021: DEQ approves Risk Assessment Work Plan

April 22, 2021: DEQ requests Owens-Brockway to complete risk assessment before operating Furnace A

April 27, 2021: Owens-Brockway notifies DEQ that Furnace A is shutdown indefinitely

May 10, 2021: DEQ requests revisions to emissions inventory and modeling protocol based on closure of Furnace A

Sept. 20, 2021: Facility submitted a Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Risk Assessment Work Plan

​Dec. 6, 2021: DEQ requests revisions to Work Plan and Assessment

Jan. 5, 2022: Owens-Brockway submits revised Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Work Plan and Risk Assessment

March 10, 2022: DEQ approves Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Work Plan and Risk Assessment and provides revised calculation spreadsheets 



The Risk Assessment provides the summary of findings on potential risks to the surrounding community from emissions of Toxic Air Contaminants from this facility. The assessment indicates the exposure location(s) in the community with the highest potential Cancer and Noncancer health risk, and DEQ uses this information to regulate TAC emissions from the facility. In some cases, the risk may be very low, and no further action may be required, or the risk may exceed health-based standards where DEQ can require risk reductions. In most cases, permit conditions will be developed and included in a facility's air quality permit to regulate TAC emissions based on the results of the risk assessment.​

Sept. 20, 2021: Facility submitted Level 4 Risk Assessment and supporting calculations. (These files are very large. Please submit a public records request to review these documents.)​

Dec. 6, 2021: DEQ requests revisions to Work Plan and Assessment

Jan. 5, 2022: Owens-Brockway submits revised Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Work Plan and Risk Assessment

March 10, 2022: DEQ approves Level 4 Modeling Protocol and Work Plan and Risk Assessment and provides revised calculation spreadsheets 


About the facility

Owens-Brockway Glass Plant #21 produces a variety of glass bottles and jars from post-consumer glass and raw materials. This plant has been operating in Portland since 1956.

Contact

JR Giska, Project Manager

Community resources

Site address

9710 NE Glass Plant Road,
Portland, OR 97220

Current air permit

How to get involved

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If you have questions, please email us.