Port's Hillsboro Airport Leaded Avgas Roundtable
Fails to Deliver
Beginning in February of 2024, the Port of Portland sponsored three roundtable meetings on transitioning to leaded aviation fuel at the Hillsboro Airport (HIO). Unfortunately, very little outreach was done to inform the public about these meetings. They were not publicized in local newspapers nor were they included on the Port's community engagement calendar thus very few people were even aware they were taking place. At an October 9, 2024 Port Commission meeting, Steve Nagy, Director of Airport Operations, informed commissioners that a plan for transitioning to unleaded aviation fuel would be presented at the final roundtable meeting on 11/26/2024. As made clear in Blaine Ackley's testimony at a subsequent Port Commission meeting, included below, this did not occur.
12/11/24 Port of Portland Commission Meeting
Chair Coba, Vice President Luther and Commissioners:
In management circles, "leadership" refers to the ability to inspire, motivate, and influence a team towards achieving a shared goal, often by setting a clear vision, guiding through change, and empowering individuals to contribute to the organization's success; it goes beyond just authority and focuses on building a positive team culture and aligning people towards a common purpose.
Given this definition, I was really looking forward to the November 20, 2024 Hillsboro Avgas Roundtable Zoom meeting because at the October meeting in response to a question from the Commission, Steve Nagy, stated that a “draft transition plan” would be presented at that meeting.
Consequently, I was surprised when there was no draft plan presented at the meeting. Just more incomplete, misleading, or obfuscating comments from the Port Staff. I was also surprised because according to the Port, transitioning to unleaded fuel is their #1 priority at HIO. So is that the vision?
In my experience, when you have a clear vision, leadership sets strategic objectives and project due dates so the whole organization can focus on the vision and everyone knows their role and responsibilities.
Therefore, I was surprised that neither Mr. Nagy, Mr. Pippinger, Mr. Robinhold, or any of the Commissioners chose to attend or even listen in to this meeting.
What we have is a leadership failure at the Port of Portland. When might we see a transition plan? When might we see an update from the Roundtable? We were told sometime in the Spring. Hello, who's on first base and where is first base?
What happened to the vision, the plan? While the Port is trying to figure things out, we residents of Hillsboro will just be getting sprayed with another 1,500 lbs. of toxic lead.
Meanwhile, Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose is already pumping G100UL avgas. Why not us?
The Commission needs to demand that the Port develop and implement a strategic plan to sell G100UL avgas at HIO and Troutdale.
I also recommend that the Port allocate $250,000 to the Washington County Health Department to test the lead levels in the blood of children attending those schools in a two-mile radius of the airport.
I further recommend that the Port post high lead level warning signs around the perimeter of the airport.
Blaine Ackley
Hillsboro resident living near the airport
Blaine Ackley is a University of Portland Associate Professor Emeritus, specializing in organizational change and teacher education. Formerly, he was an elementary, middle school, high school teacher and administrator in Idaho, Chile, Oregon, and Alaska. His education includes a BA in History, Political Science, and Sociology from the University of Montana (1961-65), M.Ed. (1973) and an Ed.D. from the University of Oregon (1991). For more than two decades, he has advocated for the elimination of lead from aviation fuel as well as the reduction of aviation noise and pollution generated by the Hillsboro Airport.
GAMI G100UL, an FAA approved unleaded aviation fuel is now commercially available through General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAMI). For additional information click here.
For information about Vitol, the energy company currently producing G100UL, click here.
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