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DEQ briefs committee on air, land and water programs; highlights nitrate groundwater work and recycling rollout
Summary
Matt Davis of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reviewed DEQ programs, the agency’s budget and priorities, including expanding air monitoring, the reestablished Climate Protection Program, implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act and plans to address nitrate contamination in three groundwater management areas.
Matt Davis, policy and external affairs manager for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, briefed the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment on Jan. 21, 2025, on DEQ’s organizational structure, regulatory context and program priorities for the coming biennium.
Davis summarized DEQ’s mission to protect Oregon’s air, land and water, noting the agency’s work is heavily structured by federal statutes and federal oversight through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He said DEQ’s legislatively approved budget for the current period is $753,000,000 and the agency employs roughly 860 full-time equivalents.
Air quality and monitoring Davis described an expanded air-monitoring program driven by longer wildfire seasons, and said DEQ has shifted from slower laboratory filter analysis to more real-time particulate monitors to provide actionable information to the public, employers and outdoor workers.…
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