February 2025 marks Clean Rivers Cooperative Operations Manager Carl Boelter’s 15-year anniversary with the Cooperative. We are proud to celebrate Carl this month and spotlight his service and dedication to the Cooperative, his immense industry knowledge, and the many important contributions he has made to this industry over the last decade and a half.
Prior to coming on at the Cooperative, Carl worked as a machinist for Stanley Proto Tools in the late 80’s, an independent contractor for commercial and residential housing and then for 15 years with longtime Cooperative Member Owens Corning, at their asphalt plant in Portland where he worked as an operator before moving into a safety and maintenance role.
In 2010, Carl joined Clean Rivers Cooperative as Assistant Manager, working with Ernie Quesada as General Manager. In 2018, Carl was promoted into his current role as the Operations Manager. This past year, he added a new responsibility as our designated trainer for the Cooperative’s Response Manager Training Program.
Throughout Carl’s tenure with Clean Rivers, he has responded to over 50 spill / threat of spill incidents. One of his most memorable responses was a wildlife response in Medford, Oregon in the Spring of 2022. A fire at a fueling facility caused the release of product into a nearby creek resulting in significantly oiled wildlife. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality requested Clean Rivers to deploy the wildlife response and rehabilitation system to the incident to be utilized by personnel from International Bird Rescue (IBR). Because IBR was shorthanded one day, they asked Carl to assist with washing birds. This was his first (and only to date) time performing this task and he says that it was a great learning experience. Carl has developed strong relationships with our members, state and federal regulators and industry partners. Scott Smith of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says “DEQ is thankful to Carl for his professionalism, his attention to detail and his long-standing efforts to protect the environment.”
During his time with the Cooperative, Carl has taken part in numerous training courses and has earned many certifications. Some of the training courses he has taken are the Texas A & M Oil Program, Northwest Oil Spill School, and the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility (better known as Ohmsett). Some of his certifications include Aerial Observation and Operations Section Chief. Carl has participated with The Association of Petroleum Industry Cooperative Managers (APICOM) Health, Safety, Environment, and Training Committee (HSET) since 2017. He served as Co-Chair in 2023 and 2024 and is now the Chairman of the Committee for 2025.
As Operations Manager, one of Carl’s duties is to manage equipment projects and work with the Clean Rivers / MFSA Joint Equipment Committee to procure additional response equipment. The equipment project that Carl says he is most proud of is the Marco Skimming Vessel “John Hartup”. In 2020, he facilitated the purchase of a Kvichak skimming vessel at a discounted price and through 2021 he oversaw the build out and outfitting in-house, that included many hours of hydraulic and electrical equipment installation. This project was managed so well that it completed $50K under budget and made a top-notch OSRV.
When asked what he likes best about working for Clean Rivers, he responded that he loves the versatility of the schedule. One day you may be in the office and the next day out on the river. In true Carl fashion, he says that he is most proud of the current team of Cooperative staff, and the collaboration and flexibility that the full staff bring. If you have met Carl Boelter, you know what we mean when we say that he is the heart and soul of the Cooperative. Thank you, Carl, for your years of service to the Cooperative and the Lower Columbia and Willamette River community.
