On Oct. 8, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a law (S.B. 673) aimed at improving protections for low-income and minority communities from hazardous waste impacts. What makes it of national interest is one of its requirements that the California agency in charge of issuing new or modified related permits—the Department of Toxic Substances Control—consider establishing or updating its regulations to assess the “cumulative impact” of its actions…
News
This page features excerpts from news about environmental justice advocacy in the San Joaquin Valley and links to their original sources. Use the features on the right to sort by topic, news source, date, key word or author. You may also subscribe to receive the news by e-mail or through an rss reader. Please note that links to original sources may expire over time.
While touting the importance of environmental justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pushing a draft “framework” for tackling the problem that lacks substance, residents of polluted communities, advocates and agency employees say.
Last week, the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice released more than 600 public comments filed by environmental groups, trade associations, academics and citizens on what it calls the “EJ 2020 Action Agenda,” a proposed plan for advancing environmental justice over the next five years…
In a major decision that will reduce air pollution across California for years to come but cost billions of dollars to implement, the Obama administration on Thursday rolled out tougher new health standards for ground level ozone, the main component of smog…
The Federal Clean Air Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1970 and last amended by Congress in 1990 under President George H. Bush, has served the nation well. However, over the last 25 years, important lessons have been learned from implementing the law, and it is clear now that a number of well-intentioned provisions in the Act are leading to unintended consequences. The antiquated provisions of the Clean Air Act are now leading to confusion, and lack of updated congressional directive has rendered courts and non-elected government bureaucrats as policy makers. We urge the Congress and the President to take bipartisan action to modernize the Act. Failure to correct the structural deficiencies in the Act will lead to economic devastation for San Joaquin Valley residents and businesses without commensurate benefit in improving the region’s air quality…
An important part of all the talk around renewable energy is how we can make it accessible to everyone, and not just the fortunate few who prefer Teslas with their Dom Perignon. But in California, they’re doing more than just talking about it — they’re making it happen on a larger scale than anywhere else in the country…
When I walk through southeast Los Angeles, I see dozens of apartment buildings that could be transformed into hot spots of renewable energy generation. These affordable housing units – home to thousands of renters and with their large, flat roofs – have a huge untapped potential…
Among the environmental justice bills signed into law by Governor Brown in the 2015 session included priority bills by the California Environmental Justice Alliance…
In Matheny Tract, California, the sour odor of sewage is especially strong in the morning—and so is the irony that residents can’t connect to the system it represents.
The poor, unincorporated community of roughly 300 homes sits adjacent to the city of Tulare, population 61,000. A single, dusty field is all that separates Matheny Tract’s mostly African-American and Latino residents from Tulare’s recently expanded wastewater treatment plant. Though Tulare’s sewer system is more robust than ever, Matheny Tract residents must use septic tanks, since they are not part of the city…
It’s official. California Gov. Jerry Brown just signed climate-change bill SB 350 into law.
The landmark measure promises to reduce California’s greenhouse gases by increasing the use of renewable energy. By 2030, 50 percent of the state’s electricity will be produced by renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal)…
El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpia/People for Clean Air and Water of Kettleman City and Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice submit these comments on behalf of our members in Kettleman City as well as members around the state who will be harmed by the precedent of the proposed closing of this case by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board’s (Central Valley Water Board). We strongly object to the Water Board’s handling of this case including the proposed closing of the case without remediation or fines…