Central Valley residents by the thousands converged on the California Capitol Wednesday demanding the same level of services and support that lawmakers give to coastal and urban communities.
Activists taking part in the 4th annual Equity on the Mall in Sacramento say state politicians are overlooking the needs of poorer communities in the Central Valley…
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.
African-Americans and Hispanics breathe in far more deadly air pollution than they are responsible for making, a new study said.
A study looked at who is exposed to fine particle pollution — responsible for about 100,000 American deaths a year — and how much different races are responsible for the pollution based on their buying, driving and living habits…
African-Americans and Hispanics breathe in far more deadly air pollution than they are responsible for making, a new study said.
A study looked at who is exposed to fine particle pollution — responsible for about 100,000 American deaths a year — and how much different races are responsible for the pollution based on their buying, driving and living habits…
Love and energy aren’t always enough to provide what Allensworth, a historic African-American town, needs most: clean water, accessible to all…
One day in 1979, Nettie Morrison, then 44 and living near Bakersfield, California, announced she was moving — to a tiny rural town called Allensworth, 40 miles north. Hardly anyone had even heard of it, and those who had thought she was crazy. “People said, ‘Why would you want to move out there?’” recalls her daughter, Denise Kadara, who was already married by then. “‘There’s nothing for you up there.’ But she knew it was a historically black town and wanted to be a part of it.”…
California community and environmental groups have reached a settlement with Plains All American, the Bakersfield Crude Terminal and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to curtail emissions and boost safety at California’s largest operating crude-by-rail terminal, Kallanish Energy reports.
The settlement of a 2015 lawsuit requires the Bakersfield Crude Terminal in Taft, California, to use safer tank cars, swap some diesel equipment for electric equipment to offset nitrogen oxide emissions, cease unnecessary engine idling and increase monitoring for flammable or toxic air pollutants…
Community and environmental groups reached a settlement with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, Bakersfield Crude Terminal and Plains All American that will reduce air emissions and increase safety at the largest crude-by-rail terminal operating in California.
This settlement of a 2015 lawsuit requires the Bakersfield Crude Terminal in Taft, Calif. to use safer tank cars, swap some diesel equipment for electrical equipment or offset nitrogen oxide emissions, cease unnecessary engine idling of onsite equipment and increase monitoring for flammable or toxic air pollutants.
“Safer tank cars rolling on our rails and less diesel emissions will help protect the low-income communities of color that are being impacted every day by the transport of fossil fuels,” said Andres Soto, an organizer with Communities for a Better Environment…
It is time for Kern County to understand the word “safety” in all of its essence.
With the passage of Measure N in November last year, the city of Bakersfield is expecting to bring in an additional $50 million each year toward public safety. This measure passed with a mere 97 votes, and its language reads in part:
“To prevent cuts/improve 911 emergency response, police/fire protection, anti-gang/drug units, neighborhood police patrols; rapid response to assaults, robberies, gang violence, home burglaries; crime prevention; address homelessness; retain, attract jobs/businesses; unrestricted general revenue purposes; shall the measure be adopted approving an ordinance establishing a one-cent sales tax providing $50,000,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring independent audits, citizens oversight.”…
The Conservancy strives to benefit all Californians through our projects. There are underserved populations in California (such as disadvantaged communities, persons with disabilities, tribes, and others) that disproportionately confront barriers to health and wellbeing and face increased vulnerability to environmental issues. Our work to restore habitats and watersheds, provide public access and recreational opportunities, and increase resilience to climate change should promote environmental equity and justice…
In the late 1920s, the Methodist Community Church of Santa Fe Springs, California, was going broke. The town’s pious, churchgoing farmers had leased their land to oil companies and fled to the coast to escape the industrial blight, and the roughnecks who replaced them weren’t exactly the tithing kind. The church elders initially resisted collaborating with the wildcatters but soon gave in. With the understanding that any royalties would redound to the church, they allowed the General Petroleum Company to raise a derrick and spud a well on church property. Black crude gushed forth, just as the oilmen had predicted…