Public Health Standards
Protecting Communities. Preventing Pollution. Promoting Justice!
For decades, communities in west Eugene, especially in the 97402 zip code, have faced the burden of heavy industrial pollution. Many families live, work, walk their dogs, and send their children to school just steps away from polluting manufacturers. This long-standing pattern has led to increased health risks, decreased property values, and a loss of trust in land use decision-making.
In response, Beyond Toxics and community partners are advocating for public health to become a top priority in how Eugene makes land use and zoning decisions!
Our Proposed Policy Solution: Public Health Standards
The Public Health Standards (PHS) - originally called the Public Health Overlay Zone - are proposed updates to Eugene’s land use codes that will:
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Create protective buffer zones between polluting industries and sensitive sites like homes, schools, parks, and daycare centers.
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Shift the burden of proof onto polluting industries to show that their projects won’t cause harm, especially in already overburdened neighborhoods.
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Require more review and community input before new industrial developments are approved.
Ultimately, we believe this policy has the potential to stop highly toxic facilities like J.H. Baxter from being placed next to residential neighborhoods in Eugene, Oregon ever again!
Take Action
You can take action now to ensure Public Health Standards are implemented in Eugene’s zoning laws! Here’s how to get involved:
Attend the Public Health Standards Community Meeting
Thursday, May 15, 6-8 p.m.
Lion of Judah Community Center, 2600 Wood Ave. Eugene
Hear from City staff and community organizations for more information!
Fill out the City's survey by May 18
As always, you can write to your city councilor and let them know you support Public Health Standards. Sign up for Action Alerts and stay tuned for updates!
A History of Industrial Pollution in West Eugene
Why we need public health standards
Early 2000s
Listening and Responding
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Community members and teachers in West Eugene contacted Beyond Toxics about toxic smells and children getting sick at school.
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Reports of noxious odors, headaches, and the inability to use backyards became alarmingly frequent.
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Beyond Toxics began organizing, investigating, and advocating for clean air and environmental justice.
2021
J.H. Baxter Contamination Confirmed
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DEQ testing found dangerously high levels of dioxins—a cancer-causing chemical—in soil and groundwater near the J.H. Baxter wood treatment facility.
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In March, DEQ fined J.H. Baxter over $223,000 for environmental violations, including illegal hazardous waste disposal and pollution of Amazon Creek.
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The site is now added to the National Priorities List, slated to become a Superfund cleanup site.
September 2022
Proposal Submitted
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Beyond Toxics formally introduced the Public Health Overlay Zone proposal to the Eugene City Council.
October 18, 2023
A unanimous vote for Public Health
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The Eugene City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to draft new Public Health Standards for the city’s land use code.
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The Council’s vote reflected years of organizing and direct advocacy from West Eugene residents and environmental justice partners.
January-May 2025
The City of Eugene launches a Community Engagement Plan
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The City is meeting with key stakeholders and community members to develop Public Health Standards, research best practices.
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City staff will provide an update to Council on the results in Summer 2025.
What's At Stake?
For families living in West Eugene, this isn’t just about zoning codes or land use maps, it’s about survival, dignity, and holding polluters accountable for their actions.
West Eugene is home to thousands of people, including families, elders, children, and pets who have endured decades of toxic exposure from toxic industrial pollution. Many are lower-income, working-class, or people of color.
They didn’t choose to live next to chemical plants and diesel truck routes, the city zoned their neighborhoods that way and the homes in this area are some of the only affordable homes available in town.
Because of this toxic legacy, West Eugene has become a sacrifice zone, where polluting industries are allowed to set up shop right next to homes, playgrounds, dog parks, and schools. As a result, these communities are threatened by higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and cancer, along with lower property values and persistent neglect.
This isn’t theoretical, it’s real. And it’s still happening.
The Biofuels Terminal That Almost Happened
A Trainsong resident and her two children.
In 2024, a company proposed building a 16-tank biofuels terminal in the Trainsong neighborhood, a part of West Eugene already choked by train exhaust, diesel emissions, and heavy industry. The facility would’ve brought volatile fuels like ethanol and biodiesel into the neighborhood by the truckload, over 40 round-trips per day, without any guarantees for fire safety, spill prevention, or evacuation planning.
The proposal blindsided residents. There was no notice, no community input, and no accountability. People were left wondering: Why does this keep happening here?
The answer lies in our outdated land use system, a system that fails to protect the most exposed frontline communities. Thanks to fierce organizing by local residents and neighborhood groups like Active Bethel Community, we were able to band together and put a stop to the proposed biofuels facility in Trainsong.
But this won’t be the last threat to our health and land. Until we pass the Public Health Standards, there is nothing stopping another hazardous facility from moving into west Eugene.
Our Ongoing Advocacy
Beyond Toxics continues to push for the city to follow through on its commitment to protect neighborhoods from industrial harm by:
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Pressing for the immediate adoption of Public Health Standards citywide.
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Ensuring sensitive sites are identified and protected before industrial permits are granted.
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Supporting impacted communities with organizing tools, testimony workshops, and legal insights.
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Demanding that polluters, not people, bear the burden of proving their projects are safe.
A Healthier, More Just Eugene is Possible
We believe that Eugene can grow its economy without sacrificing the health and safety of its most vulnerable communities. The Public Health Standards offer a fair, science-backed path forward.
Let’s make sure our local laws reflect the values of public health, environmental protection, and community equity.
