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Gov. Kate Brown this week named an interim director of the troubled Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which has been under fire since The Portland Mercury first reported on toxic emissions from two Portland glass manufacturers.
On Wednesday, Brown issued a statement naming Salem lawyer Pete Shepherd to the top DEQ post until she completes a nationwide search for a permanent director.
Shepherd is not an environmental lawyer, nor does the former University of Oregon history major bring subject expertise to the post. What he is is the consummate Salem insider with the skills and Rolodex to put out a major fire.
Brown didn't mention in her announcement that Shepherd works for the Harrang Long law firm, which has been enormously influential and well-connected to state government for the past 25 years.
The firm has served as a shadow Oregon Department of Justice. Many of its lawyers worked at DOJ under attorney generals: first Dave Frohnmayer, who served from 1981 to 1991, then Hardy Myers, who served from 1997 through 2009. Shepherd was Myers' top deputy and Brown's communications director, Kristen Grainger, was Myers' spokesperson.
In recent years, Harrang Long has regularly represented the state and the University of Oregon in high-profile court cases, as well as Nike and out-of-state companies such as Philip Morris that have faced major Oregon litigation.
With one class action lawsuit already filed against Portland's Bullseye Glass, it's a safe bet that lawyers will be evaluating DEQ's liability as well—and Brown will want to make sure there are no other ugly surprises hidden in the agency's sleepy hallways.
Brown announced Shepherd's hiring as part of a new initiative called "Cleaner Air Oregon, which Brown will seed with $2.5 million lawmakers appropriated earlier.
Updated with OLCV comment at 3:30 pm:
Doug Moore, the executive director of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, has been sharply critical of Brown's lack of focus on environmental issues.
But Moore applauded the governor's initiative in bringing in an experienced manager to clean up DEQ and to committing to increased emphasis on policing the environment.
"This is really good news," Moore says. "Only the governor can fix these problems and she's shown she's willing to do that."
Willamette Week