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Why our air isn't fit to breathe
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:12
In the battle against smog, sprawl is the only polluter awarded taboo status. Year after year, in every poll and public hearing, air pollution is the problem that worries Kern County residents the most. Yet our appetite for growth threatens to overwhelm the smog controls we've slapped on cars, factories and farms as we all drive farther to work, shop and play. Oil Patch gets a gold star -- it's the cars, the boats, the dust ...
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:12
Controls on industrial polluters have made the San Joaquin Valley's air much cleaner over the past 20 years, but experts say the public will have to look elsewhere for further improvements. In fact, we'll have to look in the mirror. Build it and the cars will come -- along with pollution
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:12
Houses are not benign wood and metal boxes, and the neighborhoods we build them in are not just streets and sidewalks. In hundreds of small and routine ways, they are actually complex polluters. Full of hot air: Some room 'fresheners' actually add to smog problem
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
As bad as the San Joaquin Valley's smog is, it may be tempting to run out and buy a plug-in air cleaner for the bedroom or living room. But unless you buy carefully, you may end up with a device that actually makes the valley's air worse and threatens your health. Who's in charge here?
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
Kern County is in the midst of a growth boom that will double the population in 20 years. All those people, their new houses and cars don't have to mean more pollution. Planning experts say we can accommodate that growth while cutting smog if we rethink present growth patterns. On the air: Politicians talk growth
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
"I would have preferred to see more specific policies in the general plan with regard to air quality. Ultimately, I think that's what we'll get. They just weren't there when it came to us for adoption. Mass transit: One ticket out of gridlock
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
As new subdivisions turn Bakersfield into an ever-sprawling suburbia, public transit is getting left behind. Builders: Rigid policy hinders good intentions
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
There's a market in Bakersfield for homes and neighborhoods that look and function differently -- and pollute less -- according to a number of local builders. We don't see more of them, they say, partly because local development codes add red tape, hassle and expense. Breathing uneasy: Residents want solutions -- now
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
At a recent gathering of the Moms' Network of Kern County, an informal poll revealed that all 16 moms in attendance drove to the event. Two carpooled, and two more said they could have walked but didn't. Readers respond to the issue of urban sprawl
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
Participants of The Californian's Readers Respond program over the past few days answered this question: "The San Joaquin Valley's air quality has long been a concern for Kern County as well as the state of California. Do you think urban sprawl is a significant contributing factor, and if so, what do you think should be done to minimize its impact on our air?" Status of landmark Vision 2020 growth strategies: No progress noted
Posted: 06/14/03 23:59:00
Last updated: 06/14/03 21:21:13
The Bakersfield Vision 2020 process brought together 13,000 people over 18 months to paint the city's future. Pollution and sprawl were the top concerns. Additional information
Posted: 06/26/03 11:31:00
Last updated: 06/26/03 11:40:52
Check out the following Web sites for more on sprawl and ways you can help clean up our air:
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