These 10 cities had the highest level of year-round pollution and some of the highest incidences of heart and lung issues as well, according to the American Lung Association’s annual report…
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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.
Kings County is not a good place to be breathing air, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Lung Association.
Kings got an “F” grade for ozone pollution, an “F” for the number of days with small particulate pollution and another failing grade for average levels of particulate pollution averaged over a year.
Particulate pollution is tiny particles like dust, ash and soot that get lodged in the lungs and cause health problems like asthma and bronchitis…
Central Valley communities are among the hardest hit in California under a unique new misery index that provides statewide mapping on community pollution, health and well-being.
The state Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday unveiled a new environmental screening tool that reveals – by ZIP code – how neighborhoods are affected by pesticides, truck fumes, hazardous waste and other toxic factors.
The index also tracks community health and well-being, based on such things as the number of residents living in poverty, their education levels and rates of asthma…
What it is calling the nation’s first comprehensive statewide environmental health screening tool is being released Tuesday by the California Environmental Protection Agency.
While its name doesn’t quite roll off the lips, the “CalEnviroScreen 1.0” is a science-based tool that identifies the California communities most burdened by pollution from multiple sources and most vulnerable to its effects…
Seven of California’s 10 ZIP codes most burdened by pollution are in the San Joaquin Valley and three are in Los Angeles, according to a new tool developed by state environmental officials to target communities for cleanup.
“People tend to think of more urban areas when they think of pollution effects,” said Sam Delson, a spokesman for the California Environmental Protection Agency. “That isn’t necessarily the case.”
Delson said the most immediate outcome for some of the communities might be investments and grants from the state’s cap-and-trade fund, where 25 percent of the money is supposed to be earmarked to improve the worst pockets of pollution…
It’s the first environmental health screening tool of its kind in the country.
California’s Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out “Cal Enviroscreen” which helps pinpoint communities that may be particularly vulnerable to pollution. And it’s not just for wonks. You can look up your own community. Cal Enviroscreen measures a broad range of pollutants and health indicators in every zip code across the state.
The most vulnerable community in the state? West Fresno, one of Fresno’s poorest areas. Other zip codes in the top ten include Bakersfield, Stockton and the Los Angeles-area communities of Vernon, Baldwin Park, and Boyle Heights…
The chart below tells the story of worsening ozone levels in the Southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. Three smaller towns with ozone monitors were chosen between Fresno and Bakersfield. Clovis is on the east side of the valley. Three Rivers is in the foothills at 1700 ft a couple dozen miles south of Clovis. Shafter is in the center of the valley floor a few miles northwest of Bakersfield.
It appears by the number of violations each year that none of these three places are making any progress towards reaching the federal Clean Air Act standard of essentially zero violations…
During the past three years, one of our top
priorities has been to integrate environmental
justice principles throughout the California
Environmental Protection Agency’s (Cal/EPA’s or
Agency’s) boards, departments and office. State
law defines environmental justice to mean “the fair
treatment of people of all races, cultures, and
incomes with respect to the development, adoption,
implementation and enforcement of environmental
laws, regulations, and policies.” This definition
should not just be words or an illusory concept;
rather, it must be a goal to strive for and achieve.
Cal/EPA’s mission is to restore, protect and enhance
the environment, and to ensure public health,
environmental quality and economic vitality.
Environmental justice and investment in communities
burdened by pollution are critical to accomplishing
this mission…
Last year, environmentalists and advocates for disadvantaged communities came together to enact Senate Bill 535, historic legislation to bring clean energy investment to our state’s most polluted and economically struggling areas. Now some are trying to strangle this life-saving effort before it begins.
At issue is the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool, or CalEnviroScreen, being developed by the California Environmental Protection Agency. CalEnviroScreen represents the critical first step in the process: identifying the low-income, high-pollution areas that most need help.
Astonishingly, some are objecting to this process, claiming that identifying these troubled areas will hurt them. A few have even compared it to redlining — the now-illegal practice in which banks and other businesses refused to invest in low-income or minority neighborhoods, literally drawing red lines on the map to mark off areas they wouldn’t touch.
What nonsense…
Gov. Jerry Brown has some explaining to do about his repeated promises to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in California’s rural communities.
The state is sitting on a big pile of federal money — $455 million — designated for safe drinking water. Yet residents of small towns in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as other parts of the state, still must buy bottled water because the gunk coming from their taps is dirty, smelly or unhealthy…