DEQ seeks dismissal of oysterman’s lawsuit

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon environmental regulators are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit that looks to strengthen pollution regulations in Tillamook Bay.

The Capital Press reports attorneys for the state Department of Environmental Quality have asked Tillamook County Circuit Judge Mari Garric Trevino to throw out the case before it goes to trial scheduled for next month.

Oyster Co. President Jesse Hayes claims in the suit that excessive fecal coliform bacteria from area dairies have curtailed or shut down harvests from his oyster beds in the bay.

The state claims its total maximum daily load regulation for the bacteria in the rivers is a final agency order that can only be challenged through an administrative process, but the deadline for an objection has long passed.

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Information from: Capital Press, http://www.capitalpress.com/washington