DEQ fines PGE $260,700 for air quality violations at Boardman plant
Published 1:00 pm Monday, June 29, 2026
By EastOregonian.com
Nixyaawii Community Financial Services Executive Director Dave Tovey, center, speaks to attendees Aug. 10, 2021 at a ribbon cutting for the new NCFS office at 46440 Kusi Road, No. A-3, on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission. Portland General Electric as part of pollution penalty in May 2026 agreed to pay $208,560 toward a solar energy system for the NCFS. (East Oregonian, File)
BOARDMAN — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a $260,700 penalty in May against Portland General Electric for air quality and greenhouse gas emission violations at its Carty Generating Station near Boardman.
The penalty was among 11 the DEQ issued in May totaling $540,262 for environmental violations statewide.
According to the DEQ, PGE miscalculated emissions, exceeded its annual limits and failed to report the overages in a timely manner. The DEQ found PGE calculated its emissions in metric tons instead of the smaller short tons as its permit required.
The utility exceeded its permitted plant site emission limits over a 30-month period between 2023 and 2025, with five of those months classified as major violations.
PGE to help pay for solar energy project in Mission
Portland General Electric paid $52,140 in cash directly to the state to mitigate a large portion of the. As part of the agreement, however, PGE also must pay for a pollution prevention project, specifically paying $208,560 toward a solar energy system for the Nixyaawii Community Financial Services on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission. The solar energy system and the infrastructure will be on the site that will be home to the future Community Commerce Center.
The project will offset fossil fuel-based electricity through on-site solar generation and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is also expected to lower overall energy demand through shared infrastructure and efficient energy systems.
The overall cost of the project is $400,000.
