Oregon DEQ approves Zenith Energy air quality permit

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued Zenith Energy an air quality permit after a complicated and years-long process.

Zenith, which stores and transports fuel from its terminal from its riverfront location in Northwest Portland, needed the permit to continue operating.

“Now that it is approved, we are focused on finalizing our transition from crude oil to renewable fuel storage to ensure Oregon has the supply it needs to meet its carbon reduction goals,” Zenith’s Chief Commercial Officer, Grady Reamer, said in a statement.

The document, officially called a Standard Air Contaminant Discharge Permit, is effective immediately. It imposes stricter emissions limits and prohibits the handling of crude oil beginning Oct. 3, 2027.

It also adds new limits on emissions not previously regulated under its Title V permit, and limits the use of new infrastructure to certain fuel types.

“The infrastructure investments being made during this transition will also ensure our terminal continues to operate at the highest standards of safety,” Reamer said. “We look forward to supporting regional leaders in creating a lower-carbon future.”

For years, nude bicyclists, kayaktivists, and others have called for Zenith to stop transporting oil through the city.

The Oregon DEQ said they received 812 written remarks from roughly 3,500 people and 60 oral comments during the public review period. The agency responds to the issues raised in the permit document. They include concerns over ambient air quality, transparency, land use and location, emission calculations, climate change and more.

Others questioned the decision to allow Zenith to self-monitor emissions.

“We cannot keep trusting companies to adequately police themselves for the good of a

community,” one commenter said.

Another said, “The permit allows for self-reporting by a corporation that time and time again has not played by the rules — Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality recently documented a history of Zenith’s illegal dock construction and illegal fuel shipments. That’s not ok.”

As KOIN 6 News previously reported, Oregon DEQ paused the permitting process in November 2024 after the agency conducted an “unannounced inspection” of the company’s Portland facility. The following month, the company was hit with a $372,600 fine for unauthorized use of the adjacent McCall dock between April 2021 and June 2024.

In its response, the Oregon DEQ wrote that it, like other states, relies on self-reporting.

“The self-monitoring and reporting requirements in the permit are representative of the requirements for all air, water, and land permits issued by DEQ and the EPA,” an agency representative wrote. “DEQ also conducts on-site inspections, both announced and unannounced, to ensure that Zenith is complying with all applicable permit requirements.”