Bullseye Glass responded Friday night to the cease and desist order that has brought production nearly to a standstill. Air monitoring showed unsafe lead levels at a children's daycare near Bullseye's production plant on the same day the company was recorded using high amounts of lead in its glass.
Bullseye's specialty is glass made for fusion projects — formed in kilns.
April Baer / OPB
The Southeast Portland art glass maker accused the state Department of Environmental Quality of waiting nearly 12 hours before releasing the test results.
Jim Jones is a Vice President for Sales at Bullseye.
"When we first started working with DEQ, our goal was to be the cleanest art glass manufacturer in the U.S," said Jim Jones, Vice President for Sales at Bullseye Glass. The regulatory action, he added, "doesn't seem to be going in that direction. It seems like DEQ has a credibility problem. It seems like they're trying to build up their credibility on the backs of Bullseye."
Bullseye is in the process of installing filters on its furnaces, to comply with air quality rules. Previously, the parties agreed to a September timeline.
DEQ has ordered a halt in production for ten days for all glass made with a list of nine metals — many of which are key to Bullseye’s product lines.
DEQ spokeswoman Jennifer Flynt said the agency followed procedure in seeking the order, rather than going to the company directly. She said the agency wants to work with Bullseye to resolve emissions issues, and that the company is free to produce using metals if it can put pollution controls in place.