DEQ Announces Changes to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission
Commission Selects New Chair and Vice-Chair; Announces New Commissioner and Re-Appointment
The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission has selected Ed Armstrong as chair and Melinda Eden as vice-chair. The commission also welcomed new Commissioner Sam Baraso and welcomed back Commissioner Colleen Johnson. These changes went into effect February 1, 2017.
New Chair Armstrong said, “We are incredibly grateful to Chair Jane O’Keeffe for her contributions over the past eight years. Under her leadership, we persevered during tremendous pressure in 2016, which led to the current effort to rewrite Oregon’s industrial air toxics regulations.”
The EQC is a five-member citizen panel appointed by the governor of Oregon for four-year terms to serve as the Department of Environmental Quality’s policy and rulemaking board. In addition to adopting rules, the EQC also establishes policies, issues orders, judges appeals of fines or other DEQ actions, and appoints the DEQ director.
The commission is in the process of recruiting a new DEQ director and held an executive session this morning to continue discussions on the hiring process. On January 19, the commission approved two finalists: Leanne Mosby and Richard Whitman. For more details on DEQ’s director recruitment, including information on the public meetings held January 24-26, visit: http://www.oregon.gov/deq/Pages/director2017.aspx
New Commissioner Baraso replaces former Chair Jane O'Keeffe, whose term was extended from July 30, 2016 through January 2017. Commissioner Baraso said, “I look forward to leveraging my experience in environmental management, finance, data modeling, policy, and community engagement toward a healthy, thriving Oregon.” He continued, “I believe that a truly sustainable Oregon is ecologically, economically, and socially healthy.”
Commissioner Baraso works as a senior policy analyst in the Multnomah County’s Office of Sustainability developing financing mechanisms to support building resiliency investments. He has worked on projects at the intersection of health and the environment, evaluating research on the use of green infrastructure for water quality, air quality, and psychological health. Before his role at the county, Sam developed water quality and mitigation banking programs for endangered species across the Northwest.
Members of the Oregon Environmental Commission include: Chair Ed Armstrong, Hebo; Vice Chair Melinda Eden, Milton-Freewater; Colleen Johnson, Portland; Morgan Rider, Portland; and, Sam Baraso, Portland. Commissioners typically serve four-year terms, with a two-term limit.
Media Contacts:
Stephanie Caldera, EQC Assistant, 503-229-5301
Jennifer Flynt, public affairs specialist, 503-229-6585
