As International Waste Crime Investigation Continues, DEQ Focuses on 6,000 Tires Left Behind in Central Oregon
SUNRIVER, Ore. — Oregon environmental regulators say a citizen's warning about alleged environmental misconduct overseas won't change the agency's immediate focus: dealing with thousands of waste tires that remain piled on a rural Central Oregon property.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality confirmed it recently received an email from a concerned citizen regarding Jason Newman, a man previously linked to a large tire storage operation on property owned by Martin Soto Hernandez along Fort Rock Road south of Bend.
According to DEQ, the citizen shared information about alleged environmental violations involving Newman in other countries and urged the agency to consider the allegations as it continues its work in Oregon.
"The email did not include information about any environmental issue immediately occurring outside of the waste tire storage on Mr. Hernandez's property, which DEQ is already enforcing," the agency said in a statement.
DEQ also said it has been unable to contact or locate Newman. Attempts by KTVZ News to reach Newman by phone were unsuccessful.
An international investigation draws attention
The citizen complaint references a much larger environmental case unfolding across the Atlantic.
According to Britain's Environment Agency, active arrest warrants remain outstanding for Newman and another individual in connection with what investigators describe as a large-scale illegal waste dumping operation that stretched across England.
Newman has not been convicted in the case, and British authorities have not publicly disclosed his whereabouts.
The investigation focused on more than 4,200 tons of waste that regulators say was diverted from legitimate disposal facilities and dumped at 16 unauthorized sites. Those locations included farms, industrial properties, a nature reserve and even a historic manor estate.
British authorities have described the case as one of the country's most significant illegal waste investigations in recent years.
DEQ: The Oregon case is about the property owner
Despite those allegations overseas, DEQ officials say their enforcement efforts in Oregon remain focused on a much narrower issue: the conditions currently present on the Fort Rock Road property.
The agency stressed that the citizen complaint did not identify any new violations occurring in Oregon beyond the tire storage case already under investigation.
Instead, regulators say responsibility rests with the property's owner. "Because Martin is the owner of the property, he is the party responsible for proper storage and disposal of the waste tires," DEQ said.
That distinction is important because DEQ's enforcement authority is tied to the property and its owner, regardless of who may have been involved in bringing tires to the site.
Thousands of tires, a $30,000 penalty and an ongoing appeal
The latest developments come just months after Hernandez appealed a roughly $30,000 civil penalty issued by DEQ over the Fort Rock Road property.
State inspectors documented an estimated 6,000 waste tires at the site, according to agency records.
Regulators say that volume of tires presents both environmental and public safety concerns. Tire piles can become breeding grounds for pests, and tire fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish. Once ignited, they can burn for extended periods and release hazardous pollutants into the air and soil.
DEQ alleges Hernandez operated a waste tire storage facility without the permits required under Oregon law and failed to comply with regulations governing the handling and storage of waste tires.
Hernandez has appealed the penalty, launching an administrative review process that remains ongoing.
Agency encourages public tips
While DEQ says its attention remains fixed on the Fort Rock Road site, officials emphasized that public complaints continue to play an important role in environmental enforcement.
"Reports of pollution from Oregonians are an important element of the enforcement of Oregon's environmental laws," the agency said.
DEQ added that if it receives information about environmental violations connected to Newman outside the Fort Rock Road property, it has the authority to investigate.
Residents can submit environmental complaints through DEQ's online reporting system.
