Regions
The most populous state in the union continues to grow, making efforts to clean up the air and water more difficult as cars overcrowd the highways and sprawl creeps across fields and orchards. In the San Joaquin Valley, agriculture, oil fields, and vehicles have made the area the asthma capital of the country as various organizations prod government agencies to do more.
- Our Stories
- Air Pollution Starts a Movement
California prides itself on being the nation’s breadbasket, the supplier of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other agricultural products to the country and the world. But the San Joaquin Valley, where many of these crops are grown, has the worst air pollution of any comparable area in the country. Western Press Secretary Brian Smith recounts how a unique coalition came together to fight for cleaner air.
 Learn more about the Central Valley struggle |
- Recent Victories
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Protecting the "Heart of California" from Urban DevelopmentThe primary zone of the California Delta is truly the heart of the state. This western watershed for the Sierra Nevada mountains is home to a multitude of wildlife and family farms, it also provides drinking water to millions of Californians. A recent proposal to allow 162 units of housing within this zone at Clarksburg was successfully challenged by Earthjustice and a coalition of local residents. Air Pollution Starts a MovementCalifornia prides itself on being the nation’s breadbasket, the supplier of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other agricultural products to the country and the world. But the San Joaquin Valley, where many of these crops are grown, has the worst air pollution of any comparable area in the country. Western Press Secretary Brian Smith recounts how a unique coalition came together to fight for cleaner air. Earthjustice opens door to Methanex tribunalEarthjustice succeeds in convincing the Methanex tribunal that it had the authority to allow us to make written submissions in the case, opening the door to public participation. Clearing the Air in California's Central ValleyThreatened with lawsuits from Earthjustice and clean-air advocates, in October 2001, the EPA redesignated the San Joaquin Valley a "severe" ozone region, a change in status from "serious" that reflects the smog problem as well as the lack of progress in solving it. Sequoia National Monument is AffirmedThe national monument established by President Clinton to protect the last pockets of unprotected giant sequoias on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada has withstood a challenge. Protecting Marine Mammals Off California's CoastIn 2001, Earthjustice's Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford compelled the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect endangered sea turtles, whales, and dolphins from the effects of gillnet fisheries off the California Coast. Win by LosingSome lawsuits fail in court but still accomplish their overall objective. One such case rescued the Sacramento River winter-run king salmon. Mike Sherwood, the lead attorney on the case, tells the story. Postal ArroganceIn the mid-1980s, the Army gave the Postal Service permission to build a large new postoffice on land that was about to become a national park. Buck Parker, executive director of Earthjustice, explains what happened next. Mineral King: Breaking Down the Courthouse DoorDon Harris, one of Earthjustice's founders, tells the story of how it all started, in a lawsuit that opened up the legal system to environmental organizations and sparked the creation of the organization that would become Earthjustice. |
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