FORECASTER • March 3, 2021
There are elevated levels of toxic chemicals in the air in parts of South Portland, but officials need to collect more data to be sure it’s being caused by above-ground petroleum storage tanks in the city. That’s the key finding of the city’s Clean Air Advisory Committee, presented along with the committee’s recommendations at a city council workshop March 2. The council commissioned the committee, led by Facilitator David Plumb, in September 2019 after the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that Global Partners, LLC, which operates several above-ground oil storage tanks, had violated the Clean Air Act.