SPECTRUM NEWS • March 10, 2023
Four years since the issue came before its city council, South Portland is still grappling with air quality issues popularly blamed on petroleum storage tanks. Progress has been hampered in part by logistical problems and disputes between state and local officials. A report report cited staffing problems with DEP being an obstacle. Andrew Johnson, director of DEP’s Division of Air Quality Assessment, said he has been working with the city on the problem since 2019, but described his role as “consultant,” and said major decisions were in the hands of city officials.