Homeowners facing major impacts from High-Speed Rail

 If you lived near a proposed high-speed rail track, do you think you will get fair compensation if the state takes your property? And if they don't take it, what compensation should you get if you have to look at and hear a 200 mph train in your backyard everyday?


Homeowners facing major impacts from High-Speed Rail

Longer, hotter, and more dangerous heat waves on the way

 Photo by Kevork Djansezian /Getty Images

Bakersfield is known for a lot of things - being extremely hot in the summertime is one of them. According to a new study released yesterday, Bakersfield and the rest of California can expect things to get even hotter in the future, with heat waves lasting longer and threatening the lives of certain people as well.

The study, commissioned by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and prepared by researchers at Kent State University and The University of Miami, Florida, predicts more frequent and dangerous heat waves in California's future. Utilizing new and more comprehensive weather modeing techniques than have been used previously, they found that the incidence of hot spells lasting 10 or more days could rise by a factor of 2 to 10 by the 2090s. They predict this will have severe impacts on populations at risk, especially the elderly.

Read more of my article by clicking on the attached link:

Longer, hotter, and more dangerous heat waves on the way

ARB approves GHG reduction plan, revised environmental analysis

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) approved an updated environmental analysis of a controversial state plan to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG), which they also re-approved today. The GHG reduction measures may have a significant effect on Bakersfield and Kern County businesses. For example, the oil industry routinely emits millions of tons per year of CO2 equivalent gases from its operations throughout the county.

For more info, read my full article at the link below:


ARB approves GHG reduction plan, revised environmental analysis

High-Speed Rail Board announces draft EIR/EIS workshops

 The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaHSRA) has just announced a schedule of workshops to be held that will discuss the recent draft EIR/EIS for the Fresno to Bakersfield section of California's high-speed rail project. Residents of Bakersfield and the Central Valley, particularly those whose homes and businesses may be directly impacted by one of the proposed routes, may want to attend.

For more info and a workshop schedule, click on the link below:

High-Speed Rail Board announces draft EIR/EIS workshops

Local oil Industry tops list of air pollution violations

If a stationary source operates equipment that emits air pollution, it needs to get a permit from the APCD. The permit specifies conditions that the equipment needs to operate under in order to comply with the APCD's regulations. When the permit conditions are not met, the owner/operator of the equipment may face fines of up to $25,000 for each day the violation occurs.

The attached article (and the above table) provides more info on the top air pollution violators in the San Joaquin Valley. Not surprisingly to some, the oil industry tops the list. Please click on the link for more details.

Local oil Industry tops list of air pollution violations

Who are the biggest air polluters in the San Joaquin Valley?

 Have you ever wondered why the air we breathe in Bakersfield is so dirty? Have you ever wondered where that air pollution comes from?

As part of a request to the SJVAPCD, a list of the largest industrial polluters in the Valley was obtained. Based on 2009 data (the latest information currently available), the largest industrial air polluters in the Valley can be attributed to three general industries: oil & gas production, energy generation, and glass making. 

For more details, click on the following link:

Who are the biggest air polluters in the San Joaquin Valley?

Back to school with real time air quality data - APCD RAAN program

It's that time of year again and kids are returning to school in Bakersfield and other parts of the Valley. Unfortunately, this time of year is also smog season with unhealthy air quality levels occurring frequently.

To help school districts, teachers, students, and their parents plan outdoor activities better, the San Joaquin Valley APCD has come up with a pilot program that provides e-mail alerts whenever air quality in your area significantly changes. The program is free and available to anyone, not just school administrators.

For more info, click on the link below:

Back to school with real time air quality data - APCD RAAN program

Change your car's A/C refrigerant, help stop global warming

The bad economic news in the country is especially bad in Bakersfield and Kern County, with unemployment rates here still hovering around 15%, significantly higher than the rest of the state and the U.S. Add to that rising prices, a declining stock market, and gloomy predictions for improvement anytime soon, and more and more Bakersfield residents are increasingly turning to do-it-yourself activities rather than paying someone else. For example, people are cutting their own grass, doing their own laundry instead of sending clothes to dry cleaners, and doing their own car repairs.

For those involved with the latter, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has just announced a way for car buffs here and elsewhere in the state to recharge their air conditioning systems in a manner much safer for the environment. As a result of new Climate Change regulations, ARB, equipment manufacturers, and distributors have come up with a redesigned recharge canister. Featuring a self-sealing mechanism, the new canisters are sold with a $10 deposit, refunded when the empty cans are returned.

 For more info, click on the link below:

Change your car's A/C refrigerant, help stop global warming