Why our work is so important:

 

Bad air, bad health show stronger ties - Fresno Bee (9/21/05)
"The link between premature death and fine particulates is not new. The particle darts have been blamed for about 1,100 early deaths annually in the Valley.But the latest study - which zeroed in on particulate levels in individual neighborhoods - showed the connection between air pollution and early death to be three times as large as that reported in past studies of cities in the United States..."
Link to study cited in article here.
Air Pollution 101

A community organizing and education tool, prepared by Fresno Metro Ministry.

Air Pollution and What You Can Do (California Air Resources Board)
This website provides some background materials concerning the problems of air pollution and documents which explain ways we can help reduce air pollution in our communities.

It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air
A public education and partnership-building initiative developed collaboratively by several federal agencies to help regional, state and community efforts to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

Transportation Solutions
Learn about your regional transit options.

Buying a Clean Vehicle: Greenest Cars 2004 and Meanest Cars 2004
The Green Book is a guide published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy that provides information on aspects of automotive environmental performance for every new car, pickup truck, minivan and SUV sold in the United States.

Clean Air for Life (Environmental Defense)
Includes tips you can take to clean the air.
 
Fact Sheets (Spanish and English)
Smoggy Fresno

Air Pollution in SJV: Bigger Killer than Homicide (English/ Spanish)

SJV Residents Breathe Most Dangerous Air in the Country (English/Spanish)

Policy Solutions for the SJV (English/Spanish)

A History of Regulatory Failure (English)
 
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA, as a federal agency, sets national air quality standards, oversees state and local actions, and implements programs for toxic air pollutants, heavy-duty trucks, locomotives, ships, aircraft, off-road diesel equipment, and some types of industrial equipment. EPA also ultimately approves or disapproves all attainment plans and control measures adopted by the local and state agencies. When local and state agencies fail to come up with federally mandated attainment plans and control measures by certain deadlines, the Clean Air Act requires that EPA impose sanctions and/or step in to enforce air pollution regulations, or write the plans that aren't in place. For more info, visit www.epa.gov. In Spanish: www.epa.gov/espanol.

 

Is EPA doing its job?
Since the formation of the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District in 1991 until early 2002, the EPA failed to take any action on any of the Valley's woefully inadequate plans to control particulate matter. In 2002, under pressure from lawsuits and environmental and community groups, EPA was forced to take a more active role in the San Joaquin Valley. In 2004, the EPA approved the Air District's weak PM-10 Plan, which lacked key elements required by the Clean Air Act. EPA is now proposing new standards for PM that are less stringent than scientists recommend and would exempt agriculture, mining, and other "similar" sources, leaving millions of Valley residents without protection from dangerous levels of dust and soot.
 
The California Air Resources Board (CARB)

State government, through CARB, sets more stringent state air quality standards, oversees local actions, and implements air pollution control measures for motor vehicle emissions, fuels, and smog checks, as well as consumer products, such as some paints and coatings. CARB is also charged with ensuring that the transport of pollutants from one air district to another is mitigated through the local agencies' plans. For more info, visit www.arb.ca.gov.

 

Is CARB doing its job?
Traditionally, CARB rarely intervenes in local air districts' pollution control planning processes. Although this agency has the potential to require stricter pollution controls before it signs off on attainment plans and control measures, it rarely does more than simply pass the plans from the local agencies to the federal ones. In order to really make a dent in the air pollution problem that plagues the San Joaquin Valley, CARB must take a more active role in ensuring that local plans to control air pollution are consistent with both federal and state law, and it must refuse to approve plans that fail to meet those standards.
 
Transportation Planning Agencies (TPAs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)

TPAs and MPOs are city, county, or regional planning agencies charged with planning and allocating funding for local and regional transportation infrastructure. The San Joaquin Valley has eight individual county-based TPAs. Each TPA is responsible for writing Regional Transportation Plans, which serve as blueprints for the development of mass transit, highway, airport, railroad, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. TPAs are also charged with developing ãtransportation control measuresä to improve air quality and ensuring that transportation plans comply with Clean Air Act standards.

 

Are the TPAs doing their job?
Because transportation planning is dispersed among eight individual agencies, there is little regional coordination for regional or universal air quality-friendly transportation planning. The TPAs need to work together to offer the region transit options that are fast, clean, and accessible, so people can leave their cars at home. Studies have shown that widening freeways only facilitates sprawl and exacerbates congestion. Transportation agencies must do more to plan for infill and mixed-use development that provides housing options closer to work, schools, and recreation.
 
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