By Vic Bedoian In a decision that’s sure to be controversial, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) issued a draft permit to the Chemical Waste Management Company to expand [...] Continue Reading
Environment
The Fungus Among Us
By Maria Telesco At the time of this writing, a serious medical crisis is looming in two California prisons. Valley fever, which is caused by the sometimes-lethal aspergillus fungus, may be [...] Continue Reading
Strictest Rules in the Nation? – Clearing the Air – July 2013
By Tom Frantz The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Board likes to brag about having the toughest air pollution controls in the nation. Unfortunately, given that we have the worst air [...] Continue Reading
Fresnans Against Fracking Is Organized
By Gary Lasky Fifteen Fresno activists met on June 10 to share concerns about the impending “fracking” boom in the San Joaquin Valley and launched a new group, Fresnans Against Fracking. The group [...] Continue Reading
Fracking California Legislative Update
By Gary Lasky The oil and gas industry in California is essentially without adult supervision. Existing regulations are either drafted by, or approved in advance by, the oil industry. This status quo [...] Continue Reading
Expanding Natural Gas Exports Would Encourage Natural Gas Fracking in California
By Tom Cotter Increasing America’s natural gas exports to other nations may sound like benign economic policy, but it is anything but. In reality, oil and gas giants and others with a track record [...] Continue Reading
How Not To Fight Climate Change: Clearing the Air – June 2013
By Tom Frantz Our lungs are being violated by misguided climate change action in Sacramento. Simultaneously, our Valley Air Board is facilitating this environmental injustice. First, some [...] Continue Reading
Wal-Mart Distribution Center to Proceed Despite Environmental Flaws
By Tom Grave After a three-year legal battle, Walmart can now proceed with building a 1.1 million square foot distribution center on 230 acres within the city of Merced. This massive project will [...] Continue Reading
Fracking Lease Sale Halted by Federal Court
By Gary Lasky Fresno County is targeted for fracking—a form of oil and gas extraction in which fluids are pumped underground with sand and, frequently, toxic chemicals to release oil [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air – May 2013: Protecting Public Health by Promoting Polluting Projects
By Tom Frantz You have to see it to believe it. Our air district does not keep our health in its best interests. Instead, it claims new pollution is good for us. There is a Kern County power plant [...] Continue Reading
Earth Day 2013
By George B. Kauffman Earth Day, the world’s largest secular holiday and the only event celebrated by more than a half billion people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities is sponsored by many [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air – April 2013: Air Board Intransigence
By Tom Frantz The San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District is a public health agency run by a Governing Board of local politicians including names such as Judy Case of Fresno County, [...] Continue Reading