By Eduardo Stanley Wildfires are becoming more common and more dangerous in California, destroying communities and polluting the air we breath. While there weren’t any big fires in the Central [...] Continue Reading
Environment
We Must Choose Our Future
By Tom Frantz There is overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution, our planet has warmed about one degree Celsius. We already have witnessed significant [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: Community Emission Reduction Plans
By Tom Frantz When community residents and local businesses meet to discuss solutions to their air pollution needs, innovative ideas are sometimes the result. Ten communities in California have [...] Continue Reading
Climate Crisis Strike Events in Valley Focus on Local Environmental Challenges
By Vic BedoianPhotos by Peter Maiden Central Valley communities, hard-pressed by a multitude of environmental dangers, responded to the Climate Strike actions of Sept. 20 with enthusiasm and ire, [...] Continue Reading
Fresno County General Plan: The Struggle for Control
By Radley Reep Fresno County’s long-range land-use planning is in shambles, and local officials and county residents are sparring over how to deal with the situation. Rather than cooperating to [...] Continue Reading
Oil Production Blues
By Tom Frantz California’s 140-year-old oil company, Chevron, has been in the spotlight recently in Kern County. It is not good news. Chevron is in the process of losing a significant chunk of the [...] Continue Reading
Letters to the Editor — August 2019 — Musick Creek Confluence Property
Musick Creek Confluence is purchasing 134 acres of forest land near Shaver Lake (we are in six-month escrow, with five months to go!). The price is small, the value is great. We have been caring for [...] Continue Reading
AB 617 Not Working
B Tom Frantz In 2017, the California legislature extended cap-and-trade (AB 398) until 2030 as the key mechanism for reducing California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Major emitters of CO2 must buy [...] Continue Reading
Trash Talk
By Mike Rhodes Not long ago, it was possible for a company such as Mid Valley Disposal to make a profit from and pay the city some money for picking up customers’ blue bins. That is no longer the [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: A Just Transition
By Tom Frantz There is no question the earth is warming rapidly because of human activity. Our inability to fully accept this looming disaster has resulted in insufficient public action to quickly [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: High-Speed Rail Construction Is a Dirty Business
By Tom Frantz Readers may have noticed recent high-speed rail (HSR) construction in various parts of the San Joaquin Valley. The building of bridges over Highway 99 in south Fresno and over the San [...] Continue Reading
Urgent Forestry Report (Pine Pitch?)
By Jem Bluestein (Author’s note: Many thanks to Tom Frantz for all his great work on behalf of our ecosystem and its human dependents. I have submitted a supplemental analysis of my own.) What [...] Continue Reading